KITCHENS
DESIGN SECTION
Tips and ideas on how to make one of the house’s important rooms a place for the client
T
he kitchen is one of the most important rooms in any household, being the source of food and sometimes being the meeting place for all of the family, so it is very important to get the clients look exactly right, as a lot of time will be spent in there, and they do not want to be unhappy every time they walk into the kitchen.
Planning
Planning is always important as your client might want the huge cooker and the huge cupboards,
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but if they do not have the room, advantage in as it enables you to they would not be able to have efficiently use the available space. everything that they want, so you You don’t have to use different will need to ask combinations them for what they of unit just to TIP BOX like and plan where achieve the desired You should only to put everything. effect. If you need start to dismantle One cupboard something a certain your old kitchen might look good in unit, you can just when you have a certain place and build it. purchased your new the oven might look Take Away kitchen good in between When you have and appliances - just two cupboards and your best plan then in case you can’t get so forth. You need add all the services everything you want. to fit in everything information on www.diydoctor.org.uk that they want in the drawing check the given space, how water will be or if it really is provided to the impossible, then suggest an sink and washing machines. You alternative. But building the units will need to position the power to the size you need is a main points for portable appliances
The Builder April 2011
age. Tiles will always be popular like kettles, toasters as well as the and make any house look new and power distribution for the fixed in fashion. Always do the flooring appliances. Think carefully how LAST to save any you are going to damage that could route these services TIP BOX occur while you are and remember Always check for building/making the that you may need electrical cables and kitchen. to gain access to water pipes, using repair a leak in a pipe and power Cabinets a pipe so do not detector before make the building drilling in to floors Kitchen cabinets don’t have to be in process too or walls. When plain. Creative permanent. Often it using power tools is asked how long is always use an RCD designs do more than decorate. They it likely to be before protection device, a pipe may start to making certain that can reflect your leak. The truth is all power tool leads own sense of style, nobody knows. It are in good condition. even if you’re on a could be 30mins or Always wear safety budget. There are many affordable 30 years after you equipment. have completed the www.diydoctor.org.uk models available and you can build work. the cabinets you want! CustomFlooring made designs would personalise Some people like to have laminate an important room in the home, flooring on their kitchen floor, and its unique style would look as it is easy to clear up spillages expensive and timeless. especially when someone is cooking. But I would personally advise them to get tiles. They are Installing wall units a lot cheaper to buy in bulk than When installing the wall units use laminate flooring, and they never the ‘screwfix’ clamps in reverse to
The Builder April 2011
act a lifting jacks. This makes it an easier job to install and allows you to accurately align the units before fixing to the wall. Once the first wall unit is up, the adjoining units can be installed in the same way but use a couple of extra clamps to hold the adjacent units together so that they match up perfectly.
Lighting
Spotlights are the now thing for many rooms, especially the kitchen, This is because you do not have just one standard light placed in the middle of the room, which then does not cover the whole room, which could be a hazard. With spotlights, you can buy them individually, and place them on the ceiling which can then cover the whole room so the light is over appliances and the counters. And there you go! Hopefully these tips and ideas will be useful for you and your client to build their ideal kitchen. (The above kitchens are from www.searle-taylor.co.uk.) l
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