Bank Hol DIY

As ever, today started with a trip to the DIY shop. And then it was followed up with another trip a couple of hours later.

I went out to get pipe supplies so that we could finish plumbing in the sink and get the dishwasher functional.

But before all that, the worktop needed fixing together. Hence the second trip to get some sealant/glue to bond the mitre joints together.

The worktop sections are bolted together from underneath so the whole worktop needed suspending in mid-air. This was achieved using books and plastic drawers.

We put three lines of sealant on the joint then bolted them together. Bashing the worktops periodically with a mallet to get them aligned vertically (i.e. trying to have no step between the two sections).

Once assembled, the whole worktop needed to be lowered into place. Except that's too easy. No, we had a windowsill to contend with. So one end had to be lifted up so that the worktop could clear the windowsill. Doing this without snapping the worktop at the point where the hob hole is meant that we had to take it steady, slowly increasing the piles of strategically placed towers of books. Then, once below the windowsill, steadily lowering back down. Slow, careful work, but well worth it.

Then we turned our attention to the dishwasher. This didn't sit far enough back and I wasn't sure why. Turns out that the socket cover for the hob power was pressed up against the insulation on the back of the dishwasher. So that got cut out and, low and behold, it now goes all the way back. This means that the dishwasher door will be flush with the ovens. Result!

So that the dishwasher could be hooked up to the pipes, we needed to get the hob unpacked and wired in.

I dutifully followed the wiring diagram and installation instructions but when we switched the power back on, the hob didn't come to life. Troubleshooting this is beyond my equipment so we just finished installing the hob. This meant that the sides of the adjacent cupboards needed lowering to accommodate the hob. Since this wasn't going to be seen, I just free-hand cut it with my multi-tool. Rough and ready but it did the job.

Then the moment of truth was upon us. What would happen with the dishwasher slid under the hob? Would there be enough of a ventilation gap? Would the cable for the dishwasher need embedding in its insulation?

Well, it wouldn't fit under the left side of the hob. So all of the cupboards are going to have to go 5mm higher. But that, along with the answers to my questions, will have to be another day.

SO CLOSE!!!