Stacking kitchen base units

[JohnD]

Given that everybody's units are different sizes

That is not true.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

No, I'm insisting on not fitting something I don't have room for, but instead fitting something I do have room for - the 931mm L-shaped corner cabinet.

The drawing in #7 is of the arrangement which won't fit, and I posted it to show why a 900mm unit used in a corner needs more space than 900mm

Why not swap the positions of the 2 cabinets ? Looks like you (or howdens) havent looked at other ways round the issue

 

[morqthana]

Why not visit other suppliers and get different ideas, and then choose who is best to supply ?

Basically I am.

Have had a "consultation" with Ikea. They came up with no suggestions different to my basic ideas. They aren't real kitchen designers. I got what I paid for. But they did send me a plan of how their solution would work.

Have had a "consultation" with Howdens. They came up with no suggestions different to my basic ideas. They aren't real kitchen designers. I got what I paid for. But they haven't sent me a plan of how their solution would work.

TBA what DIY Kitchens will do if I retrieve them from touch and look at using their base units.


I'm not averse in principle to paying for the services of a real designer, but I can't see what one could come up with that would be radically different (which can be seen as an argument in favour, as is it my lack of design flair which causes me to not see other options?). But the room is always going to have the wall openings where they are, we're always going to want the sink under the window, we're always going to want the hob along this wall because if it's on that wall the hood will vent onto the patio, we'll never have a wall long enough to allow the fridge, freezer & oven housings to be together at one end, we're never going to have space for an island, and so on.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Basically I am.

Have had a "consultation" with Ikea. They came up with no suggestions different to my basic ideas. They aren't real kitchen designers. I got what I paid for. But they did send me a plan of how their solution would work.

Have had a "consultation" with Howdens. They came up with no suggestions different to my basic ideas. They aren't real kitchen designers. I got what I paid for. But they haven't sent me a plan of how their solution would work.

TBA what DIY Kitchens will do if I retrieve them from touch and look at using their base units.


I'm not averse in principle to paying for the services of a real designer, but I can't see what one could come up with that would be radically different (which can be seen as an argument in favour, as is it my lack of design flair which causes me to not see other options?). But the room is always going to have the wall openings where they are, we're always going to want the sink under the window, we're always going to want the hob along this wall because if it's on that wall the hood will vent onto the patio, we'll never have a wall long enough to allow the fridge, freezer & oven housings to be together at one end, we're never going to have space for an island, and so on.

Put simply. Different people have different ideas.

 

[morqthana]

Why not swap the positions of the 2 cabinets ? Looks like you (or howdens) havent looked at other ways round the issue

That is an option I've thought about, and would be what we'd do if stacking the L-shaped cupboards isn't a goer. It would "cost" about 150mm of worktop length where the hobs are, and make the run of base units more awkward to fill with available widths, but no show stoppers.

 

[morqthana]

Put simply. Different people have different ideas.

Indeed they do.

And we're mulling over the likelihood of the difference being worth the cost.....

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Indeed they do.

And we're mulling over the likelihood of the difference being worth the cost.....

You're paying for designs?

I'd want professional drawings and ideas if so.

Most kitchen sellers will do designs free, but actual details at the purchase stage

 

[foxhole]

No, I'm insisting on not fitting something I don't have room for, but instead fitting something I do have room for - the 931mm L-shaped corner cabinet.

The drawing in #7 is of the arrangement which won't fit, and I posted it to show why a 900mm unit used in a corner needs more space than 900mm

It’s not very clear why you can’t fit a 900 unit .

 

[morqthana]

No, I'm not paying for designs.

18mm MFC is 18mm MFC, and AFAICT there's precious little to choose between the rigid pre-built cabinets of any of the main suppliers. Hinges, drawer runners, internal fittings might vary, but often it's all Blum and Kessebohmer etc anyway. The doors, fronts, and detailing are what makes the real difference, and we've decided we're going with one of the people who make exposed edge plywood with Fenix or Formica fronts and end panels.

That limits us to Howdens, Ikea and DIY Kitchens, which doesn't bother me as per above.

The free "design services" provided by the first two have been worth every penny.

 

[morqthana]

It’s not very clear why you can’t fit a 900 unit .

The side (in the orientation in my sketch, the RHS) of a 900 in the corner ends up 1079mm from the corner, not 900. It could be moved nearer to the corner to reduce that 1079 to the point where there would be enough space to the right of the cabinet for other units, but then the door in the right of the 900 unit would end up at 300mm wide, not 450, and that would mean no practical access to the space in the left of the it.

Flipping the orientation, as per carmanmemoranda's suggestion fixes the problem of space to the right, at the cost of space along the other wall.

I just wanted to explore the idea of stacking L-shaped corner cupboards as an alternative.

​

 

[foxhole]

I used diy kitchens, found they had much greater range of dimensions for their units which allowed a design not possible with Howden, Benchmarc, B&Q ranges

 

[morqthana]

Yes - I'm also looking at them for base units (their wall ones are too shallow). One benefit of using a 3rd-party supplier for doors and fronts is that you can mix'n'match different carcass makers for even more flexibility.

If I CBA I'll knock up a chart comparing dimensions to show to JohnD

 

[morqthana]

And have not forgotten I'm to upload floorplans etc. Ran out of time the other day, was out yesterday, and today I have to deal with the fact that the Howdens "designer" had different room dimensions to me (genuinely could be either of us wrong) and did (definitely him) miss a wall opening and has placed a cupboard in a corner which simply doesn't exist and is where we get to and from kitchen <-> dining area....

 

[morqthana]

I used diy kitchens, found they had much greater range of dimensions for their units which allowed a design not possible with Howden, Benchmarc, B&Q ranges

Assuming you had them, did you have any problems with integrated fridges/freezers?

Their cabinets appear not to be deep enough (560mm external, then there's the service void, the back panel, possibly horizontal rails...)

Or is is standard practice to remove the backs of cabinets for those appliances for ventilation anyway, even if that's not necessary for clearance?

 

[foxhole]

Assuming you had them, did you have any problems with integrated fridges/freezers?

Their cabinets appear not to be deep enough (560mm external, then there's the service void, the back panel, possibly horizontal rails...)

Or is is standard practice to remove the backs of cabinets for those appliances for ventilation anyway, even if that's not necessary for clearance?

You would not have any rear panels so they are same as other manufacturer .I have full height Fridge and freezer which match my grey units so not intergrated .
(Most intergrated I’ve seen are less than 550mm deep .)