Frithworks | Local service

Frithworks

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25.01.2022 Stainless steel is not always the best way to bridge the gaps left by older style ovens. A little thought and some gloss black laminate and the following photos show the result.

25.01.2022 It's much more versatile than you might think to modify a kitchen using the existing materials. This manufactured stone benchtop was created especially for this clients cooking style. As the house is now for sale the owners chose to make the space more traditional.... Thanks to the lovely Libby at Harvey Norman's Noarlunga supplying this nice new gas cooktop and a little effort from me this is the result...

24.01.2022 Back to getting on with the job. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this elderly client and biologist joined me nearly 30 years ago on a Scientific expedition Group (SEG) expedition into the Gammon Ranges. He didn't remember me personally but he remembered someone who repaired a holed fuel tank in the bus with a cake of soap, saving what fuel we had and consequently the expedition. me*. I'm glad for Jack Absalom and his 4WD tips.... Any bar of soap will do. Simply scrape off flakes with a knife. Add a small amount of water and mould into a putty. It will seal a decent sized hole and stick easily onto a petrol or diesel soaked surface. PS: The client obviously liked the idea of a powerful rangehood over cupboard space.

24.01.2022 It's all ovens at the moment. This is my preferred way to fill the space left by the old appliance.

23.01.2022 Just bringing this example of before and after into the latest posts for the convenience of recent clients. Successful solutions exist for stainless steel, white and black cooktops.

23.01.2022 I see it as a privilege to be able to do what I do for my customers. I often get praised for achieving what is being asked of me. In this case the lady of the house was accustomed to a larger style oven and was delighted that I was able to modify the existing cabinetry to accommodate her new appliance.

22.01.2022 The stainless steel frames I usually supply have been very popular up until now. Lately there seems to be a trend towards greater amounts of black accociated with the appliances. These customers requested that I apply a gloss black finish to the outer flashing. It's still a little experimental but I am trying to keep up with the fashion.

22.01.2022 There was a little more going on with the last job I posted... It's important to give clients an idea of what can be done by re hashing the existing materials. The overhead cabinetry was not within the building codes but with a little thought we were able to fit a compliant rangehood and re build the overhead cabinets to suit.

20.01.2022 And this is the tried and proven standard I have refined over the last 5 years. I'm sure that for most situations this will still be a popular choice to solve this problem.

19.01.2022 I'm sorry that I didn't take "before" photos of this one. Vinyl wrapped kitchens are a very popular choice in the construction of modern kitchens. They have their advantages but they have also caused enormous headaches for some, particularly as there was a worldwide batch of faulty adhesive that caused many surfaces to de-laminate often years after installation. I'm not offering a solution for that problem as re finishing whole kitchens would interfere with my ability to serv...ice the clients that depend on my ability to respond in a timely manner. There is another issue with vinyl with regards to heat damage. If the surface has been exposed to heat from an oven or other kitchen appliance the skin will peel back and expose an ugly consequence. This can be particularly difficult to repair as it is not easy to inspire anyone in the trade to remake or resurface just a few doors. So what you see in this image is a run of doors that I have removed the vinyl and painted with my own technique that closely matches both the colour and just as importantly th texture of the original finish. The result is something that is far more resilient to the heat than the original surface. The pantry door is vinyl and the run under the bench is too. The replaced doors are the overheads plus a few on the return off camera. I'm only offering this repair to those in the local area for now but to the relief of a few that I can help with this I'm sure it will be a positive service I can bring to the table.

19.01.2022 Out with the old and in with the new. The high gloss panels from Pollytec make a very attractive cabinet to house this new oven. It's difficult to tell from this photo but the glossy section above the oven is actually an alcove for the microwave.

19.01.2022 An alternative to the previous problem. This option requires lifting the oven and fitting a stainless steel door at the bottom. A great space to store all those oven trays.

19.01.2022 The sacrifice of these three lovely drawers is still worth it in my estimation. Dishwashers can be life-changing for young busy families. No doubt that was the case here.

18.01.2022 As expensive as the original extended flue cover must have been there was no function for extracting the filtered air from this rangehood. It was essentially an expensive and noisy light as the ducting ended in a place that didn't allow for any air to escape. Thanks again to the fine staff at Harvey Norman's along a little thought from me we now have a fully operational rangehood. The cost for manufacturing such a grand flue cover makes it all the stranger that it was never ...functional. I believe the cost I charged was only a portion of what it cost to do the original. At least mine worked...

17.01.2022 Another retro fit dishwasher.

17.01.2022 A good example of an oven and microwave combination.

16.01.2022 A little bit of work had to be done to make this kitchen compliant with Australian building standards. It is more common than it should be that this mistake is made by kirchen manufacturers but the old rangehood was too close to the gas burners. I tidied up the space with a few carefully placed pieces of stainless steel after reducing the height of the cabinet and doors.

15.01.2022 Another successful dishwasher installation. In order to use the existing cabinetry the left hand door had to be cut down and re joined. A very greatful client is just the icing on the cake.

15.01.2022 The latest evolution of my approach to solve this problem. Thanks to all the electricians, plumbers and kitchen appliance companies who reccomend me to their clients. Have a happy and safe Christmas and a prosperous new year.

