Kitchen installation | Lewisham | Crofton Park | London
BEFORE
Kitchen installation | Lewisham | Crofton Park | London
AFTER
Kitchen installation | Lewisham | Crofton Park | London
BEFORE AGAIN
Kitchen installation | Lewisham | Crofton Park | London
AFTER ONCE MORE
Project: Kitchen installation Lewisham | Basement conversion
Project Location: Crofton Park, Lewisham, London
Approx Value: £12,500
Project summary
Complete kitchen renovation. Removal of existing kitchen, new flooring, layout modifications and basement tanking.
Property Description:
The property is a 3-storey terraced house constructed of solid brick without cavity walls. Their are no planning restrictions working on this type of property and the property is not located in a conservation area. The kitchen was located in the basement of the propety leading to the rear garden.
Methodology
The approach to this project was a full renovation of the existing kitchen. The client requested modernisation to the services. This project was a follow on from an initial basement tanking and bathroom installation.
Before installation of this kitchen, we had to waterproof the basement area to allow for a dry and usable area to install the new kitchen.
Once the above has been completed, the client ordered a lovely kitchen from Homebase. During the basement waterproofing all 1st fix services were installed to ensure the waterproofing membrane provided a sufficient barrier to further water ingress.
The next step was to install the stud walls to line the basement and allow us to structure the kitchen units within the tanked area. We line the walls with battens and plasterboards fixed to newton water multi plugs, taking great care not to puncture the tanking membranes and maintain and impervious barrier to water from the surrounding walls, which were partly below ground.
We then replaced the four pane single glazed frosted window with a double glazed clear glass unit to let more light into the room and allow the client to enjoy more views of the garden area.
The client chose to go with a modern kitchen mixed with a country range cooker and belfast sink. These choices seems to work out quite nicely and present a modern and traditional feel in one setting.
Gas services, first fix plumbing and electrics are then installed. We focus on positioning the new lighting in relation to position of the new kitchen units. This ensures lighting in the room compliments the position of the units
Their were a few challenges working within this basement area. One to note was the location of the mains electrical supply cable. After removal of the existing kitchen, and installation of the basement tanking, we were presented with a Live 16mm electrical cable run along the wall surface.
We called in our electrical engineers and agreed the approach to pin the cable to a section of the waterproof membrane. The cable was then enclosed in safety conduit and mechanically fixed in a position to protect it from accidental damage.
The next challenged we faced was relocating the water and heating supplies to the kitchen. With this being an existing basement. All of the plumbing supplies were running under the ground floor, but this meant they became overhead when you stand in the basement.
At the first hurdle, the client expected us to install a bulk head at the face of the kitchen to run the width of the room, concealing the pipes. However, we thought this would diminish the clean lines, of an already low ceiling. So, we reconfigured the plumbing supplies to tuck them behind our stud wall between the waterproof membrane. This successfully removed the plumbing infrastructure from sight and improved the sight lines of the kitchen.
The kitchen installation was then pretty straightforward. The client chose a composite worktop. This material felt like stone, but it wasn’t. Looked lovely and felt smooth. It took considerable skill to cut this worktop and polish the rounded corners for the two end corner cabinets. In addition we installed the belfast sink which required good workmanship to ensure the cut out was balanced around the basin unit.
Their were a few changes to the initial design during the installation process. This required ordering of some additional parts for the units. The only drawback of this, was the 6 week lead time Homebase kitchens provided. This presented a delay in completion of the kitchen, and delayed us getting paid!!!! always a bummer!
But hey that’s life, if we don’t finish, we don’t charge. As we’re often challenged, but never beaten, we’re used to obstacles such as these.
Result
The kitchen installation was completed successfully. After the 8 WEEK wait for additional parts (wow – you’d think Homebase were growing the trees to cut the new units from), we were able to revisit and complete the kitchen installation. This last section of the install and some small snags allowed us to deliver a lovely new kitchen for the client that will serve them well for many years to come.
Happy customers make happy contractors.
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