Shoka's Kitchen Project

The "Chez Shoka" kitchen upgrade project

Artex and kitchens do not mix. The kitchen at "Chez Shoka" was a hang over from the previous occupier. It was an odd mix, very good quality units, nice hardwood doors and abysmal kitchen fitting. With tiled worktops, grouted with ordinary grout. And Artex. On the walls. And the ceiling. However, other parts of the house were even more offensive, and the kitchen got put back. And put back. And back. Then the wiring developed a fault. Friendly electrician found the fault quite quickly, but the fault raised concern. Said electrician undertook to replace the aging electrical distribution board. And check the wiring. Not good. Something was very amiss in the wiring to the kitchen. Eventually and reluctantly the kitchen was rewired. Artex in kitchens is bad enough, but Artex with replastered electrical ducts is worse. Something had to be done. Tried hacking off the Artex. Plaster behind was rubbish. Bit the bullet.

The house used to have an open passage at the rear that led to a "coal hole" and the back door proper. Since the area has been a smokeless zone for decades coal holes are no longer a useful feature, and previous owners had added a new door to close off the passage. Initially the coal hole had become a broom cupboard, and when Shoka moved in a double decker washing machine and drier cupboard. The original back door had been removed so that there was effectively a small annexe to the kitchen. The plan had always been to take out the stub of wall that separated off this annexe and include the resulting space in the kitchen. The electrical problems and consequent trashing of the existing kitchen finally raised the motivation to carry out the plan.

Electrical installation by an electrical engineer. Making safe the gas piping and installing the gas hob, CORGI certified gas fitter. Boarding out and plastering the walls and ceiling by a plastering firm. The rest, including stripping the plaster, removing the ceiling, knocking out the wall, casting the floor slab, tiling, plumbing, flooring, worktops, decorating, carpentry and adapting and fitting the kitchen units, Shoka and SO.

Stage	Picture 1	Picture 2	Picture 3
Before we start
Stripping the original units
Tear out the false half wall behind the sink
Off with the plaster
Remove the redundant wiring and the unused but still pressurised gas pipes lost in the plaster and the long disconnected back boiler piping
Bring down the ceiling
Knock out the redundant doorway, cut off the non load bearing stub wall and make good Before and after
Make good where the redundant piping and conduit has been ripped out of the walls
New window, with proper lintel under the outside wall leaf Before and after
Boarding out and the new ceiling
Revised and rebuilt service duct
Plaster out
Seal the floor Note slab cast to level floor with form for the mat well still in place
Paint through
Lay porcelain tile floor
Skirting boards fitted, kitchen units go in
Building the gas water cooker supply service duct. Chopping the vent for the extractor hood
Routing the worktops
Trial fit of the worktops
Sealing and final preparation of the worktops
Worktops fitted, tiling the spashback and the service duct
Installing the extractor hood, and testing it
Cooker, hob and sink functional
Wall cupboards installed
Doors on and levelled
Usable if not quite finished