Kitchen Reno questions

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itxtme

2102 posts

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#141252 6-Mar-2014 08:48

Hi,

Thought I would start a thread on my upcoming Kitchen Renovation. This is going to be a good old fashioned DIY, and no doubt lots of questions will come up over the the next 7 weeks. I am planning out the re-gib as we will be taking everything back to the brick work.

First question for those in the know, what are the requirements for gib'ing in the kitchen and laundry? More specifically does the area in its entirety need to have aqua gib, or would I be right in my assumption only the truly wet areas really need it. I was thinking of doing the back wall (where the sink, plumbing and cooker are) in aqua and the rest in standard. Thoughts on this?

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8961 posts

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#999972 6-Mar-2014 09:17

Compared to the overall cost of the project, gib is not a big expense. I'd go for aqualine in the whole room for a couple of reasons:

1) It's moisture resistant - you get moisture everywhere in a kitchen from cooking, not just direct water splash, so it survives much better in a humid environment.

2) It's more impact resistant and transmits less sound than standard gib, so less likely to damage it if knocked, and keeps kitchen noise away from the rest of the house.

Aredwood

3885 posts

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#1001000 7-Mar-2014 20:48

When you say "back to the brick work, do you mean the existing gib was joined directly to the bricks?

itxtme

2102 posts

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#1001031 7-Mar-2014 22:05

Thanks will splurge on the gib, no its not directly on the brick just figuratively speaking

mattwnz

20164 posts

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#1001075 7-Mar-2014 23:47

Also there are other brands of plasterboard that are substantially cheaper if you shop around. Bunnings seem to import a cheaper brand of product.

richms

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#1001081 8-Mar-2014 01:07

If you have the gib off then take the oppertunity to wire the hell out of the area. Also if you have a fridge or water cooler going in take the thin water line from it to under the sink where you will put the water filter and tap into the cold water.

Richard rich.ms

itxtme

2102 posts

Uber Geek

#1001105 8-Mar-2014 07:10

Thanks for the ides richms, Matt I have looked at a couple of these and I know we are paying through the roof for plasterboard, have you used them before/have any first hand experience with the alternatives?

At the moment I am getting quotes for granite. Based in Wellington and the prices compared to Auckland are outrageous. It looks like it will be cheaper for me to order it from Auckland peeped, hire a wet saw and cut the basin out myself. This makes the wife nervous, but given we would go with a top mounted bench I feel fairly comfortable with this. just got to make sure those walls are straight!

richms

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#1001180 8-Mar-2014 10:58

Eww yuck top mounted is awful. It reeks of cheapness and makes it a lot harder to wipe crap off the bench into the sink.

Richard rich.ms

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Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

itxtme

2102 posts

Uber Geek

#1001246 8-Mar-2014 12:54

I know, but they want 2.5k for two small benches, if I was in Auckland the price would have been 1200 approx installed. I cant justify the difference!! The third option is to go back to a standard laminate bench

richms

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#1001247 8-Mar-2014 12:59

If you are selling it can be a deal breaker for the woman.

Richard rich.ms

Yogi02

238 posts

Master Geek

#1001263 8-Mar-2014 13:48

I have installed quite a few kitchens with a friend. If I was going to do my own, the top is the one thing I would not do myself. Get a company to do it.

If you are determined to do it yourself, have you thought of polished concrete with a nice pebble aggregate in it.
Can remember seeing it on a DIY show in Aussie a few years ago.

floydie

474 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1001307 8-Mar-2014 15:39

i refurbed my kitchen all myself. went with pre assembled units form Mr Shelf and a custom laminate top made by the local firm that turned out really really good. the trick is to choose a good laminate...we chose a marble look laminate that was awesome...when we sold the house all the people who came through commented on how the kitchen must have cost a fortune and the benchtop was awesome....little did they know that the entire refit cost less than $6K including appliances. :)
one thing i added was putting some tru rip cable throughout the cabinets so they were LED lit when opened. i was going to use a small 12v power pack but ended up hiding a small 12v gel cell battery in behind one of the draw units. it last for ages and i only charge it back up once a year! great for being able to see whats hiding in the back of that under bench cupboard.

itxtme

2102 posts

Uber Geek

#1001322 8-Mar-2014 15:58

Thanks, waiting for another couple quotes re. the bench. Might have to swallow it. I know what you all mean about a nice bench-top re. selling / renting in the future!

richms

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#1001326 8-Mar-2014 16:05

Also the tapware and handles. Get nice ones - IME the coating on the cheap brushed ones to make them look less bad goes discoloured and sticky over time and then starts to come off making them look patchy and rubbish.

Richard rich.ms

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#1001334 8-Mar-2014 16:23

when the builder said 40k for a new kitchen i said thank you very much.

now if i were to project manage my own kitchen build to save money, is there any step by step guide for dummies you can suggest?

Handle9

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#1001375 8-Mar-2014 18:14

Managing a kitchen Reno is pretty easy to be honest. We had more to do when we did our bathroom, although it does depend on what level of work you need to do. If it's a replace (no structural or water location changes it's very straightforward.

You remove the old kitchen, capping off water supplies. You get your prewire and any 1st fix (inside wall) plumbing done. Then you get your linings (gib) sorted. Depending on what you are looking at doing you can get your flooring done, or this can be done last.

Once your linings are done you may choose to paint before the units get fitted(we did) but you will need to get touch ups done afterwards.

Then the cabinets get fitted. After cabinets are fitted the benchtop guys can template (for hard benches) or come and fit laminate benches. If you get granite or Caesar stone it can take 2 weeks for the bench to be fitted after templating. One the bench is fitted you can get fit off for plumbing and electrical, appliance install, final painting, splash back and flooring.

We PMd ours, did our own demo, painting and stopping and spent about 25k on a mid range (granite / melteca) kitchen, including appliances. We're very pleased and wouldn't change much.

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