The question always comes up. Are Howdens bathrooms any good? Everyone asks it. As if it's a simple yes or no.
It's not.
The real answer depends on what bits you're buying, how much you want to spend, and, most importantly, who you're paying to bolt it all to the wall. I’ve seen their stuff installed brilliantly and I’ve seen it butchered. Same product, different fitter. That’s the whole story, right there.
Howdens Bathroom Cabinets: The Core of Their Quality
This is what rigid carcass means—it arrives strong, square, and ready to fit, saving time and ensuring a solid foundation.
Let's talk about their main strength. The cabinets. This is their bread and butter, same way they do their kitchens, and it’s why most of us in the trade use them.
The magic words are `rigid carcass.`
It just means the cabinet—the box for your vanity unit or whatever—shows up already built. It’s not a flat-pack nightmare with a million screws and instructions written in another language. It's glued and dowelled together at the factory, so it’s square and it's strong.
For me, that’s a huge time-saver on the job, and that saves you money. For you, it means the thing is solid. It'll last. I did a job in an old house on Chamberlain Street last year, walls all over the place, floor sloping a good inch. Trying to get a wobbly flat-pack unit level in a room like that... forget it. With the solid Howdens carcasses, you can scribe them to the wonky walls, pack them level, and they stay put. Done.
The doors and drawer fronts are usually a vinyl wrap. It’s standard stuff, made to handle a bit of steam. Decent enough for the money.
Which brings me to this. The most important thing. Get a good extractor fan. I don’t care if your cabinets are from Howdens or some posh Italian designer. Constant steam will wreck anything over time. It finds its way into every little gap. A proper fan that you actually turn on is the best money you'll ever spend.
Sanitaryware vs. Brassware: Where to Spend Your Budget
You can feel the quality. Investing in heavy, well-made brassware makes a difference every time you use it.
They’ll want to sell you a full package. Toilet, basin, taps, the whole lot. You have to be a bit careful here.
The ceramics—the toilet pan, the basin—they’re fine. Perfectly good. Solid. They do the job. The flush mechanisms they supply seem to be reliable too, which is a big deal. The last thing anyone wants is a call-back in six months for a toilet that won't stop running. My plumber, Bob, he rarely has a bad word to say about fitting their stuff, and that’s high praise from him. It's not fancy designer gear, but it works.
Now, the brassware. The taps and the shower controls. This is where you need to pay attention.
Howdens has different levels, and I tell all my clients to just ignore the cheapest options. The entry-level taps just feel... light. Flimsy. They work, sure, but they feel cheap, and you're touching them every single day.
If you can find an extra hundred quid or so in the budget, spend it here. Upgrade to their mid-range or top-end taps. You can feel the difference immediately. It’s a solid chunk of metal, not some plated alloy. The guts of it, the little ceramic cartridges, are better too. Means they’re far less likely to start that annoying *drip, drip, drip* after a year or two.
A good, heavy tap just makes the whole sink feel more expensive. Same goes for the shower. A better valve gives you better control. Simple as that.
To make this a bit clearer, here's how I break it down for my clients:
| Product Category | My Advice | Is It Worth Upgrading? |
|---|---|---|
| The Ceramics (Toilets & Basins) | Their standard stuff is solid and reliable. A safe bet. | Not really. The basic models do the job just fine. |
| The Brassware (Taps & Showers) | Avoid the cheapest range. They feel light and flimsy. | Yes. Spend extra here. A heavy, quality tap makes a huge difference. |
"My Take: If you've got a tight budget, save money on the toilet and sink, and put that cash towards a tap that feels solid. You'll appreciate it every single day."
Flooring and Tiles: What Howdens Offers
Howdens' LVT flooring is a smart choice—it's waterproof, warmer than tiles, and won't chip if you drop something.
Flooring. This is what holds the whole room together. The right "bathroom paint colors" also play a crucial role. Howdens really pushes their `Luxury Vinyl Tile,` or LVT. And for most bathrooms, it's a really smart move. It's 100% waterproof, it’s not as cold as tiles on a winter morning, and it’s got a bit of give in it.
