Base Cabinets Assembled

We had a long and productive session yesterday with Paul working like a man possessed.  He worked until 5 PM with no lunch and only a cup of coffee in the morning followed a cup of tea in the afternoon, sipped on the run.

His first task of the day was to build a half wall along the back of the cabinets that will protrude into the doorway that we had decided to leave wider than planned.  While Paul did the construction using timber recovered from the removed section of wall I went into Midland in search of two pieces of jarrah flooring.  Unfortunately the salvage yard was closed for the holidays so I went to Bunnings and forked out $50 dollars for two dry dressed jarrah boards 19mm thick, 120mm wide, and lengths of 1.2 and 1.8 meters.  When Paul finished the half wall he milled the boards to 90 mm in width and fitted them into the doorway.

He also spent time realigning the plumbing and I envied his skills at sweating joints and brazing.  When that was finished he told me that setting up the wiring for dining room side of the kitchen counter would have to wait because he had not brought electrical cabling.  I then did some rummaging in the garage and found three half reels of heavy cabling, on of which was 3-core and perfect for the job.  

Gap in floor to be filled

First base cabinet assembled

Paul constructing the half wall.  Note new flooring in place.

First look at what to expect

Then he put up gyprock the rest of the gyprock wall panels except those of the refrigerator nook next to the fireplace.  He was anxious to put together one base cabinet to determine the height of the counter and I helped assemble my first flat pack unit.  We the cabinet into position and kept assembling until all of the cabinets were up and in position.

I was amazed at how easy it is to put together these flat pack units.  All of the panels are fabricated by computer controlled equipment so everything is to exact dimensions with all sides perfectly square. All holes are pre-drilled so that all one has to do is to line up the correct edges and use a screw driver on the supplied screws.  The big adjustable feet can be put together in seconds then fitted to the cabinet using the pre-drilled holes.  Paul will adjust the feet to yield a perfectly level top surface then he will joint the cabinets with screws.

With the cabinets in position we were able to get a better idea of what the finished kitchen will look like.  The room looks smaller, as one would expect, but I'll have a good working area in the compact space.  Note that I have sacrificed two overhead cupboards due to the wider opening to the hallway, but that will still leave me with much more storage than I had before.  (Money was not a factor in my decision to make that opening wider, but there is the benefit of getting a refund on the two surplus cabinets and some savings from the reduced granite splash back area.)

We are taking a break this New Years Day, and will resume our work tomorrow.  Paul reckons that we will be able to fit all of the base cabinet shelves and doors as well as finishing the gyprock paneling of the refrigerator nook.

Other kitchen tasks ahead are:

   1)  Render the ceilings and walls for a smooth and seamless finish
   2)  Fit the coping along the edges of the ceiling
   3)  Procure and fit light on the ceiling
   4)  Fit flexible hosing on the plumbing for connection to the sink
   5)  Drop a cable for the 4-GPO block at the hallway side of the kitchen counter
   6)  Drop a cable to for a new double GPO in the refrigerator nook
   7)  Reverse the existing GPO in the refrigerator nook to service the other side of the wall
   8)  Assemble and fit the overhead cabinets
   9)  Select and purchase the new cook top, oven, and sink
   10) Paint the walls and ceiling
   11) Estapol the floor
   12) Fit cooking extractor system

I am not sure of the order of the first 9 tasks, but I do know that after they have been completed we will be able to call the the granite top specialists to get exact measurements and provide a firm quotation. 

Steps 6 and 7 are an to attempt to eliminate a hum in my sound system whenever the refrigerator comes on.  The idea is to put the refrigerator on its own circuit by wiring its GPO directly to the main board.

I will do steps 10 and 11 myself.

After a visit to two shops with Brenda a few days ago I have selected Westinghouse cooking appliances and I will be placing the orders soon.  I will also visit Bunnings to order a compact double full and half sink with drain board unit.  The fume extractor can be set up later.