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We've been meaning to do something about our kitchen for ages, but as we are now expecting our first child in October the time has come to bite the bullet.
The existing kitchen... well, it wasn't really a proper kitchen. It had been there since the house was built since the 1960s, and I'm pretty sure it was entirely home-built. There were only five tiny wall cupboards, and a cavernous cupboard beneath the worktop. The worktop itself was ridiculously deep for the size of the kitchen, over 80cm (32in) which made it feel like a galley kitchen even though the room itself is not that narrow.
Here are a couple of "before" pictures to give you an idea (excuse the panorama stitching errors!)
Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
As you can see, the problem is storage, or the lack of it! With no drawers to speak of and hardly any cupboard space, every surface was cluttered and cooking was hardly an appealing prospect.
We've got plenty of other Ikea furniture and have been generally very impressed with it, so opting for an Ikea kitchen was a bit of a no-brainer (especially as a new store opened less than an hour's drive away in Southampton a couple of years ago).
I found this forum a while back when I was first starting to think of doing the kitchen, but we ended up spending all the budget on the bathroom instead as we decided the need was more pressing! I then came back and got plenty of useful pointers and advice.
Using the online planner I soon had a rough plan. We wanted to move the sink so it would be under the window, and have two built-in ovens. We actually bought one of the ovens in November last year, as when we went to Ikea we saw that the exact model we wanted (Framtid MWC6 combi microwave/oven) had been discontinued, and they had 3 left at half-price. Luckily we had a van with us, as we were buying a wardrobe, so we snapped one up - £250 saved straight away! (or £250 spent, depending on which way you look at it )
We wanted white doors and were torn between Stat and Lidingo. We went for Lidingo although we prefer the glass doors that match Stat. As we only have one glass cabinet we thought we could live with it! For countertops we opted for solid oak, We don't like the look of laminate and can't afford stone, and I think natural wood goes well with white cabinets.
These plan pictures aren't quite the final version but they will give you an idea. The high view shows a previous incarnation of the plan which had a blind corner cabinet and then some cubbies next to the sink. After remeasuring I worked out I could just squeeze in a 90 x 90cm corner unit, as shown in the third
pic
. The sink is a Domsjo double, and there will be countertop over the dishwasher too even though the planner won't show it!
Also the plans don't show the final configuration of the base units. After reading the advice on here we opted for drawers - lots of drawers! Three under the hob, deep pullouts either side, drawers in the oven cabinet, and three drawers in the plinth (I gather these aren't available in the US)
So, with the plans (almost) finalised we headed down to Southampton one Sunday last month to place our order. After a few last-minute tweaks (yes, we forgot cover panels either side of the fan cabinet, and corresponding panels in the base run) we checked that they could deliver the following day, as I have Mondays off work.
"Oh no, we only deliver in your area on Tuesdays or Fridays."
The next Tuesday or Friday I had off work and at home was when I was meant to be starting to fit it (today in fact!). So that was no good. We'd gone to the store in a small hatchback. The computer printout in front of me said: "Number of packages: 111. Total weight (kg): 842.8". That was not going to work. The stalemate continued for a few minutes while we pondered our options.
At this point I noticed a leaflet on the desk in front of me. "Van hire at IKEA." "Oh, you hire vans here?" "Yes, the desk is downstairs."
Well why didn't you tell me this before? So, off to the van hire desk - yes, we have vans, no problem. How big is the van, I asked. "Length inside is 220cm."
Ah. Our biggest flatpack will be 246cm long. Even Pythagoras couldn't fit that one in. But then I said, "Do you mind if I go and have a look at a van?" "No problem." Off I went with a tape measure - and found the van was 260cm long inside. Done.
So we could finally confirm our order, and repair to the Ikea restaurant for meatballs and Swedish cakes.
Even after picking up our self-service items, we still had to wait another hour or so before all the stuff was ready to collect, and then we started the long process of loading it into the van (thankfully with the help of two burly Ikeans).
Called a couple of friends to talk them into helping us unload at the other end, and this was the scene in the living room for the next couple of weeks:
Sounds like you're off to a good start! The great thing about updating an old kitchen is the vast improvement to functionality. Can't wait to see how it turns out!
Thanks, hopefully it won't be too long now. The old kitchen was demolished (not that it took much doing!) a couple of weeks ago and the electrics and plumbing were done last week. Today the tiles have been laid in the kitchen and hallway and it's amazing what a difference it makes! I can almost visualise the new kitchen now
While the tilers were doing their stuff I was building units - only did 5 before I ran out of space as I had to do it upstairs in the spare room!
Hopefully first cabinets will be in place tomorrow.
Not too much to say here - there wasn't much to the old kitchen so it came out easily enough and fitted in our small car to take to the local tip. The peel-and-stick vinyl tiles (which I laid ages ago as a "temporary measure") came up easily enough but left a horrible sticky residue that stuck you to the floor if you stood still. So we left most of them down to the last minute. We also uncovered some lovely wallpaper behind the old cupboards...
Re: Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
Re: Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
We then ripped up the carpet (and underlying tiles) in the hallway outside the kitchen, so we can remove the kitchen door and have the same tile leading through from the hall to the kitchen.
This was a couple of weeks ago, and last week we were staying with my parents. While we were away, the plumber and electrician came in to move the pipework, add lots of sockets (the old kitchen had a total of three outlets!), run wiring for the ovens, hob etc, and run a feed from the lighting circuit, with a new double lightswitch, to operate the under-cabinet lighting from the doorway.
