Homebase

Last year I really embarrassed my husband by describing a drill as «a whizzy screwdriver» when I was trying to explain a problem to our plumber…
But, since then I have spent a little too much time at homebase (and other DIY shops) so I am slowly getting the hang of this DIY malarkey.
Why I like Homebase:
— They have a huge selection of DIY related things and pretty paint
— They have lots of power tools and I am pretty excited that now I can use a couple of them (whizzy screwdriver included)
— The garden section is really useful, although the plants seem to die more easily than similar plants from my local gardening centre
— They sell lots of habitat goods
Why I can’t give more stars:
— The staff are not very helpful.
— We tried to order some farrow and ball paint that had a sticker on their display saying «available for order.» But we were then told that colour is not available at this store. I think the bloke at the help desk was just not too bright though… so maybe it IS possible to order that paint… just not for us.
— Tools aren’t very good quality — we bought a scraper that broke after 1 days use (!) At least they replaced it.
— It is quite expensive compared to our local DIY shop (for tools, paint etc.)
All in all, it’s a pretty useful store, but I think the DIY places aimed at trade-​folks are better.

Big store with tons of DIY and readymade stuff for your house. For the best deals, make sure to check the area with houseplants on sale. They just need a little TLC. Sometimes there are also deals in the main floor display area just straight on as you come past the entrance.
Also, there is an amazing deal on the basic value lamp — the kind that stands vertical and has a frosted cone shape with lightbulb at the top — less than £6 will get you this lamp, and you can even choose from black, red, or chrome finish for the base part. I was really pleased as this helped me bring light into my new room and didn’t break my bank as some lamps will do. Of course there is a huge selection of lamps so you can pay more if you like, but the basic value lamp is working great for me. I also got an £20 Studio Desk lamp in black, which is cute. They have all the lightbulbs you’ll need as well, including eco varieties.

All your DIY and gardening needs under one roof — this is the place to come to stock up on supplies before attempting your latest ‘Project’ at home. There always seems to be promotions on as well which keeps costs under control pretty well.
However, I cannot get a grip on the layout of the place and end up wandering round aimlessly trying to tick off all the items on my list. An absence of assistants doesn’t help matters and sometimes I wonder whether I spend longer here than on the task at hand back home. Hopefully, i will unlock the key to the maze one day soon…

I spend an awful lot of time in Homebase, so ought to at least award three stars but this says more about the state of my house and proximity to the store than anything else.
The quality of much of what you’ll find here is pretty mediocre, and seems to cost more than expected on every trip, however it is well-​stocked with DIY essentials and has a good range of paints.
The best thing about this particular branch is probably the garden centre, which is reasonably large and (most importantly) the staff in this section really seem to know their stuff. They’ve been helpful whenever I’ve asked a plant-​related question.
However the general level of service in the store is pretty poor due to low staffing, I think, and I have never seen more than two checkouts open, even at very busy times. On one occasion I was also told that there were no bags in the entire store when I had just purchased 8 heavy tins of paint. I don’t have a car, so this was something of a problem. In the end I had to beg for bags from JD Sport next door (who were very helpful)
Handy location and good for staples/​plants — but Could Do Better. More staff (And bags) please.

Homebase homebase homebase. If you were as stupid as I was to buy at the top of the market then you’ll be settling into your shoebox for the next 10 years. So, we gotta make it is comfortable as possible, redecorate and think up the most extraordinary space saving solutions and all for £2.50. The rest of our money has to go into the gas meter so we can stay warm. So rather than go out and splurge money in the bars and clubs that enticed us to the area we bought into we’re go off to Homebase of an evening or weekend and head straight for the ‘reduced’ shelves. What do we care if the tin is dented or that violet magnolia reminds us of Granny (and the prevailing smell of incontinence), retro is fashionable right? But I’m not sure that Tottenham Hotspur boarder will quite work in the bathroom. Homebase has become a Mecca for what we can achieve for ourselves when we’ve had to concede all control in other areas of our lives like our jobs and finances. We love you Homebase. Don’t ever change ok, you can change one thing, the sulky security guard who always ‘welcomes’ but is so much happy to see the back of us.