Installing cooker under wooden window shelf

sarahello

Hello, my partner and I recently bought our first home. We bought a cooker however on delivery discovered that is couldn't be installed because of regulations. Above the space where the cooker would go is a narrow window (30x90cm) with a wooden shelf at the bottom of the frame. We've been told that because there is a wood directly above where the cooker would go we can't have a cooker there due to the fire risk. Suggestions we have include covering it up with an aluminium sheet (which wouldn't be the most attractive) or get the window bricked up. At the moment we can't afford to put in a new kitchen (we'd like to do so in a couple of years). There are tiles around/underneath the window and I don't particularly want to create an eyesore- we spend a lot of time cooking.

Has anyone come across this before? Does anyone have any suggestions about what we could do? I was also wondering whether there are any regulations about bricking it up- how it looks on the street, affect on insulation/avoiding damp. I feel a bit clueless where to start so if anyone has any suggestions/advice. All much appreciated!

Currently we're living off our slow cooker and microwave, but it'd be great to get back to cooking with a hob and oven!

Thank you all.

Aylesbury_Duck

Who advised you that an option was to cover the shelf with an aluminium sheet? Will that comply with the 'hot zone' regulations? There would still be flammable material in the hot zone, it would just be covered. If it is permissible, it is probably your only option if you're not remodelling the kitchen yet. Perhaps you can live with the eyesore for a couple of years?

Bricking the window up may cause a secondary problem. Is it the only window or door that leads directly outside from the kitchen? You're right to consider ventilation because even if you have another window or door, cooking is a major source of moisture and condensation so any ventilation is useful.

greenbee

what about removing the wooden windowsill and tiling it? Not sure whether that would comply with regs - depends on what the rest of the window is made from.

sarahello

That's what I thought about the aluminium sheet. I'm not sure who suggest that. It was someone my partner spoke to.

There's another much larger window in the kitchen, next to the small one but it wouldn't be above where the cooker is. I think the small one is where the old pantry would've been to let in light. One thing we thought of would be to install an extractor fan in the area where the window currently is if we were to brick it up.

sarahello

The rest of it is PVC.

bris

Yes it can be covered by a non flammable material. There are some attractive stainless steel and aluminium coverings you can get to do the job.


I fit gas hobs and often kitchens now use wall boards rather that tiles so the back of the hob has a decorative steel or aluminium sheet that covers the wall board immediately behind the hob, they look good in place.


Bricking up the window may well look a lot worse from the exterior point of view that a nice decorative covering on the sill.

Ectophile

Would it be possible to remove the wooden windowsill, and replace it with tiles? Something like floor tiles wouldn't look out of place, and are fireproof.

That's got to be better and cheaper than bricking up a window.

phill99

It isn't just the window sill that is the problem. The regs go back to a time when people had curtains at their kitchen windows. These obviously are a fire hazard over a cooker.

sarahello

Thanks for your responses. We're currently looking at taking out the wooden window sill and sides and replacing it with uPVC. Think that might be the neatest, cheapest option!

FreeBear

sarahello wrote: »

We're currently looking at taking out the wooden window sill and sides and replacing it with uPVC. Think that might be the neatest, cheapest option!

uPVC is probably worse than timber above a cooker. A much bigger fire risk in my opinion.

sarahello

Ah okay. This is getting confusing! Now I'm wondering whether we need to just suck it up and get a whole new kitchen on finance....