For cheap 'trade' units, they aren't too bad at all. Very solid, decent 18mm board all round and 18mm backboard on the base units and 8mm backboard on the wall units. Much better than the hardboard jobbies you normally associate with the price point.
They assembled well, and the finish was more than good enough. I'd be happy using these in my own kitchen if I ever need to go down that road!
Suprisingly (or not) everything went together in no time at all. In fact I had only planned to assemble the units today and hadn't actually given any thought to fitting them, but I managed to assemble everything, hang the wall units and pretty much locate the two base cabinets. With time on my hands, I retrieved my old kitchen sink (formerly installed in my old kitchen in Surrey and then transplanted to Retrotecchie's Toolshed at the bottom of the garden) which I brought up with all my gubbins in 2013. It needs a bit of a clean, but I dug out the jigsaw (note to self: buy new blades!) and cut the worktop and dropped the sink into place. Obviously not plumbed in or fitted properly yet, but the general setup is looking as planned.
Amazingly, the toilet/kitchen wall is squarer than a square thing and the worktop end fits beautifully with no gaps or ripples. No need for major silicone work...chuffed. Not only that, but the fit between the rear of the worktop and the side wall of the van is pretty much perfect too. As part of the final installation of the worktop (it is just loose laid on the cabinets until the plumbing has been done), I'll mark the edge of the worktop and drill a series of holes through the side walls and anchor into the worktop itself with 60mm chipboard screws after laying a bead of low modulus mastic. This will ensure that the flexing in the side of the van is reduced to an absolute minimum and will further rigidise the whole setup.
Wall units fitted into place 600mm above the worktop. This is a little higher than the minimum of 500mm reguired for clearance to a hob, but allows the depth of my Camping Gaz stove should I decide to use that in the kitchenette. Ultimately, the gap between the worktop and wall cupboards will get a tiled splashback to about 450mm or so and then a lick of paint on the wall board to finish it off nicely. You can see the worktop is nicely following the lower lashing strap screwholes. The sockets just underneath the 500m wall unit are nicely placed for the kettle and/or toaster. I may finish off with a pelmet and some LED over-counter lighting, but that's a nicety and not on the agenda right now.
Don't worry...those units aren't skewed! It's just the oddball perspective of the phone camera. Honest!
There is a nice service gap behind the base units. Hopefully I can fiddle the plumbing into the sink unit without too much hassle and end up with a nice tidy job.
While the last of the installation is taking place (plinth, plumbing, worktop, etc.) and before I procure some cupboard doors (not supplied with the carcasses) I finally have a surface I can use for charging the drill battery and somewhere out of the way, other than the floor, to keep my in-use tools handy.
With the structural work completed for the toilet and the kitchen now generally in place, the final look and feel of the office is beginning to take shape.
To do: Adjust legs to allow for plinth fitting, align and drill for worktop, fit water feed pipe to kitchen taps, fit a trap and waste pipe and then screw everything into it's final position.
Yay! Serious progress.
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