Kitchen Design

tobycgraham

I've spent a few hours on it this morning:

Doozergirl

I think at this point you have to wait and see what walls you are left with and the size of your opening. It's nigh on impossible to plan around that. When you get going, I would start from the wall under the boiler and work out in both directions from there. You should be able to get a decent sized corner cabinet into that corner and work back towards the window. And I think you should the designer in to measure it properly.

If you can have a smaller cabinet for the sink, it will help with getting a decent storage cabinet next to it. Something like a 900 or 1000 corner cabinet with a 3-400 door at the corner so you have more storage under the boiler area which the Howdens plan doesn't even anticipate (there will be pipes but it won't take up the same space as the actual boiler under there, not at all). Then your washing machine where it is now (600), sink unit(5-600), then larder unit with your fridge inside and then storage shelves above. Saves on having the washing machine bouncing around and affecting the fridge. It also saves money as you won't even need a carcass for the washing machine, just a door.

The chimney wall, I think you should build in a 600 oven carcass and see what fits in the way of wall units to pretend to be base cabinets sitting in front of the chimney breast walls. Hob sits over the oven inside in the chimney breast and the worktop wraps around the whole area, incorporating the chimney breast. It will be much more practical than a range.

But there is no point deciding until that chimney is sorted.

Meepster

Sorry to nit-pick, but you'd be much better off swapping the Belfast sink unit and the 300 d/line unit around.

The way you have it, you're not going to be able to stop water getting onto the side panel of the housing and there's no way you would be able to get at it to clean it. It's just asking for trouble!

Innys

I've just noticed the unit to the far left of your kitchen. Have I read that correctly? Is it a washer dryer below and a fridge above? If so, it's the first time I have ever heard of such an arrangement.

If you don't mind me asking, what happens when the washing machine starts its spin cycle? All washing machines I have ever known tend to vibrate at that stage in the cycle. This vibration is likely to be transmitted via the carcase to the fridge above.

Granted, it probably won't be enough to shatter any glass bottles you have in the fridge but the sound of glass vibrating may drive you to distraction.

tobycgraham

thanks for the input - yes, in this design the fridge and washing machine are in the same unit - I am slightly concerned about this - but can see the merits of the space saving. I'll get that wall down, then go from there.. hopefully some time next week. I know its personal opinion, but, what would you do with the space above the chimney hearth? (its roughly 500mm*500mm). Secondly, I have to make the decision whether to install an oak lintel (leaving part of the chimney exposed) or a concrete lintel (and have it plastered).. what would you do ?

phill99

Why are you having a range cooker in a kitchen the size of a telephone kiosk? Why not stick with a built in hob and oven and gain extra storage space? And ditto with the belfast sink. They take up an awful lot of space plus you have no draining board. Where space is at a premium, these t things are an absolute extravagance

Doozergirl

tobycgraham wrote: »

thanks for the input - yes, in this design the fridge and washing machine are in the same unit - I am slightly concerned about this - but can see the merits of the space saving. I'll get that wall down, then go from there.. hopefully some time next week. I know its personal opinion, but, what would you do with the space above the chimney hearth? (its roughly 500mm*500mm). Secondly, I have to make the decision whether to install an oak lintel (leaving part of the chimney exposed) or a concrete lintel (and have it plastered).. what would you do ?

You can't do anything with the space above the chimney hearth, you could put a shelf up very high but you're going to smack your face off anything lower. Plus you've got grease and steam not heading directly up the chimney, but working up both sides so it's going to get caked in it. You haven't got space for a normal extractor or it will look odd.

The heat from the hob is also going up towards the lintel area so it might be safer to have it plastered rather than wood. It's not the sort of brickwork that you would leave exposed.

It's not really the sort of chimney breast that you see in other kitchens - they are wider. Are you sure you don't just want to knock it out altogether? Having ripped apart many houses and received many surprises, I'm worried that you're not going to end up with aesthetically quite what you were hoping for.

micmac22

Hi, you may want to see a B&Q and IKEA kitchen planner as well for their idea's on the kitchen fit, I have a small kitchen and went through this last year, Got a plan from IKEA B&Q HOWDENS and independent shop took a bit of everyone's advice, IKEA have a user friendly kitchen planner on line that you can use. At the end of the day the kitchen designer is just a person who is doing the best they can it doesn't mean they know it all. Don't forget advice is free....Once fitted you have to live with it. good luck and take your time with it.

tobycgraham

phill99 - its at least two telephone kiosks. Aren't normal sink units 500/600mm? A belfast unit is 600mm? The range, I will have to wait and see what the size of the hole is - may only be able to fit a small cooker in it.

Doozer - unfortunately, it cant be ripped out - the rest of the chimney is free standing and goes up three floors, would need some type of RSJ as the horse hair walls are unable to take the weight of it all. Would you possibly block that bit in, so its symmetrical, then plaster it? The previous plaster was cracked to bits, why would that happen/will it happen again ? cheers.

Doozergirl

tobycgraham wrote: »

Doozer - unfortunately, it cant be ripped out - the rest of the chimney is free standing and goes up three floors, would need some type of RSJ as the horse hair walls are unable to take the weight of it all. Would you possibly block that bit in, so its symmetrical, then plaster it? The previous plaster was cracked to bits, why would that happen/will it happen again ? cheers.

It's falling off because it's ancient. That's totally normal. Anything pre-world war 2 I'd expect to fall off. It won't fall off again.

It might be nice to build up to something that looks prettier but the issue is whether you can genuinely create a space within that chimney breast that is safe. If it were me, I'd take out the current units/cooker, take a look inside the chimney breast if possible but I'd get a structural engineer's advice (not a full expensive report, but pay for an hour of their time advice). You get a "builder" in, they have no qualifications to tell you whether or not it's okay going forward. My H has nothing but experience to rely on, and he knows where we need a professional to advise. That would be one of them because of it's age. If that chimney breast is that old and goes that far up, I'd be concerned that it's entirety has become structural. £200 for a knock out and a lintel is sort of cheap. In old houses, things that wouldn't be structural in a new house become very much so in older houses.

Sorry if I'm peeing on your fire - it's only since I've seen your last picture of that whole wall that it's bothered me.