B&Q kitchen installation charges

Discussion in 'Kitchen Fitters' Talk' started by Boff, Aug 18, 2005.

  1. Boff

    Boff New Member

    Not something I've really paid much attention to in the past but priced 2 jobs up in last fortnight for installing B&Q supplied kitchens where customer was going to go with them fitting but changed mind - had a look through itemised lists for each one and nearly dropped dead when I saw the installation price - £3600 on the first and £4500 on the 2nd - bear in mind the 2nd only cost £1050 for the kitchen. Now the first had a bit of electrical work, basically a few extra sockets and move a boiler 800mm (it would have been easier to design kitchen round it but what do you expect from B&Q :) )but the 2nd was nothing apart from fit what was supplied. Both were straightforward - a U shape and an L shape.

    My 2 questions are:

    1. How the hell do they come to such a ridiculous price?

    2. Anyone fit for B&Q and if so how much of that do you actually see (guessing no more than 50% - tight gits)?

    I really can't stand the place but at that money I'd be happy to chuck a few in every now and then

    2.
     
  2. jack6

    jack6 New Member

    i know of a guy who used to fit for b&q and the dearest fit i seen ( over his shoulder i must add lol) was £1300 but then again i didn,t get the chance to see a lot of the paperwork.( played his cards close to his chest)
     
  3. freequote

    freequote New Member

    I replied to an add in my local paper, requiring fitters.
    When I got down there, it turns out that he had just got the local B&Q fitting contract.

    Right load of rubbish, paye only, £10 per hour after a month, expected to work up to 60 hrs a week and do tiling, plumbing, electrics ( was a couple of years ago)and he was diappointed that I wasn't CORGI.

    Before he told me all this, he showed me a plan and asked how much I would charge, I reckoned a good 6 days work with all the extras, so said £1200, he said 4 days max.

    I go past the place most days and he diappeared not long after my interveiw, reckon he was forced out of buisness by all these money grabing fitters.
     
  4. Bully

    Bully New Member

    Hi Boff, I fitted for them up to a year ago, You get about 3/4 of the fit BUT it was still never worth the hassle, My 8 year old would have a better idea how to plan a kitchen than the t**t that we had in store. Most fits are up to double the price of the kit and to be honest the it still wasn't worth that in quality terms. it's just frustrating fitting c**p kitchens and trying to make em look good.

    [Edited by: admin]
     
  5. Boff

    Boff New Member

    I'm well aware how **** they are but I'm used to making **** kitchens look good - done my fair share of Vance Miller's Discount Kitchens Direct/Maple Mills/China Kitchens efforts :)

    Been installing one of the B&Q kitchens today - the job where he was quoted £3600. We've got him the boiler moved, sorted the electrics and fitted it for around half what B&Q quoted. I don't tend to work for other people as it winds me up how bloody useless everyone seems to be lol. You're right about the design as well - I'd be surprised if the kid who designed this one had ever been in a kitchen.
     
  6. ogee

    ogee New Member

    i have fitted a few bq kitchens i give the customer my price and they nearly bite my hand off then the give me the plans etc and i always end up seeing their charges which are usually about a thousand pounds more than mine their pricing is realy expensive
     
  7. Plug

    Plug New Member

    What can I say, We got a B & Q kitchen and the cost of the install was over the top... So I fitted it myself... I was easy just took more time than a Kitchen fitter.
     
    candoabitofmoststuff likes this.
  8. e30mark

    e30mark Member

    Well I've got the B&Q fitting price guide here somewhere... The store keeps a 1/3 of the fitting cost, 2/3 goes to the fitter.

    I did a load of wall / floor tiling for a customer recently, who has just had a hand made, solid wood (carcass's as well...) kitchen supplied and fitted cheaper than B&Q wanted for a similar kitchen. It had been fitted beautifully.

    My customer had said it was the ridiculous installation charges that had put them off, this was before he knew of me! I'm fitting a bathroom next for him, he hasn't told me how much B&Q quoted for that yet!
     
  9. Jonny Round Boy

    Jonny Round Boy New Member

    I fitted a B&Q kitchen a couple of months ago - total cost of kitchen (inc appliances) was £2350. Then they wanted an additional £2650 to fit it. That was into a newly plastered, empty room, with no 1st fix required....
     
