Kitchen install

The kitchen arrived assembled in boxes from Wren kitchens and the team carried it up the stairs. Jake's friend, Ben, came down from Stoke to help install the kitchen. First we needed to do a bit of plumbing and fix the last remaining floorboards down. And also add a layer of ply as we were planning to have a Karndean type floor (LVT) and it was easier to put the ply base layer down first before the kitchen. The kitchen install was fairly straight forward with the use of Ben's cutting tools and experience. Most of the cabinets were on floor level. We just needed to get the island in the correct place. We added knobs and handles later. Wren kitchens came back the following week to survey for the worktop template. They then came back to install the quartz worktop 12 days later. We had paid for a full 3m length worktop for the island but the surveyor said the team would not be able to carry it up the stairs in once piece. We had the choice of getting it up the stairs ourselves or having it cut into 2 bits and joined on site. We opted for the second choice however the join was terrible as the two bits didnt meet perfectly and were cut from separate bits of quartz. So in hindsight we would have kept to the original plan of one piece and worked out how to get it up the stairs. We managed ok with the steelwork. Anyhow, we have complained to Wren kitchens and they are sending someone out to have another go at the joint. Once the worktop was in place, we installed the hob which was fairly straight forward. We already had the wiring in place it just needed connecting and the ductwork for the downdraft extractor needed cutting and joining together with duct tape! We opted for a Quooker boiling water tap and we are really pleased with this. No more kettles. Some reports say it uses less energy than a kettle as you only take what you need rather than boiling a full kettle for one mug of tea. But I think this depends on how you use a kettle! Hopefully with our upcoming solar panels, we will have enough energy for this small luxury.








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