fitting own kitchen ?

[george07]

i am going to have to build my kitchen up as soon as it arrives flatpack etc..it is a high gloss cream style with high gloss end panels etc
my joiner mate is going to fit it but is very busy & i may have to wait for him when hes availible..the kitchen is l shaped standard kitchen base units 2 x 500 wall units & a 600 x 600 corner wall unit,the walls have been dot n dabbed/skimmed etc and looks like i will be having the floor tiled 1st.
the plumbing and electrics have all been done to the new plan...
my query is so as to be able to crack on once i have built all units up how far could i practically proceed with fitting the base/wall units myself ? obviously bringing hot/cold water pipes & sink waste pipe through the backboard etc..surely its not 2 difficult to work it out levelling units fixing etc leaving the worktop cornice to my mate whom i wouldnt think would be 2 bothered as he doesnt actually need the work but is willing to help me out...i could do some research on how to do it from manuals internet etc...do & donts, or would i be better just waiting until hes availible to fit the lot ? cheers again

 

[Deleted member 174758]

The main thing I'd say is to strike a level datum line across the area where your units are to go. Ideally that datum line should be 870mm above the highest point on the finished floor level, or say an extra 10 to 12mm above the existing, untiled floor level (your tiler will tell you how much to allow for the flooring thickness). You need to get this right as all your built-ins will need that . All the units are then levelled to that datum. Personally I start in one corner and work outwards from that levelling each unit to the datum, then side to side, then front to back before adding the next unit. I anchor the units together (hiding the screws beneath hinges, etc) as well as bracketing every 2nd or 3rd unit to the wall behind. For each new unit I repeat the exercise of relevelling. I use a 400mm torpedo level and 600, 1200 and 1800mm levels to do this. The biggest bugbear I have when installing or even replacing existing worktops for folk is the plain fact that they haven't levelled their units properly and that I have to relevel the lot. Happens about 1/2 of the time in my experience.

 

[gregers]

i would start from the corner,then work back both ways.

 

[george07]

cheers guys im sure i can manage that to save money + learn how to do jobs like this for future projects etc...
what is the distance from the wall to the backboard of the units ? just want to make sure my hot cold + waste pipes are long enough to go through..+ any tips advice guys on heights of pipes cutting measuring the backboards to bring services through into the units,i have various sizes of holesaws etc

 

[Deleted member 174758]

what is the distance from the wall to the backboard of the units ? just want to make sure my hot cold + waste pipes are long enough to go through..+ any tips advice guys on heights of pipes cutting measuring the backboards to bring services through into the units,i have various sizes of holesaws etc

Most manufactured units are about 570mm deep and are designed to fit against the wall. The backs are generally inset about 40 to 50mm giving enough space to run water pipes (normally 15mm copper, although you'll sometimes find 22mm in a few kitchens) and waste pipes (normally 38/40mm in the UK). So the hole cutter sizes you'll find useful are 20mm and 44mm. Doors are mostly about 18mm thick and standard worktops are 600 or 615mm wide, leaving you with very little margin to set the units off the walls, in fact if your walls aren't all that straight you may find yourseld hacking away plasterwork to accommodate the units (at least in old houses this can be so). There is, of course an exception - IKEA kitchens which have no back recess at all. On those the pipework all needs to be dropped to within 150mm or so off the floor, which is the distance from the floor to the underside of the cabinets.

As to heights, I've found on replacements you are often limited by the existing pipework, after all why replumb an entire kitchen for the sake of a few feet of pipe? The only thing I'd recommend on heights is that if you are replumbing drop the waste below the water pipes and make sure that you can get access to stop taps, isolator valves (every wate pipe to every appliance, including the sink needs one of these), plug sockets, etc Also remember that many washing machines and dish washers don't have the space behind them to accommodate waste stacks, so these need to be behind the unit next door. The same goes for plug sockets (and in that case includes ovens, built-in fridges/freezers, etc)

 

[george07]

cheers job n knock usufull advice,my washer waste (40mm pipe clipped direct to wall behind service gap) and cold feed are plumbed at the moment to be right in the 600mm washer gap to the new kitchen plan

washer waste/plumbing & electrics

• george07
• 8 Feb 2012
• 1

 

[george07]

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• george07
• 8 Feb 2012
• 1

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• george07
• 8 Feb 2012
• 1

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• george07
• 8 Feb 2012
• 1

other pics of kitchen plumbing ready in place etc ready for kitchen to be fitted and service pipes brought through backboard at sink etc + drill a large round hole with a holesaw for the main stoptap & another for the prv dial...all this look ok ? or is anything else i need to consider cheers again

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• george07
• 8 Feb 2012
• 1

do my heights look at the correct height..(pipe going through the wall is for the outside tap)