  10. mj

    mj Guest

    local to me the bnq fitters are one's who have been booted out by other kitchen co's & people who have fiited a wall unit for their aunty !! bnq try to portray a top of the range fitting service, the reality is it's subbed out to a organiser & then subbed out again to individuall fitters.
    The important thing to remember is that you can't make a silk purse from a sows ear with regards to the quality of their kitchens.
     
  11. pine-pro

    pine-pro New Member

    i went to price a kitchen recently and the first thing she said to me was "weve been quoted £800 can you beat that"
    £800 thats very cheap i says trying to be polite who quoted you
    "b&q "she says
    no theyve made a mistake i says
    "no carl and his mate who work in the warehouse they fit kitchens at weekends"
    does anyone else get idiot customers or is just me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     
  12. panlid

    panlid New Member

  13. russ295

    russ295 New Member

    in my local howdens branch on wed, bloke asks me if i do "guvy" jobs. told him i was a self employed kitchen fitter and electrical installer. he gave me his address to have a look at his "guvy" job. turned out to be a full kitchen rewire, 23 units, all plumbing, range cooker and hood, and fully plastered! no worktops as he is getting granite. gave him a price of £350 for new ring and radial for cooker, and a price of £950.00 for kitchen and plumbing. he asked if the electrics included a new c/u change and the kitchen price included replastering. the kitchen is 22 foot long! i wonder if the lads at b&q might want this job?
     
  14. It wasn't me

    It wasn't me New Member

    Not something I've really paid much attention to in
    the past but priced 2 jobs up in last fortnight for
    installing B&Q supplied kitchens where customer was
    going to go with them fitting but changed mind - had
    a look through itemised lists for each one and nearly
    dropped dead when I saw the installation price -
    £3600 on the first and £4500 on the 2nd - bear in
    mind the 2nd only cost £1050 for the kitchen. Now
    the first had a bit of electrical work, basically a
    few extra sockets and move a boiler 800mm (it would
    have been easier to design kitchen round it but what
    do you expect from B&Q :) )but the 2nd was nothing
    apart from fit what was supplied. Both were
    straightforward - a U shape and an L shape.

    My 2 questions are:

    1. How the hell do they come to such a ridiculous
    price?

    2. Anyone fit for B&Q and if so how much of that do
    you actually see (guessing no more than 50% - tight
    gits)?

    I really can't stand the place but at that money I'd
    be happy to chuck a few in every now and then

    2.

    In reply to this post - we fit for b & q and their prices are stupid - the make 40% on everything. Mains earth bonding (even if it's 1 meter away) is roughly £120 - thats for us. Add their 40% on after that. Someone is laughing!
     
  15. It wasn't me

    It wasn't me New Member

    Sorry mistake fitter gets 72%.must say not bad can`t complain.They payed the best rates around.

    Dont have a problem fitting cheaper kitchens.If you are good enough you can make it look good.

    Only real difference is the doors cornice pelmet.

    Found some real rubbish at magnets and mfi.
     
  16. Benbo

    Benbo New Member

    Just out of interest, do any of you fitters offer a guarentee with your price? as b&q has a 2 year workmanship guarntee on any fit.
     
  17. Jonny Round Boy

    Jonny Round Boy New Member

    as b&q has a 2 year
    workmanship guarntee on any fit.

    No, I think you've missunderstood - B&Q offer a guarantee on the workmanship, but if you try to complain it takes 2 years for them to sort it out.... ;)
     
  18. Benbo

    Benbo New Member

    nicely avoided the question on that one
     
  19. Jonny Round Boy

    Jonny Round Boy New Member

    nicely avoided the question on that one

    Oh sorry, you wanted a REAL answer - well why didn't you say! ;)

    I don't offer a 'guarantee' as such, as I personally don't feel it's necessary. If a customer rings me with a problem with something I've done, I'll sort it out for them - simple as that. Saying something has a guarantee doesn't really mean anything, unless it's qualified (eg. I can find lots of references to B&Q's guarantee in their catalogues & on the website, but nothing that states what it actually covers).

    Any decent tradesman should, in my opinion, be happy to sort out any problems that occur as a matter of course. Unless you're a really big company (like B&Q) giving the customer a certificate is meaningless (and worthless).
     
  20. !!

    !! Active Member

    Where do you find out about getting on the B&Q fitters list, I know they are rubbish and staffed by monkeys but I'm fed up of having to p*ss about being a salesman
     

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