How do I bathroom / kitchen / extension? etc.

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Ok then! What’s the forum approved water based interior gloss for new wood trim and covering old already painted surfaces? Off white/cream tinted.
Have used oil based Crown Full Gloss in the past, but can’t face the smell and slow drying with a rampaging toddler. Is Zinnser All Coat Exterior a bad shout?

Gonna defer to airhead and bobbo for that one I reckon

My crappy integrated recirculation extraction hood is crappy. I'd like to get rid of the wall units and put a new hood in with an external outlet pipe but don't know how much work is involved yet. There's obvs power there already, the big one for me would be drilling a hole in the wall.

Would core drilling a wall be within an electrician's scope or would i need a builder to do the hole for me? Or... has anyone hired a drill and done it themselves?

though there’s not yet been a need from an electrical POV, the electrician we’ve been using hasn’t used a core drill - but the plumbers have quite a lot - got a friendly plumber that might want to come round?

Any decent sparky should have their own core drill.

can anyone recommend some LED under-cabinet lighting?

have used these from Ikea before, and would happily do so again but they’re out of stock in store and for delivery in my area:
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/mittled-led-kitchen-worktop-lighting-strip-dimmable-aluminium-colour-70435400/

nearly everything else on a quick search that comes up looks a bit bulky and plasticy, though i may well be being a snob here

edit: looking at the Robus ones from screwfix at the mo due to price and availability

edit 2: looking for slim ones mainly due to not having (not wanting) pelmets to hide them behind

edit 3: looking at making it up from stuff here https://www.ultraleds.co.uk/led-profiles.html
slimmer, can essentially cut to size and have a continuous run, and a bit cheaper to boot

has anyone hired a drill and done it themselves?

Here

Buzzing with the designs for our kitchen! Succumbed to the vision of stainless steel worktop and welded sink :)

Ha! Thanks. Given that i already have a fooked shoulder i think i'll be looking for someone else to do it

Need some advice.

We are almost on the home stretch of finishing our flat, and want to get the garden done to enjoy it before winter, I’m thinking of getting that section in red redone with concrete, any reason why I shouldn’t?

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What do you want from it? Concrete doesn't scream garden enjoyment to me...

What are you going to do about surface drainage? That's a solid wall - a concrete surface will cause water to pool, and combined with the cement parting, will allow water to wick into the wall.

Also, concrete looks shit.

Newer slabs (doesn't have to be expensive) with a small chipped slate / shingle border would look way nicer than concrete, and probably play nicer with drainage, as it is easier to put a very minor gradient on it.

And firstly try pressure washing all the current slabs, they might come up much nicer than you think.
Then deweeding and brushing in some paving sand to fill the gaps or jointing compound.

Is that your fence or the neighbours?

Yeah I’d try to salvage what was already there tbh

Concrete would be a bit of a shit to get rid of if it turned out it was problematic.

firstly try pressure washing

... deweeding

... brushing in some paving sand to fill the gaps

100%

Concrete is a properly shit choice.

Also the other details:

• tidy the cables
  
• neat row of fresh gravel with the fence boarder (if you can)
  
• nice planters
  

I see loads of kitchens second hand/ ex display at good prices e.g. this one

Would be hard to get one to fit my niche shape and need 900 high units to max space. Got Howdens to sketch this up for me at around 5.5k plus 1.7k for a quartz worktop. This is the chilcombe so solid wood. Cheaper option of MDF (front or carcas or both not sure). Slim dishwasher to left of oven, fridge to the left of that. bin to the right of sink. corner cupboard to the right of sink.

Might just go for that or should I shop around Magnet/Ikea/elsewhere??

I don't think that is too bad. Don't want bottom end, don't want anything super expensive as won't get it back.

Design vs current kitchen!

One builder quoted in excess of 20k to fit bathroom and kitchen and do some stud work. Had another at 10k, but that was a few months back. Looking at a few others who are being slow at quoting

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One builder quoted in excess of 20k to fit bathroom and kitchen and do some stud work.

That seemed quite high but given how fucked the country got in the last year, that sound like it gonna be that expensive sadly.

We went for Howdens in the end as sort of middle of the road, indigo /Dove grey cabinets in MDF.

Quite pleased really as it all seems pretty solid and OK. The Caldera thin worktop is really quite nice. Was going to source our own appliances but they made an offer on the Lamona stuff.

The only niggle is the extractor fan in the cupboard above the hob is a bit weak, the self closing doors are again a bit weak and we made the space above the hob the wrong size for a big white glass splashback.

Such a cool space.
I know its totally all personal taste but shaker style in small spices really stress me, I'd go for something simpler to make the place less noisy, but thats just IMO obvs.
What I think is less subjective is higher wall cabinets, otherwise that space at the top is just wasted, I dont think anyone in the entire world has ever said "oh damn, I have too much storage".
As seen in a flat I rented a while back: https://www.themodernhouse.com/sales-list/southborough-road/

Cheers for this. Any pictures? Which part of the cabinet are MDF or is it all of it including the fronts and carcass?
Not getting self closing doors I don't think but I'll try and up sped the extractor then. Thanks

Not fully decided on the kitchen yet but that's fair enough feedback. That kitchen in your old flat looks ace. In terms of height, tallest Howdens do is 900 and I think they'll look a bit taller than they do on that mock up. Current ones are 600. Cheers

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Cheers, it was nothing to do with me, it was the previous owners who we rented it off.
Could stack two 60's on top of each other? Looks like it would fit? I have a real think for space above cabinets and potentially obsess over it more than I should. Its always dusty up there too.

The carcasses are predominantly chipboard for Howdens units, they are for my J-pull style Howdens kitchen. Wrapped/coated MDF doors.

I would source the extractor elsewhere, much more powerful and quieter options about.
I'd definitely get the extra tall units, you've got loads of ceiling height.