Wickes Kitchens for Barry, Dock Terrace to Waterfront Flat

On the waterfront the shell is square and modern, so access and delivery timing matter more than the fitting does. We confirm the building arrangements at the survey and book each drop to match, protect the lift and the communal corridors, and take the old kitchen out the same way rather than leaving carcasses in a shared area. The lift and the corridor turn also decide the longest worktop and the largest appliance that can reach your door, which is worth knowing before you place a Wickes order rather than after. In the dock era terraces around Holton Road, Buttrills and Cadoxton it is the opposite problem, no off street parking and a short run of units where every millimetre counts, so we ask for one space near the door on delivery day and on the first morning of the fit.

The Colcot and Gibbonsdown estate houses are more regular, but the back door often lands exactly where you would want a run of worktop, and a plan drawn from customer measurements rarely solves that on its own. There is usually more room to improve it than people expect, from turning a dead corner into a shallow larder or a bin pull out, through to moving a door, which brings in other trades and sometimes building control. We will tell you at the survey which of those is worth the money in your house. In the older terraces the walls are rarely square and the floors move, so base units are levelled on their legs, plinths are scribed to the floor and end panels are scribed into the wall so the gaps do not show.

Sea air is a genuine factor near Barry Island, the Knap and the waterfront, where salt and higher humidity work on hinges, drawer runners and handle finishes faster than they do inland. Spending on decent hinges, a properly coated or stainless handle and an extractor that actually vents outside is better value than upgrading door fronts, and we will say so at the survey if we think the specification is under gunned for the location. Laminate worktops are cut and joined here in the house with every edge sealed, which matters more in a humid coastal property than anywhere else, while stone is templated once the bases are in. Gas work is carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer and electrical work by a qualified electrician, both sequenced by us, and removal and responsible disposal of the old kitchen is included.

What is included

• All Wickes ranges covered
• Old kitchen removal
• Plumbing coordination
• Electrics management

Fitting Wickes kitchens

Wickes kitchens are a common choice for customers managing the project themselves, which usually means the units, worktops and appliances arrive on different dates from different places. Sequencing is the main job here, making sure the right things are on site at the right stage so the fit does not stall halfway through waiting on a worktop.