rennovation help for problematic kitchen

Aviendha

I'd like to redecorate the kitchen without spending too much - painting cabinets etc rather than getting a whole new kitchen. However there are several weird problems that I'm at a loss with, and I'd really appreciate any suggestions.

I removed the wallpaper to find a mess with the plaster, so will need to get it replastered and painted or else re-wallpaper (I'd rather paint). 

Before I sort the walls, I need to get the electrics done. I really want an extractor fan with hood - the kitchen is a nighmare for steaming up when cooking. But I discovered that the awkwardly placed box behind the hob has pipes for the boiler in it. One electrician said he could still put an extractor hood in and "build out" the box thing so it's symmetrical behind the hob. Another electrician said it wouldn't be possible at all.

And the elephant in the room is the gigantic ugly boiler as the centrepiece of the kitchen. It sticks out too much from the rest of the cupboards/counter to box it in. I've looked into covering it with vinyl but I don't think I can do that with the heat from the boiler. I wish I'd known that a boiler on display can knock value off the house before buying...

I basically "just" want an extractor fan and to hide the boiler before redecorating, but I haven't a clue what to do next. 

gwynlas

A false wall or box could be built as suggested but unless this is an external wall an extractor might not be possible.. The boiler is the proverbial elephant in the room and any buyer would probably want to replace it with wall mounted, If it gives off heat you could suggest that it is useful for proving dough or drying washing overnight

Aviendha

Sorry I should have said that it is an external wall so putting a hole through should be ok. Would blocking off access to those pipes with a false wall for attaching the hood create a problem? I don't know if pipes like that are normally accessible.

mi-key

Boxing out the wall wouldnt cause any problems.

The boiler would be quite possible to box in, it isnt going to stick out that much further than the other cabinets. Put a matching door on it and a 'fake' drawer to match other , and you could even run one piece of worktop all the way over the top and box in the vent.

i dont think a boiler on display lowers the value of a house though,  its not uncommon and lots of wall mounted ones are visible. Plenty of people wouldnt be bothered by being able to see the boiler. 

ThisIsWeird

Hi Aviendha.
I think the two elephants in your room were the two sparkies Bless their cotton socks, but asking a sparky to carry out construction work is like asking a plumber to do wiring - they are simply incapable of cross-skilling like this. It's a well known congenital flaw in these trades. 
You need a kitchen fitter/joiner/handyperson to install the hood, and then the sparky can be allowed back in to wire it (although the HP can probably do that too).
What wiring are you having done? If a comprehensive rewire, then you may wish to fit FSUs on the  splashback wall (like that switch on the far right) to control the hood, and then an outlet plate at high level to supply the hood. Or, just a high-mounted single socket for the hood.
These pipes will need to be accessible - once every couple of decades. To remove a hood will be little additional work.
The most attractive way to sort it is the 'false wall' as mentioned, essentially widening that 'boxing' from the LH unit to whatever width looks best (a bit more than hood width) and from worktop to ceiling, and the hood mounts on that. Once it's splashback-tiled or glassed or S/S'd or whatever, it'll look as tho' it's meant to be there. A 'chimney' type of hood will look as tho' it's venting through the roof, but will be doing so thro' the wall instead, behind its cover, to the left of these pipes - there should be space. The false wall can also hide the wiring to the hood. This is simple stuff to do - standard handyperson stuff - but is beyond the wit of most sparkies, as they are only half that.
Is that cable ducting on the ceiling? Lawdie  - that needs to go as it will always make the room look 'cheap'.
 The boiler isn't a significant issue, I don't think. Feel the front panel - cool, eh? So just paint that panel either the chosen kitchen colour, or possibly satin black if you think it'll look better (IE more like an 'appliance' - oven, etc.). Don't paint the control panel, of course... Then contrive something to sit on the boiler top to end at, or fractionally above, worktop height. Say a black silicone mat, trimmed to fit around the flue pipe, to sit on the boiler top to catch any spills and make it all easy to keep clean, and then a grill of some kind - something you can slip hot pans on to without risk of scratching or burning the workshop. Make it a useful feature - i'll also keep plates luke-warmish. You can, for example, get stick-on bars for worktops for such a use, so it just needs a frame made to take these to the required height. Or, a ready-made oven shelf, easily cut down to the required width, and sat on brackets on the sides of the worktop - again, make the sparky leave the room as it'll blow their mind.

