Kitchen planning-help please. UPDATE!new design page 2

Leif

The kitchen designers want to sell you integrated appliances so they can sell you cabinets, and more expensive appliances. I've got a separate washing machine and fridge freezer, and IMO they look fine. I have an integrated oven and hob though. I have an exposed boiler, and I don't really care. I might make a cover the the pipes, perhaps from thick cardboard, painted with wall emulsion.

ryder72

---The kitchen designers want to sell you integrated appliances so they can sell you cabinets, and more expensive appliances

Leif - Manufacturers and designers all over the world design and manufacture things to offer solutions or requirements/problems. Retailers sell these options. Integrated appliances are one such item. You may not like or want integrated appliances or see a need for this solution but making such blanket statements is completely unnecessary and uncalled for.

I dont see the point of complicated smart phones but I certainly dont blame phone retailers for selling them or offering them as solutions.

Its one of the joys of living in a free thinking capitalist socities.

hotcookie101

Potentially with the Howdens idea we might get an integrated freezer, undercounter size, to go in larder cupboard with the boiler in it.... And stick the washing machine undercounter just beside that...

Can anyone recommend a GOOD BIG undercounter integrated freezer. Our current model is a zanussi, but I can't find the product number to find the capacity-it has 2 good sized drawers in it, a large shelf area at the top and an open freeze narrow drawer (great for ice packs etc.... )

Leif

kmdesign wrote: »

---The kitchen designers want to sell you integrated appliances so they can sell you cabinets, and more expensive appliances

Leif - Manufacturers and designers all over the world design and manufacture things to offer solutions or requirements/problems. Retailers sell these options. Integrated appliances are one such item. You may not like or want integrated appliances or see a need for this solution but making such blanket statements is completely unnecessary and uncalled for.

I dont see the point of complicated smart phones but I certainly dont blame phone retailers for selling them or offering them as solutions.

Its one of the joys of living in a free thinking capitalist socities.

I don't think my statement was unreasonable or unfair. They are in the business of selling kitchens, and they want to make them as tempting as they can. There is nothing wrong with that, and I passed no blame. But the buyer needs to think carefully about what they need.

melstin

"In reality, you need a gap of at least 610mm to be able to get the appliance in properly. And getting it out again can be even more of a struggle..."

When you leave a 610mm gap, a bog standard door designed for a 600mm gap won't do, not to talk about the very limited space both sides of the unit, so you have to find a different solution. I used 700mm gaps for each of the 2 appliances and 4x 350mm doors, so from the outside it all look perfect. This way, it is also quite easy to slide the appliances out, once the plinth has been removed.

Also, my units are set 120mm away from the wall, to allow for normal appliances to be used. (We didn't want to waste 2 nearly new Miele machines) This was achieved by asking a steel fabricator to build a bespoke adjustable steel frame, which holds the units on to the wall.

The granite worktops are a very unusual 750mm wide and to help carry the extra weight all units have 2 extra steel legs each and there are also specially built steel supports, made by using welded 20mm square tube frames.

By the way, I used a standard Ikea units and the job took me 4 months, working part-time.

CKdesigner

Leif wrote: »

I don't think my statement was unreasonable or unfair. They are in the business of selling kitchens, and they want to make them as tempting as they can. There is nothing wrong with that, and I passed no blame. But the buyer needs to think carefully about what they need.

Hi

Firstly I must admit to have not read this whole thread but I felt the need to clarify something.

There are kitchen sales people - these people know how to operate a CAD system and are there solely to sell you a something.

Then there are kitchen designers - These professionals will take all of the customer's requirements and wishes into account and many other factors before coming up with a design or designs.

To these professionals designing the best possible kitchen for their clients is the most important thing, not the price.

CK

hotcookie101

Just to throw a spanner in the works, we have had another designer who came up with the novel idea of moving our american FF into the kitchen from the dining area, which I love!

It has lead to a design a little like this (sorry-I can't seem to get the picture to show on the post-only put a link in?)

Questions-I want granite (well- solid-possibly quartz-saw some lovely silestone) which he has recommended we source ourselves, as we will get cheaper than he can-but with this design can anyone give me an idea of worktop sizes we want (can we have a join at the sticky out bit, or would they cut from a large slab with the cut out for the wall in there?)

The bit around the other side of the wall will be 30cm deep wall units used as base units, these can be cut shorter to make the worktop 300mm deep, but I would ideally like this at least 350mm

Can anyone see any flaws with the design? Its VERY basic sketched by me, as we didn't get any pretty pics with this one, and the units can be made to any size (so the far wall, with the american FF is basically going to have-narrow alcove cupboard 150mm wide, boiler in tall cupboard 700mm wide, Am FF 900mm wide, WM in 700mm carcass (sort of-but basically that) to ceiling with pull out shelves above-no door on WM. Above FF will be cupboards to ceiling. (ceiling 2380 height, new floor will add about (or remove I think, not sure of the terminology) 20mm, maybe 30-its 16mm thick, underlay 5, and we need to latex screed prior to kitchen going in

Alan_M_2

hotcookie101 wrote: »

Questions-I want granite (well- solid-possibly quartz-saw some lovely silestone) which he has recommended we source ourselves, as we will get cheaper than he can-but with this design can anyone give me an idea of worktop sizes we want (can we have a join at the sticky out bit, or would they cut from a large slab with the cut out for the wall in there?)

Quartz - you can have that made in one piece or with a join. With a join will be cheaper as there will be less wastage.

A standard Quartz slab is 3000mm x 1400mm

Granite - You will need joins most likely, but his would depend on the colour of granite chosen, some are far more dense than others but granite generally won't take much twisting or shoving to break, quartz is far more forgiving in this respect.

I would be more concerned about how the worktop will be supported to the left of the sink where the integrated dishwasher is sited, unless this is a truly integrated unit in a cupboard.

hotcookie101

The plan will be an end panel to the side of the dishwasher-it is not an integrated one. The sink will be in a 600mm cupboard, then the dishwasher (freestanding) and an end panel supporting the worktop (will this not work?)

Where would you put the join on the corner/wrap round bit?

Thanks, HC

CKdesigner

hotcookie101 wrote: »

The plan will be an end panel to the side of the dishwasher-it is not an integrated one. The sink will be in a 600mm cupboard, then the dishwasher (freestanding) and an end panel supporting the worktop (will this not work?)

Where would you put the join on the corner/wrap round bit?

Thanks, HC

Hi

A side panel is fine.

What I don't understand is that why would this kitchen person/company suggest you source the solid worktop elsewhere?

That's ridiculous, any half decent kitchen seller would deal with a fabricator and in tern be able to supply you with the whole job.

As a kitchen designer/retailer I very strongly discourage customers going elsewhere for solid worktops, its not because we could lose margin or anything like that. Its because we spend a serious amount of money each year with our fabricator, so they know they have to look after us and our customers, otherwise there is always another supplier we could go to. But unfortunately all too often when an end user goes direct to a fabricator they can get a bad job and the fabricator doesn't care as that customer has paid them up front and its a 'one off' sale.

CK