diy-kitchens.com any experience?

[Jude1234]

Starting to look at kitchens.  In our builders estimate there was a PC sum of £10,000 which originally I thought was fine but now I am not sure as we like the look of granite worktops, induction hops and lots of other expensive things.

 

Came across diy-kitchens.com - just wondered if anybody had any experience (good or bad)  

[nod]

They look ok online. Some good reviews though you can never be sure how genuine online reviews are

 

We started with a figure of 10K 

But after going round virtually all the Kitchen suppliers we have realised that this amount is insufficient with appliances costing £7500 and granite or corian a further 4.

I intend fitting the kitchen myself.

But even with cheaper carcasses and doors we are miles out.

You've nothing to lose by getting a quote from this company

[Plumbersmateuk]

3 hours ago, Jude1234 said:

just wondered if anybody had any experience (good or bad)

Yup I have had 2 off them 1 for myself and 1 for somebody else.

Mine is 8 years old and still as good as when fitted

They come ready to fit, that's where I will be getting the next one when needed.

[Fallingditch]

I actually made a long trip up north to visit their Showroom. They are not your normal kitchen supplier - they do what it says on the tin - DIY.  They are doing very well - lots of sales, expanding. Staff are very helpful and it's an excellent showroom. (A friend also bought from them and they are very satisfied).

 

However, in the end whilst we did go the DIY route, we didn't go with this company.  The main reason was the choice of material for the drawer and door fronts. We decided to go white high gloss. We then went to some other kitchen suppliers and picked up the white high gloss samples. The sample we preferred was Vivo because it was more dense and solid than the others. We then looked for a kitchen supplier who could supply Vivo (and Blum drawer runners and hinges) and we came up with TK components in Manchester.

 

TK are trade only. My builders opened an account with them and that's how the basis of our kitchen and utility was built. We bought the granite separately from a local firm. We bought the handles from PWS. We gradually bought the sinks and appliances from eBay. Taps from Germany. Specialised pullouts and drawer organisers direct from Germany. Have to say I'm extremely happy with the result - both quality and cost

 

Going back to your original question I believe most people are happy with DIY kitchens so you shouldn't worry about buying from them.

 

Then again I'm 100% happy that we went the route we took, and I'd recommend TK to anyone.

[Cambs]

We fitted one from diy kitchens on our last self build about 10 years ago.  Good value, ready assembled and it stood up to wear and tear pretty well.  The soft close door mechanisms only lasted about 5 minutes though - they may have improved them since then.  It wasn’t helped by people slamming them I suspect.....

 

A mix of oak and painted shaker.  The painted bits had a grain in them that started to show the dirt after a few years. Drawers and hinges stood up pretty well.

 

Delivered what was ordered and all well packed with no damage.

 

Overall, I’d have a look at them for my next kitchen. 

Edited February 3, 2018 by Cambs
Typo

[divorcingjack]

As far as I'm aware, they get pretty good reviews all round, and I like the custom colour option on the fronts. Annoyingly though, they won't supply the units without doors - I wanted to buy a couple of units to see the quality and fit out a storage cupboard, but they wouldn't do it. 

 

Sorry to take the thread off track - does anyone have recommendations for where I can buy unit carcasses without doors? 

[PeterW]

Ikea do carcasses without doors, as do Wickes and most of the sheds. 

 

I’m off to see the DIY Kitchens showroom on Thursday so if you like @divorcingjack I can take some photos and pull apart the odd display kitchen... OH will probably disown me at that point ..!! 

[divorcingjack]

@PeterW, I'd be interested in your feedback, for sure It's too far for us to visit in person, so I'm relying on internet feedback. We've had ikea kitchens before, but I'm just not overly keen on the wobbly backs - the makeup of the DIY kitchens units just seems much more solid. Amazing how quickly you can justify spending more because it's a self build, the prospect of living with it for the foreseeable id remarkably effective at opening the wallet ...

 

[Cambs]

2 hours ago, divorcingjack said:

As far as I'm aware, they get pretty good reviews all round, and I like the custom colour option on the fronts. Annoyingly though, they won't supply the units without doors - I wanted to buy a couple of units to see the quality and fit out a storage cupboard, but they wouldn't do it. 

