Ikea-Dublin or Belfast?; Flatpack Assembly

wallyworld

Does anyone know what exactly the opening date of Ikea-Dublin is? The website (as of yesterday) still indicates a late July 2009 opening, but I still can't understand if this is accurate with the M50 situation.

In any event, I got tired of waiting for whatever date its going to open in Dublin and went up to Belfast. The store is quite huge, but once you get the hang of it, it's relatively straightforward. Highly recommend the following:

1) Do your research first as to what you want to buy. The store is so big, you could spend hours there.

2) Follow the directions to George Best Airport. Ikea is literally next to the airport, to the point that the restaurant there overlooks the runway.

3) If you and a couple of friends go together, it pays to rent a van. We got a Ford Transit van for a day, which was ideal for what we needed to do.

4) I bought so many flatpack things, it was a bit overwhelming. I did some myself (the Ikea instructions are very logical, but you need to study them for a bit before starting. Key hint: organise all your parts first.

5) If you need someone to assemble your flatpack stuff from Ikea (or, for that matter, Argos, B&Q, Woodie's etc), I would highly recommend a fellow named Paul at www.flatpackunpack.ie . He assembles on a flat rate per piece (rather than an hourly rate). He is excellent and comes exactly when he agrees to come and is very cost-effective. He's also capable of doing handyman stuff (like moving a storage heater to accomomdate bookshelves). I have absolutely no affiliation with this company (or Ikea, or Ford!), but Paul is extremely helpful and economical, especially if you have a bunch of things to assemble.


All in all, Ikea is excellent for many furniture needs. While I am no expert, the quality of what I bought was excellent. Just spend some time before you go (whether in Dublin or Belfast) to make it easier.

WW