This was the most structural of projects: the client did not just want a new kitchen, they wanted a different room. The existing kitchen was closed off from the rest of the house, and the goal was an open plan living and dining area in its place.
Achieving that meant reconfiguring the space itself. A wall had to come out, a doorway had to be boarded up, and the boiler had to be moved from its existing position to free up the layout. Only then could a new kitchen be planned into the enlarged room.
The brief was straightforward in intent, if not in execution - make the room bigger by removing a wall. SJM Kitchens quoted for the whole scope: building work, design, supply and installation, electrical works, gas works, floor tiling, wall tiling and plastering. The Linear for Vero range was specified in a vinyl wrapped finish, with a stone worktop, wall tiles and floor tiles.
The work ran in Sandhurst, Berkshire across one week, to a budget of GBP 4,000.
A job of this scope, on this timescale, lives or dies on the planning. Five trades had to work in and around one another – an electrician, a builder, a plumber and gas engineer, a plasterer and tiler, and a kitchen fitter – and there was structural work, gas work and electrical work to sequence before any kitchen could be installed.
The approach was to front-load the problem solving. Potential issues were identified and ironed out early, at planning stage, so that they did not surface as delays once work started. As the client put it, the right planning meant any issues could be foreseen and dealt with before they became problems.
On site, the sequence ran: the wall was removed and the doorway boarded up by the builder, the boiler was relocated by the gas engineer, and the electrical work was reconfigured for the new layout. Plastering followed to make good the new openings, then floor tiling and wall tiling. Finally the Linear for Vero kitchen was installed with its stone worktop.
The client had been anxious about undergoing this much work at once – an understandable reaction to a project touching structure, gas and electrics at the same time.
The closed-off kitchen is now an open plan kitchen diner, which is exactly what the client set out to achieve. What they liked most was how well the open space worked in practice as a kitchen and dining area combined. The job finished on time and to their exact vision - and having started the project anxious about the scale of the work, they were delighted with the outcome.
"Great job, all done on time and a job well done, very reliable and tidy, thanks"
Whether you need a complete transformation, a new layout or a carefully planned kitchen refresh, SJM Kitchens can help create a stylish and practical space tailored to your home. Contact SJM Kitchens to discuss your project and arrange an initial consultation.
The services we provided during this project
