B&Q

LEVERAGE ADDED VALUE FROM YOUR REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT

Well doesn’t that just sound übermegacool?

Kitchens and bathrooms.

It all starts when the tiles start falling off your kitchen wall. Somebody starts making noises so you say: “Well I didn’t put the bloody things up!” You have a look to see how firm they are and a whole load fall on top of you. Further noises are made about “Don’t you think it’s time we had it completely redone?”

Hrrm. More money, but how much?

The selection process begins and you invite 4 companies around to make their pitch.

It’s got to be good, if you are going to the trouble. It’s an investment.

This is followed by a load of buffoons coming your house. They pull out catalogues and make graphic suggestions about what would best be put where. Some even have computers but they refuse to leave their printouts, because it’s more than their job is worth. What their job is worth is using your telephone to call their boss. Their boss says it’s O.K. to give you a 15% discount off their frightening price if you make a decision that evening at 9 p.m. and sign the order now. Today! Oh come on fat man, do I really look that stupid.

The most expensive offer we had was about £15k. While I chewed the fat with this particular guy, I suggested it would be a good idea if they had CAD software that would give you a 3D view of their suggested layout. “Oh golly gosh, we could never offer such competitive prices if we invested in that!

With several quotes in hand I dithered. Someone at the pub suggested I try B&Q. I said that I wasn’t into DIY, whereupon he said “No: they do it for you. And when all is said and done, it’s the same stuff. An MDF cupboard is an MDF cupboard.

(Now here’s an interesting fact. Did you know that MDF means ‘medium density fibreboard’ and that in German it is called MDF, which means ‘mitteldichte Faserplatte’? Information that could help you win a pub quiz.)

So having pondered. I call B&Q and a very pleasant guy comes round. And he is armed with a laptop with CAD softwareloaded. Oh dear – how competitive will he be? He makes what seem to be very sensible suggestions, then transfers them to his screen. He can even display the view from your kitchen window to make it look like anything from deepest Cornwall through Manhattan to sylvan Transylvania.

Now comes the scary bit. How much will it cost? All that posh software etc.

The bottom line is just short of £6k!

I decide to dither until the weekend, we go the store to look at all stuff for real and we talk about dates and stuff. Then we sign the order.

Prior to installation, a surveyor comes round to measure everything down to the nearest mm. Then on the agreed date, the guys come round, rip everything out and put everything new in. It takes about 4 or 5 days and they work quickly, cleanly and efficiently, making sure that they clean up everything after they have gone.

You can either agree on things like tiles from B&Q’s stocks or buy your own elsewhere and they’ll fit it.

A year or so on, it was then the turn of the bathroom to have a makeover. I didn’t bother to call anyone, except for B&Q.

Check out the ‘before and after’ photos and remember that the ‘after’ photos were still taken when there was still a bit of painting and stuff to do.

Don’t waste your time with any other of these other lulus unless you really want solid sycamore kitchen cabinets, marble baths, gold taps or whatever the hell, or indeed unless you want to pay a lot more for basically the same product. It’s not worth your time, let alone your money.

What most of the others showed us what pretty much the same as what B&Q fitted. Although having said that, B&Q do give you a wide choice. For instance we had posh Grohe taps (built-in shower thermostat etc).

I think that B&Q are excellent and offer great quality at competitive prices.

As they say in their advertising “You can do it when you B&Q it”. Still, I reckon that they can do it even better.

I like a store that has everything you could ever need, but in the same respect its really hard to actually find what you’re looking for in this B & Q store as its soo huge! You think you can work you’re way round logically and start one side and then work across but you discover it has another side!
Still it is a great store and 95% of the time you can find what you need, they have a huge range of stock in store, and literally hundreds of staff floating round the floor (all pretty helpful whenever I’m asked before). They have indoor, outdoor, homewares, kitchens and bathrooms, lighting, doors, and conservatories!
They also have customer toilets and a large cafe upstairs.
Well worth a visit, there have been huge amounts of sale bargains on my last couple of visits and have picked up several bargains!

This is a great store with a wide range of DIY materials. Has everything you could need from paint to tools and also has an outdoor area for all your gardening needs. There is a good size car park and it’s easy to park. The staff are very friendly and happy to help and advise you on your purchase. There are a few trolleys available outside but no hand baskets, you take an orange bucket from just inside the store if you wish to purchase smaller items and then you can just leave the bucket at the checkout or purchase it for about a £1.