As we weren't going to be around, I marked the positions of all the units on the walls, along with directions for where the sockets etc should go. Fingers crossed I've got my measurements right!
Re: Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
We were hoping to have the underfloor heating mat down and the floor tiled before we got back, but the tiler couldn't come until Tuesday (yesterday) so when we arrived back the heating mat was still exposed on the floor... it still felt a bit like a building site!
I got home on Monday night to be greeted by quite a daunting sight - the electrics were done but the floor was still a complete mess, with the heating mat laid down so we had to walk over cardboard to protect the wires.
Re: Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
But yesterday morning (Tuesday) the tilers arrived about 8.30am and were finished by 3pm. And the floor now looks pretty lovely (also note the new plumbing for the sink and dishwasher)
Re: Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
Re: Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
While they were working downstairs, I was using the only available floorspace, upstairs, to start building the smaller cabinets. The big ones had to wait until I could get in the kitchen itself.
This morning we started the exciting part - fitting the units! Although I was led to believe that wall units first is the way to go, my friend who is an experienced kitchen fitter assured me that it's best to start from the bottom.
Before we could really get started, though, we had to drill a hole for the extractor ducting. It took literally an hour of drilling to get through both layers of the brick cavity wall. SDS drills are heavy, especially when you;re drilling up near the ceiling! You folks across the pond with your stud walls have it easy!
Onto the first corner unit, and the main problem is that the room is not at all square - it's more of a parallelogram. Fortunately, the sides of the "U" layout are short, so only a little shimming was needed. We also fudged the layout slightly by stepping the oven unit back so that the cover panel was flush with the next cabinet frame rather than the doors. This will require a bit of bodging with the plinths to make them line up, but we'll deal with that later!)
Once the first two or three were done it was quite a quick process, only slightly disrupted when we realised we'd left out a cover panel between two base units, which was needed to line up below the fan unit which has cover panels either side. Fortunately we caught it quickly so it was easy to take the unit out again and add the panel.
So, end of day 1 and all the base units are in place. It's almost starting to look more like a kitchen! (
BTW
the oven unit isn't really leaning over, it's just the photo stitching...)
Re: Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
Re: Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
We also put the ovens in place, but I think we were a bit hasty as, on checking the instructions, we seem to have missed out a couple of pieces. Worse, I think a couple of those pieces got bundled up with the packaging and are now in a skip at the local tip Fortunately, it's just down the road so I hope I can salvage them first thing tomorrow...
This is hard work! After two days fitting I'm aching all over - and really jealous of the people that have the nifty
Akurum
suspension rail. Fitting 7 wall cabs meant drilling 14 holes into very hard brick above head height, not to mention lifting the units up there in the first place. Clamps and a willing helper are pretty vital for this stage.
Thankfully my friend Neil does this kind of stuff for a living, so I was able to leave the more intimidating parts (cutting expensive slabs of oak) to him. There are four lengths of worktop - three sides of a U plus a separate small section the other side of the sink over the dishwasher. Fitting was made extra tricky by the amount the walls are out of true. On one run of just over 1 metre there was a difference of 3.5cm in depth from one end to the other, so in order to preserve the overhang I'll need to pack it out a bit at the back on that side. It should all be covered by the tiles (I hope!)
Here's where we are at the end of day 2 (apologies again for the wonky photo - to fit it all in I have to stitch together photos with pano software which does weird things to horizontals and verticals!)
Re: Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
Fitting the pullout hood was unexpectedly fiddly. First of all, we'd forgotten that the hood replaces the entire base of the cabinet - which of course we'd already installed it in the middle of the run! Fortunately we were able to slide that one unit out, then knock off the back, take out the base, reattach the back and hang it back on the wall. Then the hood instructions were fairly incomprehensible (and I usually speak Ikean pretty well!) and we ended up disassembling bits that didn't need to be disassembled. Still, we got there in the end, but getting it totally level will be a hassle - the adjustment screws are in the most inacessible possible place!
Also, I found the missing bit of oven, which didn't get thrown out at all Unfortunately, in the course of taking out the green oven and reinstalling it, we managed to scratch the stainless steel panel on the door of the oven below. As is always the way when you have something shiny and new, the scratch becomes all you see when you look at it, but it's really not that bad. Still very annoying though.
Oh yes, and we have a sink. I've lost count of how many times we lifted that beast in and out of the unit to test the fit, but we got there in the end. Unfortunately the tap was missing a washer which I need to go and buy before we have water, so another day of washing up in the bathroom beckons. But the Domsjö looks beautiful, especially with the oak counters.
Re: Small Lidingo kitchen - Hampshire, UK
It's so weird seeing the kitchen that I've looked at so many times on the 3D planner actually starting to exist in reality
Now, on to drawers and doors....
Akurum definition
Akurum is the North American equivalent of FAKTUM; that is the fitted, frameless, component kitchen cabinet line, which when paired with door and drawer fronts as well as interior accessories makes up the full kitchen cabinet system.
We are the premier IKEA Kitchen Installer in Massachusetts. Our company offers complete in-house design service followed by an impeccable installation.
Custom. IKEA. Doors. The idea for Semihandmade came from a desire to offer the same craftsmanship we produce in our Los Angeles-based Handmade studio to a wider audience, at a lower price.
Our House ‘takes the pain’ out of the design and installation process by providing hassle-free service every step of the way. Serving CT and the greater NYC area.
)
(also note the new plumbing for the sink and dishwasher)
You folks across the pond with your stud walls have it easy!
Fortunately, it's just down the road so I hope I can salvage them first thing tomorrow...
