Alcove Units – Best Solution?

Ben1989

I haven't read all the posts but why don't you have nice round 1,000mm units and in the remaining gap just have a pocket for your firewood? Obviously extend the worktop across the whole width. That's much easier in my opinion

ThisIsWeird

Yeah, too easy, pal. 



Really good idea. That should look lovely.

paperclap

ThisIsWeird, thanks!

On your points…

1) Had already planned to do this side strips, or “filler strips”, because as you say, allow the skirting to butt up to it. Regarding your small birds-eye-view sketch of the door / hinge / fillet / upright panel / filler  This wasn’t quite how I’d planned to do it. I’d planned a full board, though set back. Then there would effectively be a cavity between the outside of the carcass and the wall. I would then fill the face of that cavity with a filler strip, scribed (if need be) to the wall. This way, the inside of the carcass is clean without any fillets, and also, means your doors and carcass can sit perfectly plumb, even if your walls are out, as the filler strip is scribed. Or perhaps this is what you mean anyway?

2) Good observation! Ironically, I had actually sketched out everything flush, only to then erase some of my pencil markings, and set the uprights back! You might still be able to see the remnants of the pencil markings if you zoom in enough 

3) Do the hinges really require 4mm? I guess they’d require something, as can’t imagine the back of the door would sit flush to the housing of the hinge. I’ve never used these hinges before! Got them dotted around the house (kitchen, bathroom), so will take a closer look tomorrow. Though, that’s presuming they’re all largely the same? I’d planned on using Blum ones.

4) Why a fillet of MDF, and not an entire board? Purely for the minimum necessity to mount the hinges on? I’m wondering if the latter wouldn’t be better aesthetically? Of course, you’d lose 18mm internal space, but hey.

Tomorrow, I think I’ll sketch out a more considered, erm, sketch   

Thank you for sticking with me on this!

paperclap

Ben1989, I think it’s a nice idea, and one I had thought about… but I’m not entirely sure bringing firewood into that sort of space is the best idea.

It wouldn’t receive much airflow (from front to back), and if there were some bugs, they could potentially be given a feast by finding their way into everything else!

I’ve read horror stories…

ThisIsWeird

paperclap said:

Ben1989, I think it’s a nice idea, and one I had thought about… but I’m not entirely sure bringing firewood into that sort of space is the best idea.

It wouldn’t receive much airflow (from front to back), and if there were some bugs, they could potentially be given a feast by finding their way into everything else!

I’ve read horror stories…

If you did like Ben's idea - and I think it would look awesome (tho' I think I'd only put the prettiest 'decorative' logs in there and not use them...) - then I wouldn't be concerned about air and bugs; these just should not be an issue. The units would look super-highly bespoke and integrated to your sitting room. One open unit could even hold your bottles of whisky instead - equally decorative.

And I bet you could pick up a couple of 1000mm base units for next to now't on your local Facebook Marketplace. Cutting them down to height and depth would be an absolute breeze, and they'd also have central posts for the doors to close against. All you'd then have to add are the extending side panels. But, that's obviously your call.

Anyhoo, for your main plan, you clearly have it sorted in your head, and everything else is mere tweaks.

1) "I’d planned a full board, though set back. Then there would effectively be a cavity between the outside of the carcass and the wall. I would then fill the face of that cavity with a filler strip, scribed (if need be) to the wall. This way, the inside of the carcass is clean without any fillets, and also, means your doors and carcass can sit perfectly plumb, even if your walls are out, as the filler strip is scribed. Or perhaps this is what you mean anyway?" Perfectly good alternative, and neater than my idea. Also, as you say, it allows for scribing against off-plumb walls.

Are you planning to have the front edges of the unit sides flush with the chimney breast, slightly set back, or slightly forward? My personal thoughts would be to not have it flush. The pro example has the unit out a small amount. That works well visually, imo, especially when the recess isn't that deep. A deep recess - doesn't apply to you, I don't think - could cope with a slightly set-back unit. But 'flush' would, I think, look wrong. That wall on your LH side - how far does it come out, compared to the breast depth, to what I presume is a door?

Oh, and unlike the pro unit - and again this is a purely personal call - I'd have the worktop overhang by at least 10mm at the front (and a little at the side too). So, if you were to decide to make the sides ~5mm sticky-out-beyond-door-face, then the w'top would be a further 5mm-ish beyond these. Needs planning so you won't need 'oops' planing. (drrrrr-cheeesh...)

2) Cool. :-)

3) "Do the hinges really require 4mm? I guess they’d require something, as can’t imagine the back of the door would sit flush to the housing of the hinge." You'll see from your kitchen units that there'll be a clearance gap betwixt the closed door and the carcase front edge, or else the hinge would risk being 'bound' as the door closes. And on the non-hinge end of the door, there will likely be small rubber bumpers, and these will also likely be around 2-3mm thick, I guess. Is a 4mm end panel sticky-out required so there's some 'spare'? Possibly not. But I'd suggest that if the end panels do come out a mm or two beyond the closed door, this will look absolutely fine (the picture of the pro unit might well be like this), whereas the door being even fractionally more sticky-out than the side panel will look just hellish, and you'll have to take a mallet to your unit.

Personally, I think I'd like the look of this type of 'enclosing' of the unit, so good chance I'd make that sort of thing an obvious 5mm beyond the door, but maybe not. Look again at the pro example. The side panel will already be 'stepped out' significantly compared to the plinth, so is obviously the 'frame' for the whole unit. In that pic, it could well be continuing this 'out' bit by a few mm compared to the doors? Not sure, but I think it'll add a subtle tweak and make it more 'designed' and bespoke. But that has to be 100% your call :-)

'Flat' is 'ok'. But any hint of the doors being even slightly more out than the side panels, and, well, you know what'll have to happen...

4) "Why a fillet of MDF, and not an entire board? Purely for the minimum necessity to mount the hinges on? (Yes!) I’m wondering if the latter wouldn’t be better aesthetically? (Yes!) Of course, you’d lose 18mm internal space, but hey." What can I say? I'm a cowboy, that's it. A Skottish cowboy.

I have to say, tho', 32mm wide partitions are serious overkill, but again that's entirely your call. I personally wouldn't be concerned by the internal aesthetics of adding fillets, and it shouldn't look like a corner-cutting. An alternative, depending on the sizes of MDF at your disposal, would be to add a 9mm strip to each side - that would be 'balanced' should both doors be open at the same time. Once the parts are glued, sanded and painted, I cannot see any of these ideas being a visual issue. I can see a 32mm thick slab of MDF, should it require any further planing or sanding, being an issue tho'... :-) 

Your call :-)

Ben1989

Here is something I did with a 1,000mm carcass. If you want something less deep I’d get a kitchen wall carcass 

warwick2001

Ben1989 said:

Here is something I did with a 1,000mm carcass. If you want something less deep I’d get a kitchen wall carcass 

Is that a cat flap on the side of that unit? Please tell me its the cat's toilet box in there..........

Ben1989

Yes it certainly is and you're correct I need to make some stairs 

ThisIsWeird

I've seen everything now!

Ben, that's really neat. Lovely colour too - may I ask what it is?

warwick2001

Ben1989 said:

Yes it certainly is and you're correct I need to make some stairs 

I'm defo tempted to do something like this, is such a quality idea. And well executed too, great work, good sir