Kitchen remodelling and fitting

sjl1970

Hi,

I'm currently thinking about having a new kitchen at home however in order to make the best of space there would be quite alot of building work needed aswell - remove non load bearing brick wall (Victorian house) and removal of the chimney breast/ rsj install, new larger kitchen window, open up current doorway to dining room as a larger arch etc.

I really don't know where/ how to start planning this! I'd like the work done in the shortest elapsed time as we don't want too much disruption for months on end, is this something that an independent kitchen fitter would usually project manage or do I need to project manage all elements myself - something I really don't want to do!

Any advice from anyone who has had extensive kitchen works would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Sara

Doozergirl

An independent kitchen supplier or a builder will be able to project manage for you. You need a recommendation!

sjl1970

Doozergirl wrote: »

An independent kitchen supplier or a builder will be able to project manage for you. You need a recommendation!

Thanks, yes I do need a recommendation, I'm in Berkshire so if anyone has a recommendation that would be fab. That's if we are allowed to recommend on this forum?

Hyphae

Having done exactly as you have described you wanting to do, I would recommend a builder (registered) complete the structural work. They will arrange for a building inspector to check the fitting of RSJ's etc and issue a building certificate (which you will need when it comes time to resell to prove the work was up to standard).

Is this a detached house, or terraced? Chimney breast work usually alters loads on walls and can cause issues for neighbours, especially if the breast is situated on a party wall (another chimney is usually located on the other side of the wall). In these cases, its best to use fully qualified and registered builders as some house insurances will not pay out in the event of damage/liability!

sjl1970

Hyphae wrote: »

Having done exactly as you have described you wanting to do, I would recommend a builder (registered) complete the structural work. They will arrange for a building inspector to check the fitting of RSJ's etc and issue a building certificate (which you will need when it comes time to resell to prove the work was up to standard).

Is this a detached house, or terraced? Chimney breast work usually alters loads on walls and can cause issues for neighbours, especially if the breast is situated on a party wall (another chimney is usually located on the other side of the wall). In these cases, its best to use fully qualified and registered builders as some house insurances will not pay out in the event of damage/liability!

It's semi-detached and yes the chimney is on a party wall so I know we need to go down the party wall route, next doors chimney breast has already been removed.

Okay, so it looks as though I need to find myself a nice reputable local builder first to create the shell that the kitchen can then be fitted into. Will ask our plumber tomorrow if he can recommend anyone, plumber is a family friend so I'd trust his recommendation.

Hyphae

Given that there is now no chimney next door, you may find that cracking damage occurs to their wall due to lateral movement when you take down your chimney (depending on how you detach the bricks from the wall/cut those embedded into the wall). Also, some Victorian houses just one course of bricks between fireplaces on opposite sides of a party wall- but the rest of the wall is double course (so there is a weakness in this area once breasts are removed). I kept the side pillars of the fireplace (a lengthwise brick-wide pillar) and put the RSJ through at ceiling height supported by these pillars. It looks good and is perfect for the extractor unit to fit above the oven and vent into the chimney that rests on the rsj above the kitchen.

Removing the breast entirely means the rsj needs to be attached to the party wall, and the upstairs chimney breast can move a little over time as the loads reach a new equilibrium- so some future plaster cracking to repair!

sjl1970

Oh god that sounds like a nightmare and a potentially very expensive one! We really want to get rid of the side pillars as they're so restrictive - the placement of the oven and the worksurface either side isn't optimal. Plus not having the pillars would give loads more worksurface which we're really short of.

Hyphae

Not that much of a nightmare if you get a good registered builder to do it all In these cases you avoid cowboys, no matter how atractve the quotes- you need to be able to be sure that the work complies, is safe (!!!) and any issues resulting from the work will be resolved by builder.

I had the luxury of a double fireplace in my kitchen, so the distance between the sidepillars was 2 metres or so- enough to get the gas hob, section of bench space and oven in. Beneath these I placed 2 double-units and a set of drawers.

I looked online and found a couple of good kitchen planners- the one that Ikea has is a good one and allows you to easy play about with layouts and get a good idea what the finished room looks like.