Find Out Why Our Fitted Kitchens in Worthing Are The Most Popular Choice
Need help planning your new fitted kitchen in Worthing? Kavanagh Designs are rightly considered experts in the design, supply, and installation of fitted kitchens in Worthing and the wider area. We specialise in British made kitchens, as well as German fitted kitchens from the award-winning German kitchen brand Rotpunkt. An innovative manufacturer, Rotpunkt produce predominately modern fitted kitchens, yet also offer a full range of traditional and shaker kitchens too. Successfully blending a sleek aesthetic with optimal kitchen functionality, German fitted kitchens are perfect for everyday family life and busy lifestyles! If you need a fitted kitchen in Worthing, contact Kavanagh Designs today to arrange a visit to our luxury Worthing Kitchen Showroom.
Fully Fitted Kitchens in Worthing
British house builders and consumers have for years preferred fitted kitchens to freestanding kitchen units. At Kavanagh Designs and beyond, fitted kitchens continue to be the most popular choice. Coupled with our dedication to customer service and our attention to your design requirements, choosing a fitted kitchen from Kavanagh Designs ensures that you will have a wonderful experience from concept to completion.
What Is A Fitted Kitchen?
“Fitted kitchen” is the name used to describe a kitchen that has its kitchen units, cabinets and cupboards mechanically attached to other units, as well to the kitchen’s walls. This ensures a secure attachment, as well as a level, seamless finish. A kitchen with unaligned cabinets can instantly detract from the visual impact of the space and make the kitchen difficult to use. But along with a seamless look, fitted kitchens are comfortable and easy-to-use. A skilled designer is required to achieve this level of precision, and even more importantly to design a kitchen that maximizes the space available while still meeting all the needs of the owner.
What Are Freestanding Kitchen Units?
An alternative to a fully fitted kitchen is the option of ‘freestanding’ kitchen units. These units are placed on the ground and are not fixed to the walls or to adjacent units. Units can be prone to tipping, sinking, or even failure. Fitted kitchens, on the other hand, are stronger because they can be attached to both the building fabric (i.e. fixing to the wall) as well as each kitchen unit to adjacent cabinets. This ensures that the mechanical loads are evenly distributed and as a result the cabinetry is more stable than freestanding kitchen units.
Fitted Kitchen Design Benefits
Interior designers, architects, and professional chefs will typically prefer fully fitted kitchens. As well as proving more durable than a freestanding kitchen design, there are also many other design advantages: –
- Fitted kitchens make the most of space. This means that there is more storage available, as well as efficient storage space
- Fitted kitchens have a cleaner, more cohesive design. The banks of cabinets create uninterrupted sight lines that are visually appealing.
- Kitchen designers can incorporate features such as open-unit features, cantilevers, and overhangs because of the structural characteristics of fitted kitchens.
- For fitted kitchens, the availability of kitchen fixtures and fittings made by specialist manufacturers is much greater. For example, it is easy to incorporate kitchen tambour units and pull-out larder units, as well as kitchen corner solutions such as a le man’s unit or carousel.
- A fitted plinth is a practical option for fitted kitchen that finishes off a kitchen’s sleek appearance. It’s easy to take off, which makes it easier to access areas that are otherwise difficult to clean. This helps to reduce the likelihood of dust traps and, worse, pest infestations like ants and mice.
Fitted Kitchens With Integrated Appliances
Kitchen appliance manufacturers offer extensive built-in appliances ranges which are designed to seamlessly integrate into fitted kitchens. A fitted dishwasher behind a cupboard door is far better than a visible freestanding piece of white or stainless steel, and it’s hard to argue otherwise! Incorporating kitchen appliances in a fully fitted kitchen is not only more attractive but also provides many ergonomic benefits. For example, it is easier to access a mid-height oven from standing than one that must be bent to the floor; or a hob within a worksurface may be moved back to decrease the chance of a pan from falling to the ground, whereas there is no adjustment for a freestanding cooker without a top.
