Replacing kitchen cupboard with dishwasher

MrManager

I'll be moving into a new house soon and would like to get a dishwasher installed in the kitchen.

The kitchen is not very big so I think the best place for it to go would be to replace part of the cupboard on the left here:

The cupboard is about 70cm wide.

How complicated of a job do you think this would be?

There is plumbing and an (albeit unswitched) outlet under the sink, so I'm hoping the connections would be okay. But I'm not so sure about replacing that cupboard. I assume I might want to get an integrated dishwasher so we wouldn't have to remove the "shell"? Ideally I'd also like to keep a bit of shelving next to the dishwasher.

How much would you expect to be paying for someone to sort all of this out?

grumbler

AFAIK, all dishwashers, including integrated, stand on the floor and don't need any cabinet. The only type that will fit on the shelf is 'table top' one.

Also, your cabinets have 'service space' behind. It's unlikely that without removing the back panel the cabinet will be deep enough to accommodate a normal dishwasher.

So, both the bottom and the back panels have to be removed as well as the plinth and, most likely, the doors. Hopefully, the floor is tiled under the cabinet.

The right side can either go or get screwed to the other cabinet (if it isn't already).

The left side has to remain to support the worktop. The only way I see  to secure it is to fix it with brackets to the worktop and to the wall.

Looks like a simple job for any handyman of even a DIYer.

MovingForwards

First thing I did was check sizes of the fridges and available height / width of the space I was looking to create. There was already a socket hidden in the cupboard.

I removed part of a cupboard to fit the fridge; Took the doors off, removed the shelves, got the saw out to cut the plinth thing to the new shorter size for the remaining cupboards and painted the back wall.

Same concept for you, only look up dishwashers.

Laz123

In my distant past I did part time handyman jobs and did one similar to this. The job took me about 3 hours because I had to shave a few inches off the cupboard and redo the pipework, plus a visit to DIY shop. As already said a handyman should be able to do this.

prowla

You could replace what's underneath the sink/work-surface with a single-width cupboard, a 60 cm gap for the dishwasher, and an end panel.

You can get an adapter on the sink outlet piping to add the dishwasher's output there.

Actually, I currently have a sink in the middle, a dishwasher on one side and a washing machine on the other.

FreeBear

An integrated appliance will need a matching door - Might prove tricky if the kitchen is unidentifiable or obsolete.

Freestanding may be a better option.. If the base unit is 700mm, I'd think about a 500mm slimline DW and fit a 150mm wine rack to the RH side reuseing the trim panel (after removing the original base unit). There would be a little bit of overhang with the worktop, but it shouldn't look too out of place.

Two things to watch for - Most dishwashers have virtually no space behind them, so any pipework or sockets may well push it away from the wall. Second - I bet the tiles don't extend under the units. You will need to put something down to level the floor up. Either a sheet of ply (marine grade would be best), or tile the space. Leveling up the floor will make it much easier to pull the machine out if it ever needs servicing/repair.

MrManager

Thanks for all the advice! Sounds like the best solution will be to remove the whole thing and get a freestanding dishwasher.

I talked to a handyman now who estimated it would be a day's work for 200+vat. Does that sound reasonable? I was expecting a bit less based on the comments here.

grumbler

You can't remove "the whole thing" as the worktop needs support.

IMO, £240 is too much for a handyman unless it's London or nearby. Is he really VAT-registered to quote the price +  VAT?

john.h

What you could do is remove the cabinet, it looks like there is a decor end panel on the end to hold the worktop up. Make sure the end panel is fixed in place, if not fix to wall floor and worktop.
  Dismantle the cabinet to remove the bottom and back. Put the 2 sides and top of cabinet back in place, it should line up with the original screw holes. Refit the doors back on.  Then find a dishwasher that will fit in so it will probably have to be a integrated one so the plinth can go back on. 

MrManager

grumbler said:

You can't remove "the whole thing" as the worktop needs support.

IMO, £240 is too much for a handyman unless it's London or nearby. Is he really VAT-registered to quote the price +  VAT?

Right - I meant removing the inner part but keeping the support on the left.

Not sure about VAT, obviously I'll only pay that if I get a VAT invoice.

john.h said:

What you could do is remove the cabinet, it looks like there is a decor end panel on the end to hold the worktop up. Make sure the end panel is fixed in place, if not fix to wall floor and worktop.
  Dismantle the cabinet to remove the bottom and back. Put the 2 sides and top of cabinet back in place, it should line up with the original screw holes. Refit the doors back on.  Then find a dishwasher that will fit in so it will probably have to be a integrated one so the plinth can go back on. 

Do you think it would be better to get an integrated one? Sounded to me like freestanding might be simpler.

theonlywayisup

I think the problem with an integrated one is that you will  have to find a door to go on it that matches the kitchen cupboards you already have. Also, integrated tend to be a bit more expensive.