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Planning your Kitchen
Dream Kitchens has put the following information together to help you understand the skills required to install a kitchen and the basic requirements to enable the layout to work.
Installation Skills:
Fitting a kitchen requires a great deal of expertise, and even the more advanced DIYer will have difficulty carrying out an installation to the legal standards required, without outside help. There are a wide range of skills involved, and you will need to have knowledge in the following trades; Carpentry, Plumbing and Tiling, but the Government insists that all Gas and Electrics must now be carried out by a competent qualified tradesman.
Gas and Electricity:
The Goverment now states that it is compulsory that all Gas installations of any kind must be carried out by a *CORGI* registered installer and the home owner to be given a safety certificate, homeowners will now receive the safety certificate (Declaration of Safety) from *CORGI* after a gas appliance has been installed, this is to eliminate "cowboy tradesmen" from giving out fake certificates direct to you the customer. It is the home-owners duty to keep this safe, as it proves the appliance has been installed by a professional.
In addition to being competent, certain areas of electrical work must be either notified to the relevant local authority Building Control Department, or notified through a qualified person, who is registered with *Part "P"*
Self-Certification Scheme. As with *CORGI* gas the householder is issued with reports and certificates signifying the installation has been carried out safely and correctly. The Declaration of Safety must be kept, this could form part of the (Optional) Home Condition Report within the...
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The new Home Information Pack (HIP's):
The*Home Information Pack (see the Government web site)* was compulsory in all homes from 14th December 2007. Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said that the extension of the scheme to one and two bedroom properties would help first time buyers. HIP's came into force in England and Wales for homes with four or more bedrooms on August 1st and three bedrooms properties on September 10th 2007.
As of December 2007 a completed Home Information Pack, is most likely to contain the following:
- Index of Contents, this must go at the front of the pack.
- Sale Statement. this details a description of your home along with any fixtures and fittings going with it, this will also include the sale price.
- *An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). (see sample here)*
This rates the energy consumption of your home.It looks at loft and cavity insulation, heat loss through windows and doors and the efficiency of the central heating system. It will give your home an energy efficiency rating and also suggests ways it can be improved. - Standard Searches. from the local council, to cover existing or planned roads, any planning permissions which effect the property and sewage details.
- Title Deeds. these are available from the Land Registry and shows the overall area of the property, who owns it, details of mortgage and any other charges set against it, any restrictions or covenants and rights of way.
- Any additional information for Leasehold and Commonhold sales where appropiate, if the property is not freehold.
This pack will cost from £169 to £300+
Some estate agents are offering the pack free if you use their services,
but in general if the agent does charge, they will charge higher rates than if you were to purchase the pack direct from an independent HIP provider.
Optional Documents in the HIP may include:
- Home Condition Report (HCR) - This was once designed as a compulsory part of HIP's, but has now been changed to optional.
The Home Condition Report will now be provided on a voluntary basis, this can include an environmental or flood risk search and other information that would be of interest to the potential buyer, including the Corgi gas and electrical "Part P" certificates. As defined in the regulations, these will be allowed to be included as an 'authorised' document.
It could be very useful in attaching this paperwork as there is a very strong chance that it would help in selling the property. - Legal summary,
- Home use/contents forms,
- Other relevant documents,
- Where appropriate, additional information on leasehold and common hold sales.
Additional notes on HIP's:
From May 1st 2008, it is compulsory for every new home in England to have a rating against the Code for Sustainable Homes and for information on this rating to be provided to prospective purchasers through the HIP.
From June 1st 2008, you must market your property with a HIP, providing it has been ordered and you have a written comfirmation from the provider, you can place your property on the market whilst the HIP is being formed - normally two to three weeks. Without a valid HIP, you could be fined £200.
As from the 1st October 2008, a letting agent, managing agent or landlord must produce HIP details when marketing the property being offered for rent.
Gas and Electrical registered installer:
Homeowners in England & Wales will need to inform Local Authority Building Control if they install or exchange a gas appliance, which will require an inspection and will cost up to 300. By using a *CORGI* registered installer direct, or using a supplier such as Dream Kitchens who only use registered employees, Local Building Control will be notified directly, eliminating the need to involve third parties in the process, saving homeowners significant costs.
The Government have also introduced new rules in England and Wales on carrying out electrical work in the home in an effort to reduce the number of deaths, injuries and fires caused by faulty electrical installations. The changes mean that from 1st January 2005, any person carrying out electrical work in residential dwellings must be competent to do so, as required by Approved electrical document *Part "P"* for Building Regulations.
It's really important that you understand what these changes will mean to you. When the *Home Information Pack (see the Law Society web site)*came into force in August 2007, although the Home Condition Report is now not a legal requirement, it will be an advantage if you as a homeowner have kept a record of the work that has been completed, as it will help to provide proof that your property has had work completed to a suitably agreed standard and is safe. The more documents saved will eventually help in selling your house and make it an advantage over those that don't bother, the HIP will be seen as a house log book, and the more information that is disclosed when you sell up, the more the potential buyers will gain confidence to the quality of the work carried out and your house condition.
For a Stress Free Conclusion:
The new regulations may cause confusion so we at Dream Kitchens have taken the stress away from you by ensuring that we have our own *CORGI* gas and electrical *Part "P"*appointed staff available, without you needing to get involved.
Safety First:
There are many safety factors involved in fitting a kitchen: If you choose to install one of our supply only kitchens always check for electrical cables and water pipes, using a pipe and power detector before drilling in to floors or walls. When using power tools always use an RCD protection device, making certain that all power tool leads are in good condition. Always wear safety equipment.
Measuring:
If possible we prefer to take our own measurements and obtain a concept of the kitchen from useable space to direction of light etc to enable us to recomend the best options, but if you prefer to send or bring us in a drawing please observe the following tips, Carefully measure up your kitchen in centimetres or millimetres making a precise scaled plan, measure in a clockwise direction, starting from the internal door, noting which direction all the doors open.
Take extra care on checking the following:
- Ensure the kitchen is square, by measuring diagonally if necessary,show any permanent features such as doors and windows including sills
- Always check dimensions, if in doubt measure it again, remember door and window widths are from the outside edges of the architrave
- Take the ceiling height at several points particularly at the position of tall and wall units, marking the position on the drawing
- On a separate sketch carefully mark the location of existing power points, plumbing, gas supply, boilers, air vents, radiators and boilers etc, showing measurements from the end walls and heights from the floor, if gas and/or electrical meters are hidden in a base or wall unit don't forget to mark it on the drawing
- Note the space required for your kitchen appliances, if free-standing allow for "air" and finger gaps on each side
- Finally check what the walls and floors are made of, often the heavy quality range cookers are so heavy the floor may need extra bracing to distribute the weight
Please contact us to discuss your requirements...