Howdens Kitchen Fitters in Cardiff

The first thing we work out on a Cardiff Howdens job is not the design, it is where the lorry stops. Cathays, Roath and Canton are full of residents parking schemes and streets where two cars passing is an event, so we agree the drop point at the survey and book the delivery slot around it rather than leaving it to chance. Howdens units arrive rigid and already built, which is a real advantage once they are in the room but a genuine problem in a hallway with a tight turn at the bottom of the stairs. We measure that route before the order goes in, because a 1000mm base unit that will not turn the corner is a problem best found on paper.

Once the units are inside, the Victorian rear return sets the standard. Those walls are solid brick with no cavity, the floor falls away towards the back door and the chimney breast eats into the one wall you wanted for a full run. We take a level datum off the highest point of the floor and set the Howdens carcasses off that, packing and scribing so the worktop line reads dead straight even though the wall behind it is not. If you have chosen one of the Howdens in frame ranges this stops being a nicety and becomes the whole job, because the gaps around in frame doors are visible from across the room and they only stay even if the carcasses underneath are square and level. Handleless runs are the same story told differently, since the shadow gap has to be consistent along the entire run or the eye picks it up instantly.

North of the city the job changes again. The interwar semis in Rhiwbina, Whitchurch, Heath and Llanishen give you more room to work with but often need an old larder or side return opening up before a modern Howdens layout will sit properly. Flats around Cardiff Bay and the city centre reverse the problem entirely, square walls and easy fixings but a lift, a communal corridor and a loading bay that has to be booked with the building manager. Whichever of those you are in, the order goes through our trade account once you have approved the final plan and the price, integrated appliances are fitted as part of the install with gas by a Gas Safe registered engineer and electrics by a qualified electrician, and you get a fixed written quote after we have measured the room in person.

What is included

• Full Howdens range experience
• Trade depot coordination
• Precision unit fitting
• Integrated appliance setup

Fitting Howdens kitchens

Howdens sell trade only, so the account and the depot relationship sit with the fitter rather than the homeowner. That makes the depot coordination part of the job, from checking the plan and lead times to arranging the delivery slot and sorting any replacement parts. Howdens units come rigid and their ranges change, so we work from the current catalogue rather than assumptions.