 

Not sure if you've seen the manufacturing video on YouTube but might give you some idea of the quality....  Looks like they have made significant investment in manufacturing plant...

 

Edit.... At about 2mins 40, there's a box of Blum fittings being poured in so looks like reasonable quality there...

 

 

Edited February 12, 2018 by Cambs

[vivienz]

They've just got a really good review from Which? for customer service, quality of products and quality of finish.  No mark available for durability as not enough Which? members reviewed this area and it's worth noting that the sample size for DIY was 32 whereas the others were all above 100, apart from John Lewis who had 95 reviews and Wren who had 90.

Edited February 12, 2018 by vivienz
inc. Wren numbers

[ryder72]

DIY Kitchens mainly use PWS doors and make their carcasses.  I havent seen their carcasses so I cant comment but I expect its fairly standard stuff - 18mm egger board with PVC edging. While I dont rate this spec as particularly high, for the prices they are charging, its not bad value, as a lot of high street retailers will sell the same stuff and charge a lot more.

 

There is a perception out there that Blum drawer boxes are the gold standard. They are perfectly fine, but there are better products out there. English manufacturers use them mainly because of low cost and a very good distribution networks and ready availability. Unfortunately Blum's competitor products are not that readily available in the UK so which very popular on ready built European kitchens, very thin on the ground in the UK. Its largely down to the quirky nature of British kitchen manufacturing vis-a-vis the European manufacturers.

 

Blum however have an excellent range of mechanisms for wall units.

 

Coming back to DIY kitchens, the weakness there in my mind is the doors. PWS have had loads of issues in the past and the end result to the consumer is a complete mixed bag, mostly down to how good the retailer was at resolving the problem.

 

I suppose the best way to look at DIY is this - If you are confident of the measuring up, confident enough to plan and get the kitchen install, DIY offers a very credible offering. Much better quality than what the sheds would sell you. Atleast comparable to what most high street independents selling British made kitchens would offer for very good prices.

 

I still maintain that an entry level product from say Nobilia is a more refined offering, but DIY is very likely to have the price advantage.

[Plumbersmateuk]

3 hours ago, ryder72 said:

still maintain that an entry level product from say Nobilia is a more refined offering, but DIY is very likely to have the price advantage.

You know a lot more than me about kitchens but I have to say from my personal experience (my Diy-Kichen is over 8 years old) I think they are real value for money.

I have just compared some of the prices  to Nobilia (could be an old price list) and there is a vast difference.

I like the Diy web site most of the others have got to much glitz and glamour going on, I want to see the units and prices.

 

Whilst I want a kichen to be asthetic, it's functionality is more important to me.

 

[ryder72]

I agree with you. Nothing about DIY looks like its not a good product.

[Visti]

We only met them at a trade show, so nothing so much as a quote yet, but the prices they told us were very favourable compared to other makes out there! We'll be approaching them for sure.

[PeterW]

I was up there a couple of weeks ago - took a fair few photos of their cabinets etc and they are good quality. They have 8mm solid backs and seem very rigid. 

 

 

Some of the larger units are flat pack due to size and weight but the rest are fully built. Showroom is very good and worth a trip, even if it’s just for the free coffee and cake ....

 

 

[Mr Punter]

We have fitted seven of these in new build houses selling at £650, 000 to £1,000,000.

 

They seem fine and do not look out of place.  We also used their solid worktops which are supplied by another firm and are also good quality.

 

The main downside is that you need to get the design done yourself and you have to familiarise yourself with the website ordering, which I found a bit clunky.  I also had a couple of deliveries after 8 in the evening and one on a Saturday morning which was inconvenient as we operate normal site hours.

[Hecateh]

I visited yesterday and was very impressed.  It's only 20 minutes from me. A really good display and friendly and helpful staff.  Free coffee and cakes, baked on the premises - I suspect locals may use it as a free coffee shop except that you have to sign in and out so it would become too obvious.  They also do free pick up and drop off from local train stations for anyone further away. 

I brought away sample doors in 2 colours, making it easier to decide without being overwhelmed by different doors and to be able to see how they look in different light.  A deposit is paid which is refunded on return whether or not you buy from them.

