Morning All,
So - SWMBO has expressed a keen interest in looking at kitchens in the new year sales...and i have to admit that I've just about had enough of the "architects special" that we have left over from the former owners "efforts".
This raises some questions.
Firstly - the boiler. It's right in the inside corner of the kitchen under the chimney. Old floor mount Ideal Mexico Slimiline CF45/55 (can't recall without whipping the door off and it's a bit like arkwrights till so won't do that just at the mo - but my mind says the 45k BTU one). It's ~ 15 years old, and still in good working order, but, not particularly well located for the sort of refit of the kitchen we both have in mind.
So - the question has to be asked - replacements....what *are* the options these days?
I've read and re-read different versions of the "rules" now and am as clued up as before I started (ie I know what appears to be nothing!)
The perfect solution would be a floor mount that goes in it's place and means next to no changes anywhere (apart from perhaps converting from open vented to sealed and losing the tanks in the roofspace) - the hw cylinder is only 3 yrs old and most of the rads are only a couple of years old with every one having thermostatic valves and being in good order. *BUT* I guess that you can't fit a normal boiler these days - and the location of the existing one would mean that any of the "modern" replacements would be more or less impossible to fit in with the pipework etc.
If it has to move - it's to the complete opposite side of the house :( Floors up, ceilings down, outside wall job and that's not attractive either as - owing to the age of the house/location of windows - it's would be sat on a wall between two windows standing out something like a sore thumb an dprobably take 3 days to re-jig the pipework never mind the new floors needed as a result.
Anyway - suggestions anyone? ISTR someone (Andy Gabriel?) suggested a while back that he Keston might be a good unit to look at owing to the ease of routing the breathe/exhaust pipes and their plastic nature - but I can't recall what was asked at the time - and the boilers market seems to have had an attack of EU regulation since then!
On the kitchens subject - anyone care to suggest any suppliers of "proper" kitchens (cherry or oak doors preferably as they seem to be the best "visual" fit for the house). We looked at a local kitchen studio place yesterday and got the feeling that the "job" done by them would cost something of the order of £20k - which is about £15k labour and £5k materials at vastly inflated prices - so - anyone got any ideas??
Happy Christmas one and all......
Cheers dan.