Kitchen Essential

Although this project was built in a specific location, it incorporates many options and can easily be modified to suit individual needs and available space.

In this case, a laundry, including the washing machine, a dryer, a laundry tub/sink and the dirty clothes basket, was installed in one section of a large built-in area (to a depth of 850 mm) in the family room. The front of the built-in has a series of off the-shelf, floor-to-ceiling wardrobe doors hinged as pairs Choose ready-made doors it the closest size and adapt frame sizes to suit. The dryer was mounted over the washing machine on its own support provision. Inside, three shelve! were installed adjacent to and above the dryer.

Step by step

1Measure up the area accurately, including ceiling height, depth of cupboard and location of any power points. Note sizes of facilities to be built in.

In this project:

• washing machine (620 mm wide x 720 mm needed from rear wall x 1100 mm high)
• Dryer (620 mm wide x 520 mm deep x 720 mm high)
• laundry tub/sink (680 mm wide x 420 mm deep x 890 mm high)
• Make a sketch of the project including sizes and notes as to what will happen where.

2 Organise to have a plumber install hot and cold water supply as well as adequate drainage for both the automatic washing machine and the tub/sink.

3 Have the power point changed to a double power outlet that can take the load of both the washing machine and the dryer operating simultaneously. If you want lighting installed, this can be done at the same time. A further requirement if operating a dryer is to provide ventilation to the outside of the wall to expel humidity.

4 Once all the plumbing and wiring have been installed, the walls can be made good. (In this case, the right and rear walls were plastered and simply needed filling where the chasing was done, to get back to a good surface.)

5 Install two high vents to allow good air flow through the space, especiallywhen the dryer is being used. Vents can be installed by removing three bricks from the exterior of the house. This is most easily done by drilling a series of closely spaced holes into the mortar. Use a hammer drill set on low speed with a 10 mm tungsten carbide masonry bit. The remaining mortar can be removed with a plugging chisel. Take care to prevent debris from falling into the wall cavity.

6 Cut a similar hole inside to coincide with the outside. The outside can then have a terra- cotta vent/airbrick to match the brickwork, or perhaps better still a brass mesh vent or plastic-coated airbrick, which allows good air circulation. If it is an exposed wall, a hooded vent may be required. Set the vent/airbrick in place using a mortar mix to match the colour of the exterior — use a 1:1:6 cement, lime and sand mix. Use two half-bricks to fill in around the vents. Install plaster vents with flyscreens on the inside, using a cornice cement, and fill to finish neatly to the internal render.

7 If you are required to have power ventilation, arrange to install a power point high on the wall — this will make it easier for you to install a plug-in type extractor fan. Once again, a large hole will have to be made in the brick and the internal skin to fit the fan. Most through- wall fans are made with an outside cowling that will shed water, and have an integral duct that is adaptable to most common wall thicknesses. There are also various ducting kits available. When in place, cut the bricks around the outside to cover the installation and cement them in place. The cowling will cover most of the ragged edges.

8 It is important to install the shelving before the doors, as the framing and doors will only hinder working in a tight space. The shelves are all made of 15 mm particle (chip) board. Cut the first shelf (top) to 1615 mm x 760 mm. This shelf is full width at 1615 mm and is positioned at a height of 2110 mm from the floor and held up by battens/cleats screwed to the walls. Masonrywalls will have to be plugged. This involves predrilling with a masonry bit, inserting a plastic plug and then screwing into that. The timber should also be primed before installation for maximum protection in case of high humidity in the laundry. As this shelf is spanning a distance greater than 1600 mm across the front, otherwise unsupported, a structural member (or beam) needs to be installed to ensure the shelf does not sag. This is best done with a similar length of 75 mm x 25 mm timber, glued and screwed on edge to the underside of the shelf with 50 mm x No. 8 gauge screws. The shelf and lintel should be primed ready for painting.

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