Custom Fitted Kitchens
Experienced and skilled kitchen designers such as those within the Kavanagh Designs team know that people have completely different wants and needs. As such, all kitchens should be created individually. Although space is an essential part of any kitchen design, no matter how large or small the room, a fitted kitchen should be tailored to the individual’s tastes and habits. You may need space for dining and relaxing, so a breakfast bar or kitchen island with seating might be best. Or in smaller kitchen spaces, additional storage might be required. A wall unit, larder cabinet, or carousel that maximizes corner space can help improve the layout. A kitchen design must be both practical and functional, but it should also complement all the other fitted furniture. This creates a beautiful visual aesthetic. To unify the design, the best fitted kitchens rely heavily on the knowledge and experience of a skilled designer.
Plinth Feet For Fitted Kitchen Base Cabinets
A freestanding kitchen cabinet usually has legs with small adjuster screw holes that can be turned in or out to ensure the correct height when placed on the kitchen floor. It is rare for a kitchen plinth to fit with this type of kitchen. The result is a gap at the bottom between the kitchen cabinet and floor. While some consider this an extra storage space, others worry it will trap dust and make it difficult to clean. Fitted kitchen cabinets should have at least four round feet, with a minimum diameter 50mm, and largely adjustable threads for screws.
Large load bearing bases support the kitchen cabinet and distribute the weight over a larger surface than freestanding units. This lowers the floor’s pressure and makes the floor more resistant to cracks or warping. To hide the leg system, a plinth is fitted. The bottom edge of a quality plinth for kitchens, such as those by Kavanagh Designs’, is fitted with a compressive plastic tube that attaches to a U-section. This tubing prevents water ingress. Otherwise, in the event of a leak, water can pool out of sight, causing damage to the floor and swelling the plinth.
Service Voids For Fitted Kitchens
Fitted kitchen cabinets can be fitted directly to the walls of a kitchen using large bolts or screws. However, there is also the option of using a timber baton between the kitchen cabinets and the wall. The latter is most commonly used because a cabinet can be spaced away from the wall, creating a ‘service vacuum’. This allows for hot -and cold- water pipes, as well as gas pipes, and ‘waste’ pipes (for water that drains through the sink), which can all be routed to and attached to the walls. It is best practice to insulate both hot-water and cold-water pipes. Insulation is especially important for cold-water pipes. It prevents condensation from building and forming into droplets that then drip down onto the pipe below. This can cause rotten floorboards, joists, and other damage over time. To prevent heat loss, hot water pipes must also be insulated.
Plan a fitted kitchen by making sure shutoff valves for gas and water pipes are accessible. You can also cut access panels if needed. If you fail to do so, you could be forced to remove the unit(s) in case of a flood or leak, which can pose a risk of serious damage.
Mechanical Fixing Of Fitted Tall And Base Kitchen Units
It is important that the fitted kitchen be attached to the kitchen wall. There are many reasons why this is necessary. The first is that the mechanical attachment of bolts or screws to the kitchen wall’s strong point transfers loads into the fabric. You can compare this to the scenario of a freestanding chest of draws which would easily tip forwards if too many drawers open simultaneously. This is what the mechanical fixings in fitted kitchen designs prevent from happening.
Second, mechanically attaching kitchen cabinet units to the walls is crucial for achieving a level fit. A skilled kitchen installer will use a laser to mark the “highest point” of the floor since floors are often uneven. They will then mark a starting place on the wall that corresponds to the kitchen designer’s base unit height. After pointing the laser at the desired point, the kitchen installer can attach their baton to the wall at the correct height.
Fixing A Fitted Kitchen Baton
A high quality fitted kitchen baton is square, graded, and treated. This includes British Standard roofing timber that can easily hold the weight of a roofer when constructing a home. It is crucial that the installer correctly identifies the kitchen anchorage points. To detect the presence of a timber stud or metal stud, tap the plasterboard on the kitchen wall. Or another method is to use a multi-detector that can distinguish between metal and water pipes, as well as live electrical cables. A square, level, well-anchored baton is used to anchor the fitted kitchen units. It also provides space for a servicing cavity. It can also be used to support the kitchen worktop over dishwasher units and behind sinks or hobs. Also, a better support means a kitchen that lasts longer without any problems.
