Kitchen total replacement UPDATE 7/4/12

[Steve]

Lived here 2 years now, and only just got round to renovating the kitchen. Basically everything is coming out. All the units, part of a wall, all the electrics. Then I am redoing the electrics, having a boiler installed, having the room skimmed, and then fitting a new kitchen! I have two weeks off work. Think I can do it?!?!

Heres the first round of pictures:

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• Steve
• 5 Jan 2012
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• 5 Jan 2012
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• 5 Jan 2012
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• 5 Jan 2012
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• 5 Jan 2012
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• 5 Jan 2012
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They are clearly "before" pictures.

Here's what happened today:

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• Steve
• 11 Feb 2012
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• 11 Feb 2012
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• Steve
• 11 Feb 2012
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• 11 Feb 2012
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• Steve
• 11 Feb 2012
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I've taken out the daft corner diagonal wall out. It had been built down to the worktop! So I managed to do it without removing the worktop and hob. I've taken off the cooker switch and turned off the circuit until its refixed in its new location. The single oven is running on a plug, and i'm not going to use the hob again.

For some reason the worktop had no plaster behind it, as if they had created a recess in the wall for it to sit in.

I've lifted a couple of floor tiles and they were easy enough to take up and left very little adhesive on the floor. The subfloor appears to be cork tiles. They seem very well stuck. This should provide a good base for the laminate floor.

Next jobs: construct false ceiling, chase out walls for electrics. Will get on with it tomorrow. Getting a gas man to disconnect the hob on monday/tuesday.

 

[Steve]

Today I did most of the chases for the electrics, and split off the kitchen sockets from the rest of the house. When the house was rewired 2 years ago the kitchen was "skipped" as I knew it was work in progress and was going to be re-arranged. So the electrician left 2 runs of cable under the floorboards upstairs with about 10 metres spare on each run, to start to form a ring final in the kitchen. These two cables go back to the CU where they are not connected but there is a spare way for them. I fished these out today, and recompleted the ring main for the rest of the house without the kitchen sockets.

Tomorrow I have more help from my dad. Will finish the chasing, get boxes fixed in holes, get the ceiling wall supports fixed in place, and get the rest of the cabinets removed. Gas man also coming to disconnect hob. I'm hoping to work until about 6pm tomorrow. The daylight makes it hard when it gets dark at 5pm, so I will do any alterations to the lighting circuit first tomorrow.

I have all the timber for the ceiling, I went to the builders merchants round the corner yesterday (literally), and an hour later they CARRIED round 20 lengths of 10ft 3x2. Thats what I call service.

My dad can finish the chasing, it was harder work that I imagined, because some dickhead has rendered parts of the walls with cement before skimming them with plaster. Even with a new chisel it was hard work. Most of the chasing work was done with a 10mm masonry drill bit.

With 2 days till the plasterer comes I need to get a shift on!!

 

[Steve]

Its been a few days.

The whole kitchen is out. Have taken the tiles up. There are vinyl tiles underneath the quarry tiles - they were very good quality tiles - the pattern ran all the way through.

The electrics have been chased out and plastered in. I managed to use a couple of old chases where I pulled the old electrics out, which made life easier. The plaster and bricks were very hard. The ceiling has been framed out and plastered, and the wiring is in for the downlights. I have also put in wiring for the undercupboard lighting.

The new boiler has been put in, and is working beautifully. The gas man also ran a cold feed to the new washer location, and a gas feed to the new hob location. The old hob was fed by a gas pipe under the concrete, which he has disconnected. The new gas feed runs under the upstairs floor and down to the boiler, tee'd off under the worktop to the hob.

Anyway, some photos.

So glad this switch only had 3 cables in it - they are all 2 way, it could have been a lot worse!

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• Steve
• 20 Feb 2012
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Repositioned the switch - it was too close to the door thanks to the rewiring being done while there was still a wall unit in the way so it could only go there. I also need 4 satin stainless switches, so had to split them across 2 plates. Also the two chases I re-used. The socket box high on the wall is staying there, I'm just running the wires through it to a socket further down - there is no worktop going here. The deep recess down on the wall under the worktop is now filled in, I just used the chase to supply a cooker switch and then the cooker outlet below the worktop.

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• Steve
• 20 Feb 2012
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• 20 Feb 2012
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• 20 Feb 2012
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Plastering done - he did a cracking job.

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• Steve
• 20 Feb 2012
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• 20 Feb 2012
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• 20 Feb 2012
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• 20 Feb 2012
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• 20 Feb 2012
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Boiler in. Nuff said. Lookin good and very quiet. Gas man also temped back in the kitchen sink, in the middle of the room! But he did it in speedfit so I can remove it whenever I want, and there are isolators so I can just run off some water even if there is no sink.

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• Steve
• 20 Feb 2012
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• 20 Feb 2012
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• 20 Feb 2012
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Holes done for downlights:

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• Steve
• 20 Feb 2012
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• 20 Feb 2012
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I have temped in this switch until the painting is done and I can get the stainless switches in. Cant fix it back because the wiring had to be split across 2 boxes.

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• Steve
• 20 Feb 2012
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By the way this is how its all going to look!

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• Steve
• 5 Jan 2012
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[Steve]

I've got the downlights in. Look smashing, and its not a bad spread of light. I am a bit disappointed that a couple of the LED units are a bit "bluer" than the others, but the average person wont notice this.

