Diary of a kitchen installation
My name is Allan Taylor and I'm a kitchen fitter for Hyde, part of the kitchen and bathroom team. Having a new kitchen fitted can seem like a daunting process – so here’s what usually happens when we put in a new kitchen in a few simple steps.
We want to provide you with your new kitchen with as little disruption to you as possible. (So, please do tell us of any concerns you may have so we can address them promptly.) Normally your new kitchen will be completed within ten working days.
Location of property: Pulborough, West Sussex
Before the installation starts
Before we start work on your kitchen; we ask that you empty all your units and clear all your worktops. We also ask that you move your white goods if possible.
Installation start day
Our team will arrive at around 8.00am (yes – it’s an early start), show you our ID and introduce ourselves. Our priority is to keep you, your family and visitors safe whilst we carry out the works (we want to avoid any potential accidents). So, we’ll ask you to observe restrictions to the kitchen, ensuring younger children or pets that may be in your home don’t enter the work area. I will also wear a mask if required or if requested.
The team will leave a Health and Safety file in the kitchen which we’ll refer to when working in your home. The file will remain in the kitchen until works are fully completed. (We can’t do any work without this file.)
Day 1
The team will remove your existing kitchen and start installing your new units and worktop. Our aim is that at the end of the first day we will leave you with a working kitchen.
Day 2
We complete any outstanding carpentry and electrical works. There may then be a day or so when no work occurs depending on the availability of the painting//tiling team. However, you will be contacted directly by a painter/tiler as soon as a tradesman becomes available; this is usually the evening before they can start work.
Days 3 to 5/6
We then complete the painting and ceramic tiling in your kitchen - this usually takes around three to four days.
The preparation for the floor is usually done in one appointment, and depending on the size of the room can take up to three hours. There may be some time when you won’t be able to walk on your floor; but this is only if the subfloor had to be screeded to make it flat. The screed can take anything from two to four hours to dry depending on the thickness used.
Final day
The floor vinyl is usually fitted on the last day and could take up to four hours, depending on the size of the room. However, there are occasions when it is all completed in one visit if the sub floor is plywood.
I love my job – I love transforming our customers’ homes and seeing how happy it can make them feel.
Quotes from our residents
“Thank you so much I'm very pleased with what the team have done so far and very impressed at how clean and tidy they are when they leave at the end of the day.
“Please thank the floor fitter who added the finishing touch to my kitchen he did a great job - my kitchen looks lovely now."