Kitchen / Utility - Design first !

[Nickfromwales]

Before considering which kitchen to fit, get a good, reputable kitchen firm or free-lance fitter to come and measure up. This will give you an idea for a basic layout, based on the size of your room, and your requirements / needs. That'll help you to stay focused when visiting the various showrooms, and ensure that you get the most out of your chosen kitchen supplier and chosen range of units etc. 

Ask your questions here, for impartial, free advice to help you make your decisions.

 

 

[NSS]

Apologies for re-booting an old thread, but Scandia-Hus encouraged us to have a kitchen design produced very early in the process (once the basic floor layout for the house had been agreed). They then 'tweaked' wall/door positions/sizes to ensure that when the timber frame was manufactured our desired kitchen layout would fit as precisely as possible.

[ryder72]

I would tend to agree with NSS. An early agreement on the kitchen layout allows utilities (water, waste, electrics) to go in the right place and this is particularly relevant for builds where  there is an element of offsite manufacture.

[Nickfromwales]

A good practice, I've found, is to get a line marker spray-paint and mark out the size and shape of the kitchen units. This is particularly handy when you have an island or complex shape so you can check for free flowing circulation space between the cooker, sink and fridge by walking the 'room' to see how well it works. 

Dont forget your cat 6 and coax cable if your planning a TV in there, and remember to plan early for the extraction ducting if installing one in addition to the mvhr. 

 

[joe90]

I find most people forget a water supply to the fridge freezer ( for the ice maker) . Make a note people ?

[ProDave]

6 hours ago, joe90 said:

I find most people forget a water supply to the fridge freezer ( for the ice maker) . Make a note people ?

And don't bring the pipe out of the wall BEHIND the FF. Most need every mm of depth available. Bring the pipe out e,g under an adjacent unit where you can access it by removing a kick board, to allow the entire depth to be used for the FF.
 

[Onoff]

Or.....get a reputed bodger..... 

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

7 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Or.....get a reputed bodger..... 

 

 

You should be Wrens head of design. That looks more sensible than the last £11k effort they scraped together . 

[Steptoe]

Or, if you have a small kitchen in a 2&1/2 bed semi let your wife buy a bfo range cooker and design your kitchen around that,!!!!!

[ProDave]

43 minutes ago, Steptoe said:

Or, if you have a small kitchen in a 2&1/2 bed semi let your wife buy a bfo range cooker and design your kitchen around that,!!!!!

And YOU will still be blamed when it does not all fit.
 

[bassanclan]

The easiest thing is to give SWMBO a blank sheet of paper, let her design the kitchen then ask the architect to put some walls around it.

 

 

[Steptoe]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

And YOU will still be blamed when it does not all fit.
 

The 'drawer' handle under the sink needed 5mm shaved off it to allow the drawer beside the cooker to open,

Our whole kitchen is off centre by 3 mm to allow the drawer on the opposite side of cooker to open past its 90degree sibling. that's how tight it is, with 400mm units either side. I even had to plane down the corner insets to fit. 

I know its not on the same scale as some of you guys, but I'd say same applies no matter how big, make sure your appliances will fit where SWMBO actually wants them, 

[Nickfromwales]

19 minutes ago, Steptoe said:

The 'drawer' handle under the sink needed 5mm shaved off it to allow the drawer beside the cooker to open,

Our whole kitchen is off centre by 3 mm to allow the drawer on the opposite side of cooker to open past its 90degree sibling. that's how tight it is, with 400mm units either side. I even had to plane down the corner insets to fit. 

I know its not on the same scale as some of you guys, but I'd say same applies no matter how big, make sure your appliances will fit where SWMBO actually wants them, 

Who designed / supplied / fitted your kitchen, if you don't mind me asking ?

[ProDave]

28 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Who designed / supplied / fitted your kitchen, if you don't mind me asking ?

I did the wiring for a kitchen designed by Howdens recently. When put together as designed, a drawer unit in the corner, the drawers would only open half way, because the handle on the oven stuck out too far.
 

[Steptoe]

21 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Who designed / supplied / fitted your kitchen, if you don't mind me asking ?

 

me!

well, the wife actually,

it was actually fitted just after we moved in (9years ago) as a temporary measure until we got sorted, 

we got the house on 21st (iirc) dec 2007 and had to be out of previous house (rental) by 6th Jan 2008, 

so I had 2 weeks to re-wire present house and have it liveable with SWMBO expecting our first child in March 2008,

young lad I worked with came and butt&scribed our worktops on NYE for me,

a mate flew over from Isle of Man on 28th dec and done my plastering, 

another mate flew over from norn iron and sorted out my plumbing and fitted a 'new' (reconditioned) boiler for me,

I finished (well functional) the bathroom on 2nd Jan,

the (now) wifes cousin and niece done most of the painting and wallpapering,

kitchen (inc worktops , tiling etc,  and fitting them, but not including appliances) cost me iro £450 including calling in some favours, 

[Steptoe]

 

oh, btw, its a howdens, 

a 2nd I think, it didnt come directly from howdens, hence how cheap I got it, and crappy doors, 

but, for the price, cant complain,

its made from 'bits' over ordered on various jobs, hence the doors being different so I had enough matching doors,

 

[Nickfromwales]

5 minutes ago, Steptoe said:

 

me!

well, the wife actually,

it was actually fitted just after we moved in (9years ago) as a temporary measure until we got sorted, 

we got the house on 21st (iirc) dec 2007 and had to be out of previous house (rental) by 6th Jan 2008, 

so I had 2 weeks to re-wire present house and have it liveable with SWMBO expecting our first child in March 2008,

young lad I worked with came and butt&scribed our worktops on NYE for me,

a mate flew over from Isle of Man on 28th dec and done my plastering, 

another mate flew over from norn iron and sorted out my plumbing and fitted a 'new' (reconditioned) boiler for me,

I finished (well functional) the bathroom on 2nd Jan,

the (now) wifes cousin and niece done most of the painting and wallpapering,

kitchen (inc worktops , tiling etc,  and fitting them, but not including appliances) cost me iro £450 including calling in some favours, 

Now THOSE are what you call MATES . 

 

[Steptoe]

3 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Now THOSE are what you call MATES . 

 

 

the plasterer was best man at my wedding, Him and his wife are now my lads godparents too, I spanner for him at MGP and most national bike races, I've known him for near 30years now, and my mum grew up next door to his dad,

plumber/gasman, known for almost as long,

and yes,

you know your friends when you are in a tight spot.