Wren Kitchens

[Doon frae Troon]

Anyone had any dealings with them ?...would you recommend .
Any advice welcome.

 

[RichA]

Anyone had any dealings with them ?...would you recommend .
Any advice welcome.

Builders are currently smashing my house up ready for the Wren kitchen delivery on Monday, so I’ll keep you posted.
They were recommended by another forum user and we’ve since discovered a number of friends have used them and thought they were good. They certainly seem to be the best value.

People do generally seem to suggest finding your own builder/fitter/plumber/electrician/decorator though, rather than using Wren’s.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

We looked at Wren but didn't go with them as we felt that their designer didn't have much in the way of the imagination our kitchen needed. We went Howdens in the end. But note that with Howdens - and possibly also with Wren - our agreement is with our builders/fitters and not Howdens as the order was through our builder/fitter. So if we were to have any problem with the kitchen units we must rely on our builder/fitter to resolve it.

 

[BrianM]

We looked at Wren but didn't go with them as we felt that their designer didn't have much in the way of the imagination our kitchen needed. We went Howdens in the end. But note that with Howdens - and possibly also with Wren - our agreement is with our builders/fitters and not Howdens as the order was through our builder/fitter. So if we were to have any problem with the kitchen units we must rely on our builder/fitter to resolve it.

You’ll have no issues with Howdens if something isn’t right, I’ve fitted loads and nothing is ever a hassle.

 

[RichA]

We looked at Wren but didn't go with them as we felt that their designer didn't have much in the way of the imagination our kitchen needed. We went Howdens in the end. But note that with Howdens - and possibly also with Wren - our agreement is with our builders/fitters and not Howdens as the order was through our builder/fitter. So if we were to have any problem with the kitchen units we must rely on our builder/fitter to resolve it.

Howdens are trade only so yes, your contract is with the builder.
Wren are retail so ironing out problems is down to you. My understanding is that they don’t actually have their own fitters - more a pool of subcontractors they use if you can’t find your own.
Our builder was disappointed that we didn’t go with Howdens as they are apparently great to work with. We just didn’t get great service when we went into our local branch as prospective customers

 

[NearHull]

Howdens over Wren every day of the week.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

My kitchen is Wren. The units and worktops are first class. I fitted the kitchen, but had their quartz worktop suppliers/fitters do the quartz worktops.

Kitchens can be made to look a million dollars or dog poop depending on the quality of workmanship fitting it.
Builders like Howdens because of the nice discounts they get, and their kitchens are ok, but I like a kitchen carcass to come pre assembled

 

[RichA]

My kitchen is Wren. The units and worktops are first class. I fitted the kitchen, but had their quartz worktop suppliers/fitters do the quartz worktops.

Kitchens can be made to look a million dollars or dog poop depending on the quality of workmanship fitting it.
Builders like Howdens because of the nice discounts they get, and their kitchens are ok, but I like a kitchen carcass to come pre assembled

Yeah. My builder has never done a Wren kitchen before. He was amazed when I told him the cabinets arrived pre-built. Even with quartz worktops, decent appliances and the upper range doors and cabinets it’s several thousand £s less than anywhere else we looked.

 

[jim8flog]

Seen various comments on consumer programmes, the main complaints seem to about the fitters rather than the product.

 

[BrianM]

My kitchen is Wren. The units and worktops are first class. I fitted the kitchen, but had their quartz worktop suppliers/fitters do the quartz worktops.

Kitchens can be made to look a million dollars or dog poop depending on the quality of workmanship fitting it.
Builders like Howdens because of the nice discounts they get, and their kitchens are ok, but I like a kitchen carcass to come pre assembled

Howdens carcasses are pre assembled…..

 

[KenL]

We’ve got a Wren kitchen. The fitter they supplied was first class, took a huge pride in their work and the fit and finish exceeded expectations.

 

[Piece]

We chose Howdens over Wrens purely because we didn't want to run the risk of a crappy fitter from Wrens.

 

[KenL]

We chose Howdens over Wrens purely because we didn't want to run the risk of a crappy fitter from Wrens.

You don’t have to use Wren’s fitter.

 

[chico]

We used Wren and thought the product was excellent. My mate fitted it so don't have any knowledge on Wrens fitters.

 

[rudebhoy]

We got a Wren kitchen last year. We looked at Howden but Wren were much better in terms of price and quality. Their doors were thicker and the appliances were far better, Howden quoted with their own brand appliances which get poor reviews, Wren gave us NEFF. And the Wren quote was a couple of grand cheaper, it was a no brainer.

We used our own fitter, we had been warned off using Wrens fitters.

We got the work surface supplied and fitted by a local firm.

We had a few issues with stuff being damaged on arrival, but the process for getting replacements was very straightforward.

 

[chrisd]

We did Wren about 7 years back. At the design stage they were pretty useless so Mrsd and I designed our own. The kitchen was fitted by builders who were working for us who were renovating and enlarging our kitchen. The worktop was made and fitted by a different company contracted by Wren, the boss of the company was a total knob but my builder was so good and he made sure the fitters didn't leave until everything was correct. 7 years on it still looks, and works really well.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Thanks for all your comments and advice.
We seem to be stuck between splashing the cash an a Wren whole new fit or getting our local guy to just fit a new hob, dishwasher and eye lever cooker and replace a couple of doors.
Existing kitchen is nearly 8 years old and still looking good.
Getting estimates this week so we will see what comes up.

 

[srixon 1]

We have just paid for a Howdens kitchen. Will be installed in about a months time. We have lived here for 20 years and the kitchen units must be at least 35 years old. Small brown floor tiles are going at last.