HOWDENS VS IKEA: Why we turned down an IKEA kitchen for Howdens
Looking for an IKEA Kitchen review? Well, this isn’t actually a review but it might just save you a lot of money…
If you’re looking for an IKEA kitchen review, what we have for you here might be more important than an actual review.
Our builder gave us some shocking info about IKEA kitchens which could make or break your budget – so naturally, we zoomed as fast as we could to our laptops to write a blog post and give you a heads up on it.
Buckle in for a little backstory first 😅
We’re Neil & Fi and this is our Howdens kitchen.
I’m an interior designer but we fit this kitchen before we began helping homeowners make savvy choices via our free guides and courses.
It was during our kitchen renovation that we started investigating which kitchen supplier was right for us…
Let’s just say Howdens vs IKEA became a hot topic!
We were on the market for something budget to mid-range, a shaker style, and good quality that didn’t take weeks to be delivered as some kitchen suppliers do.
So inevitably, the mainstays, i.e. IKEA kitchens, Howdens and B&Q, were on our hit list.
Our first flat had a Howdens kitchen, and we were impressed with the beating it took over the years (!) but we didn’t let this get in the way of getting a good deal if it meant getting a similar quality for a better price, so we gave IKEA kitchens and B&Q kitchens some real consideration too.
Like you, we read the IKEA reviews, the Howdens ones and the B&Q ones, and there was so much info out there about each option.
Planning a kitchen is tough enough as it is. So in this post, we want to share with you our thoughts on all 3 suppliers to help you inform decisions and make sure you’re super happy with your investment. So what got us choosing a Howdens kitchen?
Why we turned down IKEA kitchens in favour of Howdens
1. IKEA have a gorgeous range of kitchens but may require more man hours to fit
Our builder gave us some advice that I couldn’t stop thinking about when we were in the process of choosing a new kitchen, and that was:
“Fi, IKEA kitchens are lovely, they’re good quality, they’re affordable, but they take a lot longer to fit… think about your choice wisely.”
First off, I thought, were they just being very biased because IKEA instructions are a nuisance to read?
But then I thought deeper… It was going to take double the time to fit it 😳
That means it would have cost us double in labour costs 🤯
Oh hell no!
Besides the money, I didn’t want to wait that long for our dream kitchen to get installed either!
Why do they take longer to fit? Because of this point below…
2. IKEA kitchens don’t arrive pre-built like Howdens
Now, it was 2016 when we got our Howdens kitchen fitted (make sure to also read our Howdens kitchen review), and I don’t know if IKEA has since upped their kitchen game, but you know the white base units that make up the structure of a kitchen? Howdens can deliver those pre-built, but IKEA doesn’t. If you’ve got a medium to large-sized kitchen, that’s going to take a lot of extra man-hours to build (work that we definitely didn’t want to do ourselves. Flat packs should come with a warning sign “May cause divorces 😂”).
NOTE: Pre-built kitchens might come in that little bit more expensive for the materials - so if you’re looking to save money, you need to do a bit of homework and calculate fitting costs and material costs to work out what is best for you.
3. We also tried B&Q and weren’t overly impressed…
Just a brief note about B&Q in case you’re considering them too. They had a great selection of worktops there – everything from wood to granite, to laminate – at pretty affordable prices. This impressed us. But we didn’t fall in love with any of their kitchen styles. This is just personal taste, so your experience might vary, and of course, that was back in 2016 so they may have upped their design game along with advances in the industry.
4. Howdens have local warehouses making deliveries far faster, and any extras more convenient to get hold of
Something we say to students on our renovation online course all the time is if you’re in the market for a kitchen supplier, don’t overlook the convenience of their warehouse being close by.
When you’re 75% of the way through the fit of your kitchen, and you realise you need an extra length of kick-board, the last thing you want is to have to wait weeks for it to arrive/be delivered, leaving you with an unfinished kitchen and your builder needing to schedule in more work with you later.
We guide newbie renovators on how to manage their projects seamlessly with minimal stress, and our courses and guides are packed with advice.
In fact, here’s an invitation to help you get your kitchen design just right.
Free, of course 🤗
I poured my heart and soul into the “How to design your dream kitchen” guide to help anyone who is currently looking for an IKEA or Howdens kitchen and doesn’t have a clue where to start with the design or is worried about making mistakes.
Worried about making the wrong kitchen decisions?
My FREE Kitchen Design Guide will help you prevent any layout or colour mistakes.
In 3 short classes I’ll teach you how to:
Get a kitchen layout that works for you
Create a design that won’t date
Make your kitchen affordable
Howdens have all local branches across the UK and are extremely trade-friendly, meaning your builder/joiner can drive in, pick up any extras and get it fitted for you the same day.
Choosing the right kitchen within your budget
Kitchen suppliers and designing your kitchen isn't easy. Kitchens have a lot of moving parts to get right. And there's a lot that can go wrong...
My goal (as ever) is to help you approach your project in the right way so it ultimately enhances your life. To continue learning about kitchens and give your project the best chance of success, take a look at my free email series – How to Design and Order a Kitchen. It’s packed with tips to get your dream look on budget.
We are so happy with the decision we made, and even now, we’re still as in love with our kitchen as when it was installed.
We really hope some of what we shared in this post helps you choose a kitchen that becomes the heart of your home for many years to come <3
Thanks for reading,
Fifi & Neil
xo
We also have some helpful guides on this blog to find answers to how much does a new kitchen cost? And how much does a kitchen extension cost, so stick around.
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