I have built up all the units. Due to the repositioning of the boiler, I had to return a couple of units and replace them. But the doors for my kitchen are not stocked in store, so I am going to have to go in and order them. At least I can get the cabinets up. The only cabinet I cannot build and get up is the small unit next to the hob, because I dont have a colour matched end panel for it. They only supplied one. I used plenty of glue too, between all the panels, as they look so flimsy.

I find this system wasteful too, so far I have used two end panels, and every time you use one, you have to throw one away! They could think of a better way, I'm sure.

The delivery:

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• Steve
• 22 Feb 2012
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• 22 Feb 2012
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• 22 Feb 2012
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• Steve
• 22 Feb 2012
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Downlights:

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• Steve
• 22 Feb 2012
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• 22 Feb 2012
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Door painted thanks to my dad for his help (he enjoys glossing doors):

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• Steve
• 22 Feb 2012
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Units built up, ready to level, join and fit.

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• Steve
• 22 Feb 2012
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• 22 Feb 2012
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• 22 Feb 2012
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[Spark123]

Probably too late now, you can get 4g switches in stainless, they take a double gang back box.

 

[Steve]

Alright paul hows it hanging? Long time . . I chose the LAP range from screwfix and couldnt find a 4g version. Not to worry, just more work aligning the boxes.

 

[Steve]

Another update.

I have got all the units in place. The wall units in the corner have been reconfigured and hung in place. I have installed the undercupboard lights and pelmets on them. I have one more wall unit to hang next to the larder unit, but this is waiting for a decor side panel - it wasnt supplied.

The corner arrangement is a bodge. The corner post wouldnt fit because it was too tight, so we cut it down and filled the gap in with the end of a decor panel. The corner unit itself is a 500mm that we reconfigured to fit with a 300 door.

Either side of the oven is a "end support panel". We used 3 on this run to fill in the gaps. I hadnt realised before, why they had sent these. So we cut them down to keep the plinth continuous.

We have painted the walls, and electrical accessories have been fitted. They havent been tightened back to the wall yet (where there will be worktops and tiles) for obvious reasons.

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• Steve
• 25 Feb 2012
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• Steve
• 25 Feb 2012
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• Steve
• 25 Feb 2012
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• Steve
• 25 Feb 2012
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Worktops are being fitted on tuesday, and I will continue pottering with the cornices, plinths and floor until then. I will fit the extractor fan tomorrow.

 

[Steve]

Its been a week or so now, so here's an update:

Worktops fitted, doors fitted, fridge freezer fitted and half the floor fitted. Washer is now plumbed in and fully functional.

Tomorrow I plan to finish the floor, plinths and pelmets.

Me in a cupboard getting it ready for the fridge freezer.

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• Steve
• 10 Mar 2012
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The rest of the kitchen:

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• Steve
• 10 Mar 2012
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• 10 Mar 2012
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• 10 Mar 2012
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• 10 Mar 2012
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[Steve]

Its been a while! And I'm still on with this project! I might have been further on had it not been for a badly timed promotion at work which has increased my workload there quite a bit.

So, I have been boxing all the pipework in:

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• Steve
• 7 Apr 2012
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• Steve
• 7 Apr 2012
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• Steve
• 7 Apr 2012
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And also formed up the windowsill (which was lower than the worktop, but thankfully the window had a very thick bottom frame).

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• Steve
• 7 Apr 2012
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I used 18mm chipboard for all the boxing, as it will all be tiled.

The tiling is also well underway:

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• Steve
• 7 Apr 2012
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Its not perfect, but it looks fab - better than I thought I could make it look! Certain areas, nearly every tile has been cut - the boxed in bits and around sockets. But its gonna look great when its done and sealed.

The floor is finished.
My girlfriend has been busy with the gloss repainting the door on the other side (unfortunately she wasnt so busy with the turps so I'm now minus one very good brush!)

 

[sergeantash]

Just to say well done with your work dude - as a DIYer its nice to see someone else as passionate about their DIY as myself.

Keep up the good work - I'm just completing the basics in my kitchen before starting to fit the actual units, so I'll keep tabs on this thread

 

[Prockie]

Well done indeed, looking brilliant. I've been selling kitchens for over a decade and I know you can Selffit a kitchen, it's just determination... Well done indeed, and brilliant use of the form to show your pictures.

 

[phatboy]

Thanks, I am starting ours in a couple of months, and this has certainly given me some more confidence and determination to get on with it!

 

[Steve]

Just a quick update, the bulk of the work is finished, I need the plasterer to finish off a bit by the back door, but he will do that when I get the back bedroom skimmed. I finished the tiling, did the joint between tiles and worktop in grout, finished with a bead of clear sealant to help prevent cracking. All the boxing in is hidden, the bit near the ceiling is painted.

My mother is having her kitchen done (as vast expense, there goes the inheritance), and said I can have her old dishwasher, so that will fill the gap next to the washer. Dont really need it, but its better than a gap, and cheaper than a cabinet.

We are awaiting the delivery of a table and chairs now, which will be here by August, and I will take some "final" photos to "show off" my handywork!

Steve

 

[Chris333]

My kitchen is very similar but I have not yet done the flooring. Exactly which flooring do you have?