The cracks look minor. Is the plaster otherwise firm and secure? If so, a general way of tackling poor plaster is to go over it with coarse grade paper - say 80 grit - on a flat block to remove any high spots, bumps and ridges. Hoover all dust. Then brush SBR over and across any cracks repeatedly until no more is sucked in - wipe away excess from the surface. Allow to dry. Then apply fine surface, easy to sand, filler using a wide flexible blade over all the cracks (force it in) and other hollows. Sand down using 120 grit. Repeat as necessary. That is a small area - you should be able to DIY this quite easily (yes,  first ask the sparky to leave).

Your unit doors look like solid oak? A light colour - a country sage or cream or whatevs - should transform it, and contrast nicely with the black tops. Another relatively simple transformation can be had from fitting lightweight (foam-core) cornice, especially a more interesting type such as 'shadowline'. Again DIYable, tho' has its tricky bits.

FreeBear

Just to throw in a couple of comments - Whilst the boiler & flue can be boxed in, you need to make sure there is access to the flue and all it connections/joints for when it is serviced. If you ever need a Gas Safe certificate, it will (probably) fail if the flue can not be accessed.

The hob - 150mm is the recommended minimum clearance either side of an electric hob (300mm for gas). But it is better to have more than that so that you can get to pans on the rear rings without reaching over the front rings.

I'm guessing the wall behind the hob is an exterior one - If so, vent the extractor to the outside to get rid of cooking smells & steam. If the boiler is not room sealed, you will need to ensure there is sufficient air brick capacity to draw fresh air in from outside for both the extractor and boiler. Messes up heating of the space I'm afraid, but ventilation is vital when you have an open gas appliance. Also, please, fit a Carbon Monoxide (that is CO, not CO2) alarm. It could save a life.

Aviendha

ThisIsWeird said:

What wiring are you having done? If a comprehensive rewire, then you may wish to fit FSUs on the  splashback wall (like that switch on the far right) to control the hood, and then an outlet plate at high level to supply the hood. Or, just a high-mounted single socket for the hood.

I don't know that much about the electrics. The first electrician said the swith for the extractor could be combined with the oven switch (not visible in that picture but it's over to the left). The seond one said it would have to be wired from plug sockets which are off to the right of the picture.

Thank you so much for all the really helpful suggestions!

Aviendha

FreeBear said:

Just to throw in a couple of comments - Whilst the boiler & flue can be boxed in, you need to make sure there is access to the flue and all it connections/joints for when it is serviced. If you ever need a Gas Safe certificate, it will (probably) fail if the flue can not be accessed.

The hob - 150mm is the recommended minimum clearance either side of an electric hob (300mm for gas). But it is better to have more than that so that you can get to pans on the rear rings without reaching over the front rings.

I'm guessing the wall behind the hob is an exterior one - If so, vent the extractor to the outside to get rid of cooking smells & steam. If the boiler is not room sealed, you will need to ensure there is sufficient air brick capacity to draw fresh air in from outside for both the extractor and boiler. Messes up heating of the space I'm afraid, but ventilation is vital when you have an open gas appliance. Also, please, fit a Carbon Monoxide (that is CO, not CO2) alarm. It could save a life.

Thank you. The boiler needs to be serviced anyway so I can discuss boxing in with the engineer to make sure that the ventilation etc will be ok.

ThisIsWeird

Aviendha said:

ThisIsWeird said:

What wiring are you having done? If a comprehensive rewire, then you may wish to fit FSUs on the  splashback wall (like that switch on the far right) to control the hood, and then an outlet plate at high level to supply the hood. Or, just a high-mounted single socket for the hood.

I don't know that much about the electrics. The first electrician said the swith for the extractor could be combined with the oven switch (not visible in that picture but it's over to the left). The seond one said it would have to be wired from plug sockets which are off to the right of the picture.

Thank you so much for all the really helpful suggestions!

From the sockets would be better.