Reginox Ceramic or other sink options

[Jon57]

46 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

 

Nothing in any kitchen or bathroom is square and I’ve fitted dozens of both. Honestly doesn’t matter.  
 

For a boat build, where it matters, you just pick a datum. The floor being the obvious one.  Your cabinets, kitchen, whatever will all be 90° to that.  For the walls you just need to learn how to align and scribe 
 

Incidentally if you want to template something larger then give up on your cardboard. Far too much flex in it. Cut yourself a load of strips of 4/6mm ply.  Align along your edges, cutting to length as you go.  Mitre glue all the overlaps as you progress. Lift it away and you have a perfect rigid template of your space.  
 

And buy yourself a laser.  £25 one off Amazon will be good enough. Just make sure you can lock the line once its self-levelled then you can move  it around and know that it’s 90° to whatever you’re moving it to. 
 

It’s just cabinet building, not witchcraft.  😉Learn the tricks and most of its is pretty simple.  Much more about planning and forethought than skill.  

You need to shop at my Howdens.  They were falling over themselves to be involved in a boat build.  😂
 

Kitchens, wardrobes, etc are all made up of modular units and the only clever bit and the bit that makes it look finished and fitted  are basically just the ends.

 

Your fitter if he has any sense will buy the Howdens flat-pack range. Partly because the built stuff might not go through your door, but also as it’ll be easier to alter.  Pretty much the only thing he’ll really need to do assuming you don’t need it is run the carcass sides and base through the table saw to lose most of the 70mm service void.  Most likely you won’t need it or not badly enough to give up that space on a boat. Depends how tight for space you are.  You’ll then have all the useable space of the cabinets on less floor space space (unless you really need the full depth worktop), in which case you can skip that bit. 
 

He won’t need to alter every unit.  You’re not going to scribe every cabinet in to the wall if it’s then hidden by the end panel. Waste of time.  
 

Other than that it’s just down to picking from the huge range of options to get the best fit and functionality for you, and not waste space.  Then there’s a decor end panel or two which may or may not need to be scribed to fill whatever space you have left if it’s not big enough for a cabinet. 

 

It’s really not that complicated though we’ve all done our fair bit of sucking air over teeth to pretend it is.  😂

Having been in the fitted kitchen industry for over 40yrs all I would add to the above is draws are far more useful than cupboards alone. Especially full extension. Makes access much easier. Of course it comes at a price but well worth it in the long run. 👍

[truckcab79]

4 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

Having been in the fitted kitchen industry for over 40yrs all I would add to the above is draws are far more useful than cupboards alone. Especially full extension. Makes access much easier. Of course it comes at a price but well worth it in the long run. 👍

 

Absolutely,  also don’t get hung up on how many 600 cupboard units you can fit in. It may be that using only 400’s or 500’s or mainly drawers gives you much more flexibility.
 

Make use of the free design service at Howdens.  They’ll have hundreds of options of clever storage solutions and the like that you won’t know about. 
 

 

[IanD]

10 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

 

Absolutely,  also don’t get hung up on how many 600 cupboard units you can fit in. It may be that using only 400’s or 500’s or mainly drawers gives you much more flexibility.
 

Make use of the free design service at Howdens.  They’ll have hundreds of options of clever storage solutions and the like that you won’t know about. 
 

 

I've got no low-level cupboards in the galley/kitchen either on the boat or at home, just drawers of varying depths (and widths) -- some tall enough for pans and wine/beer bottles. They're much easier to access than cupboards, you can use them all the way to the back, and things don't get hidden behind other things in the dark...

 

Plus a tall 300mm wide pull-out larder (1 on the boat next to the wet cupboard, 2 at home) which holds all the food in such a way that you can actually get to it -- highly recommended if you can fit one in... 🙂

 

All very nice, but they do cost more than simple cupboards... 😞

Edited November 8, 2023 by IanD

[magnetman]

I saw a boat with cut in half beer barrels (wooden) under the sink on vertical pin hinges. 

 

He had made wooden shelves inside them too. A lot of work. 

 

Nice detail. Unusual boat. 

 

The handrail by the steps coming down into the boat was an old very dead oak branch with about 13 coats of varnish. 

 

 

 

[David Schweizer]

All this "buy it from Howdens" and adapt it, but don't bother too much about fitting the cabinets to the hull tumble home is not Cabinet Building it is general carpentry with a bit of bodge thown in. I was taught by a Master Cabinet Maker, and he regularly stressed that any decent Cabinet Maker will give as much attention to the back of the cabint as he will to the front and sides, even no one else will see it.

[Jon57]

51 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

 

Absolutely,  also don’t get hung up on how many 600 cupboard units you can fit in. It may be that using only 400’s or 500’s or mainly drawers gives you much more flexibility.
 

Make use of the free design service at Howdens.  They’ll have hundreds of options of clever storage solutions and the like that you won’t know about. 
 

 

Not much design to do in a sewer tube. 🤣 Also no need for 150 high plinths. Or units on legs. Mine are 100mm high plinths, gables to the floor, gives you more useful storage. With the benifit of more  underneath the units with even more draws if you want. 😁👍

Just now, Jon57 said:

Not much design to do in a sewer tube. 🤣 Also no need for 150 high plinths. Or units on legs. Mine are 100mm high plinths, gables to the floor, gives you more useful storage. With the benifit of more  underneath the units with even more draws if you want. 😁👍

Forgot to say all hand made. 😁

[truckcab79]

6 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

All this "buy it from Howdens" and adapt it, but don't bother too much about fitting the cabinets to the hull tumble home is not Cabinet Building it is general carpentry with a bit of bodge thown in. I was taught by a Master Cabinet Maker, and he regularly stressed that any decent Cabinet Maker will give as much attention to the back of the cabint as he will to the front and sides, even no one else will see it.

