Devon Kitchen Installation

Kitchen & Bedroom Design

Well Established family company

Huge range at Exeter Showroom

EXETER, DEVON

01392 213370

Devon Kitchen Supply and Installation

50 yrs building experience

EXETER, DEVON

(01392) 277017/ 661117

Here is some useful advice telling you which steps to take before the kitchen is installed, as preparation is essential in the process of fitting a new kitchen.

Firstly remove your kitchen, this preparation should be done aq few days prior to fitting your new kitchen, this will mean that you may have to visit the local take-away for the duration.Once the sink has been removed, it is usually a good idea to fit an angled washing machine valve to the cold supply for filling the kettle while you’re without a sink. Fit blanks to all other exposed pipe work.
After this has all been done check all the plumbing and electricity as the ideal time to carry out plumbing and electrical alterations is before any walls are re-plastered. The kitchen is the place where most electrical appliances are containedand therefore it is important to check that your existing wiring is capable of coping with the load placed on it at busy periods.

If you possess a plan for your new kitchen, obtaining a first fix preparation layout will help you to determine the position of all electrical and plumbing services to the nearest millimetre. As well as reducing installation time, arranging your own first fix should also reduce installation costs.Wall socket boxes and tails of cable for sockets below worktop height can now be positioned where they are required. Provision should also be made for ceiling and under-cupboard lighting at this stage.

Gas and water services can also be positioned in preparation for cabinet installation, and also any waste pipes or extraction holes.
At this point it is important to refer to the laws relating to work on gas appliances or fittings.Once the pipe-work is in position behind the relevant cabinets , fitting isolating valves will eliminate the need to shut off the house water supply whilst the installation is being carried out.
A good point to remember at this stage is to ensure any pipe-work passing behind integrated appliances is installed tight to the wall and at a low level depending on the appliance depth and configuration. If you oversee this poin it t will mean your integrated appliance doors will protrude from adjacent cabinet doors.

Next, check your walls. Once your old kitchen has been removed it’s worth checking the condition of the plaster.
The finish and strength of the walls ultimately determine how your kitchen will look and to ignoring this may end up spoiling the final appearance.
If major plastering is required once you have removed your old kitchen, be sure to give it sufficient time to dry before fitting any units otherwise the cabinets will swell due to moisture content
Although time taken on completing the above will of course prolong the installation, it will ultimately bring you peace of mind and you’ll be safe in the knowledge that all your surfaces are sound.

Once you’ve completed the above steps and your plastering is dry you’re ready to mark levels on the wall!

Devon Kitchen Design- Kitchens of the Future Part 2

Devon Kitchen Designers follow on their discussion about how kitchen design will change in the future.

Most of the changes in future kitchens might be in the way the room is used to store and prepare food. In time it might be more like a business, lean and mean and economical, as people's time becomes increasingly short.

Foods may be brought into the home via delivery services, there are many in Devon that are Internet based. The technology is present now that would allow replenishment of only the products needed based on what materials are used up.

Scanning devices, similar to the supermarket kind could be put into the counter top and an electronic record would be compiled as every meal is prepared. This is a very straightforward and common sense application of current computer technology but it hasn't been implemented yet. Even if the technology was used to print up a simple shopping list, thus relieving one of the time that this takes, would be a huge leap forward.

Cooking, for the most part, is still done on stove tops and inside ovens. The microwave is probably the last new appliance in the preceding century and it hasn't really changed all that much from it's humble beginnings in the seventies.

The curious thing is that today, many people are looking back to old fashioned stoves from the fifties. Why doesn't a manufacturer of new ranges simply redesign a line of appliances to mimic the fifties style yet provide owners with all the amenities of a modern unit?

As far as future kitchen architecture goes, there seems to be a move towards making the kitchen the social centre of the household. This has been going on for sometime, so it isn't really new but if you are redesigning your kitchen, consider making it the focal point of your home.

The living room used to be the focal point, but who really uses a living room now, or even has one? Haven't we moved towards the family room for entertaining guests? A slight change would make the kitchen and the family room all one big area.

There are many lovely galley kitchens which coexist beautifully with family rooms, with a raised eating or bar area separating the two centres of activity. With home theatres popping up everywhere, it makes sense to keep the popcorn close to the widescreen TV, doesn't it?

For information on traditional kitchen design styles, click here