One of their strengths can also make doing your own design more challenging as there are so many variations particularly in widths and interiors (they have 3 variations for access to corner cupboards).  

They do have an online design tool but it is hard to find - can't find how to access it from their main site and it is still in beta.  It keeps prompting to save but I can't find how to register to be able to do this.  I also saw some variations in the showroom that I can't find on their planning site.

I have a couple more quotes to get from local places but this is currently favourite.

[jack]

19 minutes ago, Hecateh said:

Free coffee and cakes, baked on the premises - I suspect locals may use it as a free coffee shop except that you have to sign in and out so it would become too obvious.  They also do free pick up and drop off from local train stations for anyone further away. 

 

For a moment I read that as saying they did coffee and cake delivery to local train stations! 

[Mr Punter]

Also they are branded as "Optima", which sounds more upmarket.

[PeterW]

Optima is a brand they use for other items including bathroom furniture - it’s been around quite a while and it’s pretty good quality. 

 

I’ll be ordering soon - they are really helpful. The planner though is not available online unless you know where to look but it’s very resource hungry with video rendering making PCs work really hard !!

[Hecateh]

53 minutes ago, PeterW said:

Optima is a brand they use for other items including bathroom furniture - it’s been around quite a while and it’s pretty good quality. 

 

I’ll be ordering soon - they are really helpful. The planner though is not available online unless you know where to look but it’s very resource hungry with video rendering making PCs work really hard !!

AFAICS planning cannot be accessed from their website (still in Beta) but if you google diy kitchens planner it comes up on the search.  Site address is backwards in that it is planner.diy-kitchens.com rather than after the main site address.  It's better than many when you get into it as it does automatically add end pieces, plinths and pelmets etc, whilst giving you the option to remove them if you don't want/need them

[Plumbersmateuk]

7 hours ago, Hecateh said:

planner.diy-kitchens

I'm going to give it a try and report back

[vivienz]

A little bump to this thread.  I've been researching kitchens over the last couple of months.  I've looked at choices from the standard sheds to kitchen designer shops and DIY-Kitchens, and priced them all up.  Although I won't be ordering for a while, I've pretty much decided that I will use DIY-Kitchens - it looks like a very nice product and excellent prices.  I will get most of my appliances elsewhere and will need to source my worktop and island surface from another supplier as DIY can't provide the size I need.  I'll report back on the outcome later this year.

[Hecateh]

They have a 10% off sale at the moment.  Ends 4 April I think.  They were competitive without it so am planning on ordering sometime next week.

 

One thing to watch for though. 

Standard £75

This is a ONE MAN delivery *

• In certain circumstances we may give a 2 day window for delivery as Standard deliveries sometimes are on larger overnight runs which can cross over multiple days.
• You will be contacted the day before delivery by email & text message.
• You will receive a text message from our driver 1 hour before arrival.
• These units are very heavy and will require 2 physically able people to offload your kitchen into your property.
• Failure to provide 2 physically able people will result in your kitchen being returned and a re-delivery fee charged.

Gold £150

• You get a TWO MAN delivery.
• You will be contacted the Wednesday one week before the scheduled delivery of your kitchen.
• We will give you a 2 day window for delivery as Gold deliveries are typically on larger overnight runs which can cross over multiple days.
• You will receive a text message from our drivers 1 hour before arrival.
• Our drivers will off load the units into your property. (Ground floor ONLY - Max 6 steps & Max 20 metres walking distance)

Platinum  £250

• You get a TWO MAN delivery
• Platinum delivery service ONLYavailable Monday to Friday.
• You will receive a text message from our drivers 1 hour before arrival.
• Specify your own prefered date.
• Our drivers will off load the units into your property. (Ground floor ONLY - Max 6 steps & Max 20 metres walking distance)

Not necessarily a deal breaker but something to be aware of

[vivienz]

Good shout, @Hecateh.  As you say, not a deal breaker with those prices, but if you want a Monday-Friday date that you can specify, it will add £250 to the bill.  I won't be in time for their April sale, but by the time I get around to ordering another one may have come along.