After the kitchen baton is in place, the tall and base cabinets can be moved into place as per the kitchen design. Each can then be adjusted to level square by using three planes. Expert kitchen fitters use both lasers and spirit levels to align the kitchen feet. The kitchen cabinets are clamped together and secured to one another using screws and brackets. The adjoining screws can be hidden by placing them beneath hinge bases or at the back of your kitchen cabinet. Once the process is complete the kitchen base and tall units can be ‘fully fitted’ and secured to the wall by attaching the baton to them. This distributes the mechanical load and reduces stress on individual cabinets, maximising kitchen life span.
Fitted Kitchens: Installing Wall Units
With no floor to take the weight, the mechanical load from a kitchen wall cabinet must instead be transferred into the kitchen wall. For the best kitchen cabinets, it is important to fix them correctly. For as low as £6.98, you can order a set of 10 cabinet brackets or mountain plates online at Screwfix. But your cabinets would then be attached to the wall using fixtures that cost only 69p. Instead, Kavanagh Designs uses wall-mounted brackets for kitchen cabinets from top manufacturers, such as Blum and Grass. These fixtures are zinc plated and have a maximum load of 100kg each.
It is recommended to use a continuous plate, rather than just a section. This allows for multiple, secure fixings to the wall instead of just two. Although this method is more costly, the small extra material and labour cost are well worth it for the improved kitchen stability which results. If it is not possible to install the anchor directly into brick/metal stud/wood, hollow wall anchors may be used. These should be used with the solid fixings of the rail and not by themselves. If this is not possible, you should consider removing kitchen plasterboard to fix solid timber noggins.
Who Makes The Best Fitted Kitchens?
There is no one right answer to the question “Who makes the best fitted kitchens?” as it depends on many factors. The best kitchen manufacturers have high quality kitchen components, but that’s only half of it! A kitchen’s usability, ergonomics, and practicality are greatly affected by the skills of its designer. It is also important to consider the skills of the kitchen fitter as well as their use of tools, how they work, and the quality and quantity of any consumables such as screws or brackets. This is what determines how well the kitchen has been fitted and how efficiently mechanical loads are transmitted to the walls and floor. It also affects the level and shape of the kitchen units. It’s important to investigate the expertise of the kitchen retailer and not just the product they sell. Contrary to a clothing shop, the success of any new kitchen project depends on the supplier’s ability and willingness to design, source, and install, not just to sell.
How Much Does A Fitted Kitchen Cost?
A variety of factors influence the cost of a fitted kichen. These include the size and type of kitchen, the fittings used, and the appliances chosen. An example of this is a low-quality kitchen cabinet that uses low-quality chipboard, low-quality hinges and vinyl doors. It would cost much less than a kitchen cabinet made of high quality materials and finished with a ceramic kitchen front from a well-known manufacturer. Laminate kitchen worktops from China would also be cheaper than worksurfaces made of DEKTON. It is an extremely compact surface from the renowned manufacturer, Grupo Cosentino; It is very beautiful, but also expensive.
For a high quality fitted kitchen in a standard-sized home, you should budget for about £15,000. But add in a kitchen island, quartz worktops, and kitchen appliances made by manufacturers such as AEG, Siemens, or Miele, Inc. and expected spend increases to between £25,000 and £40,000. For a more luxurious kitchen from a high-quality British or German manufacturer with the finest of materials, you can expect to pay over £50,000.
Find Out More On Our Fitted Kitchens In Worthing
If you are considering a fitted kitchen and would like more information, please contact our friendly team at Kavanagh Designs in West Sussex or book an appointment to visit our luxury Worthing kitchen showroom. We offer a free kitchen design service, whereby we will discuss your tastes and requirements in detail in order to come up with the perfect bespoke kitchen solution for you.
The best way to establish if we are the right kitchen design service for you is by visiting us, and we would love to welcome you into our stunning kitchen and bathroom showroom in Worthing. Here you can get hands-on in exploring our beautiful range of kitchen products, styles and finishes, and we can discuss ideas and possibilities for your intended design.
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Opening Hours
- Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 5:30pm
- Saturdays – By Appointment Only
- Sundays & Bank Holidays: Closed
