Help fitters have left 15mm gap in plinth

fesdufun

Can anyone give me any advice please.

I have just had a new kitchen fitted. The plinth does not reach the cupboards and there is a very noticable gap of 15mm all the way round the bottom. The cupboards have been fitted at a height of 910mm. I have spoken to the fitter who told me that he always fits the cupboards at this height and suggested that we lay wood laminate flooring to reduce the gap!

I think he is trying to fob me off because he does not want to lower the whole kitchen. He has told me that the cupboards won't go much lower anyway, I thought the standard height of cupboards was 870mm. Also if the kitchen is left at this height then there will be a big gap between the top of the fridge, freezer, washing machine and cooker and the worktop.

Please does anyone have advice on what I should say when I meet him again tomorrow.

Thank you.

Troubleatmill_2

Have you paid him yet....?

His lack of planning should not be your emergency.

Withold the funds until it is put right.

Best
Troubleatmill

newmoneysaver_2

Hello,

My OH works for a kitchen company. He says standard height for cupboards is 810mm and the worktop should sit flush with the tops of integrated washing machines etc. Are your appliances integrated or free standing?

fesdufun

Thanks for your advice.

The appliances are all freestanding approx. 850mm high. So that will leave me with a gap of 60mm between top of appliance and bottom of worktop. Also unless we build up underneath the cooker it will sit just underneath the worktop and not flush with it.

fesdufun

Sorry about the mistakes in the measurements - I have edited the posts to show the correct measurements - it has been a long day.

I have looked on the web and it seems that a standard cupboard is 870mm high so he has fitted it 40mm higher than standard. All the appliances were there so he knew the height of the appliances.

I am going to stand my ground tomorrow and ask him to lower the kitchen. Wish me luck.

david29dpo

i agree, its a bit of a bodge. units are on adjustable legs these days so it easy to get the correct height for a snug fit with the appliances.

Avoriaz

Our 13 year old kitchen has units 880 high off the ground plus a worktop of 40 making a total height of 920 from the top of the worktop to the ground which seems about right. Our dishwasher and washing machine fit neatly below the worktop with little spare space above so it all seems to be correct.

The plinths (kick panels) are 15 high and there is a small gap of maybe 0.3 between the top of the plinth and the bottom of the unit but, because the plinths are recessed by about 5, you don’t see that unless you bend down to nearly floor level. The plinths have a flexible clear plastic trim on the bottom to form a neat seal with the floor and presumably prevent water spills etc going under the units.

Our cats have never complained about this small gap and they are the only ones who see it.:D

Our kitchen was professionally installed and we were and are very pleased with it. After 13 years it still looks almost new.

How high is the top of your worktop from the floor? Does it seem about right when you stand at it and use it to prepare food etc? If you are happy with this height, maybe it is better to modify the plinths and build up the cooker.

Are the plinths flush to the front or recessed? You could ask the fitter to supply and fit plinths that properly fill the gap.

Do you have written plans and specifications for the work that show the height of the units etc?

moonrakerz

Haven't actually measured all the dimensions in my new kitchen (not this house so can't measure it now). It was installed professionally and it is very much the same as Avoriaz's. The dishwasher and Washing Machine sit nicely under the work surface and the ceramic top of the free standing cooker is exactly level with the work surface either side of it. The only adjustment needed was to one foot on the cooker which was rocking very slightly.
Have a small gap along the top of the kicking strip, otherwise you can't get it out from under the units if you need to !

Complain !

fesdufun

Hi, just an update.

I have spoken with the suppliers of the kitchen who told me that the legs should be fitted at approx. 160-165mm high, add on the cupboard height of 720mm plus the workshop of 30 or 40 mm should give you a worktop appox. 910-920mm high.

The legs on our kitchen have been fitted at 185mm high giving an overall height to the top of worktop of 945mm.

I spoke again to the fitter and told him I am not happy and he is going to lower the kitchen.

In answer to the other questions -

The plinths are recessed but the 15mm is very noticable. Also it is not only the cooker but the fridge, freezer and washing machine that would be too low leaving a large gap between the top of the appliance and the worktop.

It is a rental property so I am not too bothered about whether the kitchen worktop is okay for me but want the appliances to fit correctly so we can replace them easily when needed and also want the kitchen to look "right" as it is costing us a lot of money.

The plan for the kitchen didn't specify the height - I thought it was obvious that we wanted the cooker that was on site to fit in the new kitchen and also assumed that the fitter would fit the kitchen at standard height unless asked otherwise.

Anyway thanks for all your help. I will wait to see what happens when the fitter returns tomorrow.