I had a client drop a heavy glass bottle on his brand new porcelain tile floor. Took a huge chip out of it. He was absolutely devastated. That just doesn’t happen with LVT. It would just bounce.
Their tile selection is what I’d call… safe. You’ll find the basics. Plain white metro tiles, big grey floor tiles, that sort of thing. The the quality is standard. It’s fine for a simple, clean look.
But if you want something with a bit of personality, a nice pattern or a bold colour, you’re probably not going to find it there. You’ll have to go to a dedicated tile shop. Don’t feel like you have to buy everything from one place. We do it all the time. Get the cabinets and the loo from Howdens, then go on a hunt for the perfect tiles somewhere else.
Look, the flooring specs can get confusing. Let's put them side-by-side.
| Feature | Howdens LVT | Standard Porcelain Tile |
|---|---|---|
| Feel Underfoot | Warmer, with a bit of give. | Cold and very hard. |
| Durability | Won't chip or crack if you drop something heavy. | Can chip or crack from a heavy impact. |
| Water Resistance | Completely waterproof. | The tile is waterproof, but grout can stain or fail. |
| Best For... | Family bathrooms, rooms on upper floors. | A classic, high-end look. |
"Pro-Tip: For a family bathroom with kids, LVT is a no-brainer. It's warmer underfoot and you won't have a heart attack every time something gets dropped."
Getting the Most from the Howdens Design Service
The design service is a powerful tool. Come prepared with your ideas and measurements to get the most out of it.
So Howdens offers this free design service. You give them your room dimensions, they make a 3D picture of it on their computer. It's a useful tool, no doubt about it. Helps people see how a layout will work before you start ripping things out.
But you have to go in prepared.
Don't just turn up and say design me a bathroom. Measure your room yourself first. Then measure it again. Think about what you actually need. What drives you mad about your current bathroom? No storage for spare loo rolls and cleaning stuff? Tell them. The more you tell the designer, the better the plan will be.
And don't just accept the first plan they print out. It's often just a standard layout. Push back a bit. I had a client, Jenny, on that new estate out by the highway. The first design had a normal little vanity unit. But she had a massive collection of lotions and potions. We ended up getting the designer to swap a useless shallow cabinet for a narrow kitchen larder unit. It fit the space perfectly and gave her tonnes of deep, proper storage. You have to remember, their whole system is just a bunch of boxes in different sizes. Mix them up.
The Howdens Trade-Only Model Explained
Howdens is trade-only, meaning your fitter buys the materials on your behalf through their professional account.
This is the bit that trips everyone up. You, as a normal person, cannot walk into Howdens and buy a bathroom. They are strictly `trade-only.`
You need someone with an account. Your fitter, your builder, me.
You can and should go to their showrooms. Go look at the displays. Open the drawers. Feel the weight of the taps. I always tell my clients to meet me there. I can talk to the staff, get the trade-speak out of the way, check on stock.
Once you’ve picked what you want, the designer gives me a quote. That's the trade price. I then give you a final bill that has that cost on it, plus my margin for sorting it all out.
This is just how it's done. A good tradesman will be completely open about this. It's the ones who are vague about where the costs are coming from you need to watch out for. It's all about clear communication. No surprises.
Final Verdict: Are Howdens Bathrooms a Good Choice?
The verdict? A Howdens bathroom is a solid choice, but your most important investment is always a trustworthy fitter.
So, back to the start. Are they any good?
Yes. For what they are, they’re a solid choice. They sit in that sensible middle-ground. The quality, especially those rigid cabinets, is a big leap up from the stuff you get in the big DIY sheds. But you're not paying the crazy prices you'd find in a high-end showroom.
The trick to a good Howdens bathroom is being selective. Use them for what they’re best at: the cabinets. The sanitaryware is a safe bet. The LVT flooring is practical. But be ready to spend a bit more on their better brassware, and don't be afraid to look somewhere else for your tiles if you want something special.
In the end, though, the name on the boxes is only half the story. A brilliant fitter can make a budget bathroom look like a palace. A bad one can ruin the most expensive suite you can buy. Your first job isn't to pick a bathroom. It's to find a person you trust to put it in. That's everything.