And those people still exist in small numbers but the number of clients willing or able to pay for them is tiny.   Most of the time you’re lucky to find that the fitters have even decorated the visible stuff under the sink or given any thought to the presentation of pipework. You’ve got no chance of them finishing the back of cabinets.  It’s a bit like getting David Hockney to knock something up on the back of the units.   You’re never going to see it so why would clients pay for it.  
 

 Last kitchen I’ve just finished was tiny.  About 10x7.  Howdens units, kept the original floor, moved the electrics but nothing dramatic, changed the two pendant lights for downlights, made them a little breakfast bar out of the old worktop.  All pretty ordinary stuff.  Total cost just shy of £25k.  They did look at having bespoke cabinets made as it happens but the guy wanted £29k just to supply the units.  (Not fitted).  
 

This ‘general carpentry plus a bit of bodge thrown in’ is probably 99% of the market and most are more than happy with it.  Also if you want all the fancy larders and storage inserts building in then the brands are far better positioned to help you. 
 

Horses for courses 

[Jon57]

7 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

And those people still exist in small numbers but the number of clients willing or able to pay for them is tiny.   Most of the time you’re lucky to find that the fitters have even decorated the visible stuff under the sink or given any thought to the presentation of pipework. You’ve got no chance of them finishing the back of cabinets.  It’s a bit like getting David Hockney to knock something up on the back of the units.   You’re never going to see it so why would clients pay for it.  
 

 Last kitchen I’ve just finished was tiny.  About 10x7.  Howdens units, kept the original floor, moved the electrics but nothing dramatic, changed the two pendant lights for downlights, made them a little breakfast bar out of the old worktop.  All pretty ordinary stuff.  Total cost just shy of £25k.  They did look at having bespoke cabinets made as it happens but the guy wanted £29k just to supply the units.  (Not fitted).  
 

This ‘general carpentry plus a bit of bodge thrown in’ is probably 99% of the market and most are more than happy with it.  Also if you want all the fancy larders and storage inserts building in then the brands are far better positioned to help you. 
 

Horses for courses 

Yep. All true. A good fitter can make crap look good. A crap fitter can make a quality product look like Howdens 🤣

[Tracy D'arth]

I use hand made fronts and fit the interiors in situ to suit, all in hardwood, never used chipboard or MDF for anything on a boat. 

[Peanut]

Don't tell Lady G about the robust trade discounts at Howdens, she is buying only the very best.

[truckcab79]

36 minutes ago, Peanut said:

Don't tell Lady G about the robust trade discounts at Howdens, she is buying only the very best.

🤫 

[JungleJames]

On 08/11/2023 at 10:36, truckcab79 said:

 

Absolutely,  also don’t get hung up on how many 600 cupboard units you can fit in. It may be that using only 400’s or 500’s or mainly drawers gives you much more flexibility.
 

Make use of the free design service at Howdens.  They’ll have hundreds of options of clever storage solutions and the like that you won’t know about. 
 

 

My dad and I measured my kitchen up. Worked everything out perfectly. Knew what would fit.

 

Kitchen supplier (we were fitting it) came round, measured up himself to check, and went away.

Little while later he calls up and says something about the planned undersink cupboards not fitting, and needed to be a different size.

I rather daftly agreed, assuming he knew better than my dad and I, and it would look fine.

 

When the units turned up, we suddenly realised what he had planned. One cupboard door larger than the other cupboard door under the sink. Looked bloody stupid. Not only that, but it was now too short to fit. My dad and I had been right all along.

Needless to say, the supplier was told to replace the shorter door with the initially planned size.

 

Then there was one bit of wood which turned up with burn marks down the edge.

Sent it back, and it had been left to the delivery driver to sort out, instead of replacing. It came back, with the driver saying he had done his best.

It still looked shite. In the end my dad managed to get rid of the burn marks without too much trouble. Something the kitchen supplier couldn't manage.

 

That was a well known supplier and fitter of kitchens in the Local area. Been going years.

On the whole it's good stuff.

But my experience showed you need to keep a keen eye on them.

 

 

 

[truckcab79]

Yep. Most kitchen designers are just using ‘drag and drop’ design tools. They won’t have any background in design or kitchen fitting and all use the caveat that it is up to client and fitter to decide they’re happy with it.  
 

That said I’m surprised you had issues with replacements. My experience is that they don’t really care to argue and just replace anything without question.  I fitted a Homebase one a year or so ago.  Decent enough but about 1/3 was wrong or damaged.  Called them each time and they just sent new stuff out.  No questions, no checks, no returns.  For all they knew Id damaged it or just wanted extra stuff. Shows how much margin they have to play with.  

[JungleJames]

32 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

Yep. Most kitchen designers are just using ‘drag and drop’ design tools. They won’t have any background in design or kitchen fitting and all use the caveat that it is up to client and fitter to decide they’re happy with it.  
 

That said I’m surprised you had issues with replacements. My experience is that they don’t really care to argue and just replace anything without question.  I fitted a Homebase one a year or so ago.  Decent enough but about 1/3 was wrong or damaged.  Called them each time and they just sent new stuff out.  No questions, no checks, no returns.  For all they knew Id damaged it or just wanted extra stuff. Shows how much margin they have to play with.  

I suspect those in charge never kept a keen enough eye on it.

It was possible to get rid of the burn marks. They just left it to someoneceho couldn't.

 

I can't remember what the panel was for now. But it put me off a bit