13.01.2022 I'm very greatful that I haven't been too adversely affected by the pandemic financially so far. I did have a couple of scary quiet weeks wondering if I'll have to diversify what I do to keep the family fed. Fortunately for me it appears that people who are spending more time at home are choosing to renovate at the moment which has created a small surge in demand for my service. So I'm feeling rather privileged for now that I haven't had to resort to government handouts to... tide me over for the time being in spite of the fact I have had to work harder to maintain my standard of living. Here's the latest example of a clients choice to add a very nice oven and steam oven in a space that needed modifications to accept them. The existing drawer below needed to be reduced in size then various additions of shelving and materials were required to tie these appliances into their new home. The end result is intended to make the appliances look as if they are as one. I think I managed it.

13.01.2022 Due to a healthy demand I am expanding the options for the stainless steel surrounds. True double ovens are rare but I now am stocking stainless steel frames to suit these items. I will also offer this seamless option for the more popular 888mm high oven as well. Of course the economic version with its joins will still be available, but for the discerning customer willing to pay that little bit extra I will now have these in stock for prompt installation.... Thank you to all my customers for making this line so successful.

12.01.2022 Vinyl wrapped kitchen doors and panels are notorious for reacting with heat. Rather than replace the damaged panels the choice to replace them with stainless steel has future proofed this kitchen from future heat damage.

12.01.2022 A much larger space than usual was left by an old oven and microwave combo. I used two oven frames joined together to solve this one a day after it was installed. The bonus was a particularly delighted client.

12.01.2022 Sometimes a ecconomics and practicality come before aesthetics. This client was pleased to provide their tenant with extra storage and a space for the microwave when the old oven finally died.

11.01.2022 I try to avoid matching kitchen materials to make adjustments like this. It's usually a much more consistent option to match the stainless steel look with the oven. Customers can have preferences that make it nessesary to approach things differently. This is one of those times. It is important to consider that staining the new timber to match the aged equivalent is not generally a wise choice. Timber naturally goes darker with age but staining often messes with that process. ...It may look good at the beginning but "plastic" as time goes on. In this case the difference is quite stark. It will take time before the aging process ballances the frame with the rest of the kitchen. I'm confident it will though.

10.01.2022 This oven is particularly well made. A German brand I hadn't heard of before. It would suit being in a tower as the door slips effortlessly underneath. The flush fit frame helped integrate it nicely into this quality kitchen.

08.01.2022 More of the experimental black surrounds. This one is black acrylic. Its unproven as far as it's ability to handle the temperatures in this configuration. Plastics, particularly PVC are commonplace surfaces that are exposed to ovens like this so the acrylic should perform quite well. That is provided expansion due to uneven heat distribution doesn't cause an issue with the bond that holds it in place. The stainless steel version is tried and tested and is still my preferred solution but as time progresses these might replace them or at least be equally successful.

06.01.2022 Happy Christmas and a big thanks to the sales staff at Harvey Normans for promoting my service to so many of their customers. Here is one of the more unusual choices made. I would ordinarily recommend replacing an upright oven with the same. In this case they were insistent on fitting a separate oven and hotplate. Of course that requires the construction of benchtop material and a drawer to take up the leftover space. All concerned were pleased with the final result.

05.01.2022 There seems to be a trend for ovens to gravitate towards a more black theme. I haven't always had an answer that works as effectively as the stainless steel option. Not anymore!

05.01.2022 Bosch has come up with a great alternative to the DishDrawer by fisher and paykel. My neat little custom made drawer bridged the leftover space to give the illusion of a full sized dishwasher. Needless to say my customer is delighted that the modifications enhanced her kitchen without looking like an afterthought.

05.01.2022 This is a good example of using existing materials to create a space for a new dishwasher while preserving as much usable space as possible. The small door has a section cut from the middle and is joined again to create a useful cabinet from the leftover material. The advantage is that the project is resolved quickly and economically without looking like an afterthought.

05.01.2022 Hi all. Like everyone I'm walking a ballancing act between the importance of working verses the importance of minimizing the opportunity for covid19 to spread. My lovely wife Tanya is suffering a particularly nasty bout of asthma. My first response before seeing the doctor was to immediately self isolate the entire household in the off chance her symptoms were related to the pandemic. After discussions with our family doctor and further observation it appears to be unlikely... her symptoms are anything other than a seasonal response to the allergens she normally reacts to. Doc has made it very clear to her that her risk is such that immediate isolation is a sensible tactic in this very uncertain time. Particularly as we have been extremely careful and proactive till now. So I'm left at in a bit of a dilemma regarding putting myself and her at risk by continuing my business at a time when it may be irresponsible to do so. Without her wage and the threat of further restrictions placed on businesses I'm choosing to continue working for the time being but with a much more comprehensive plan than the current government's guidelines. These plans will be discussed with each new client and evolve as the situation continues. I may be wrong about this but apparently in the early stages of the spread in China a video captured an infected patient on a bus load of commuters. After tracing the infected from that one exposure it appears that the virus mannaged to travel the full length of that bus and infect a number of people through the air alone. The 1.5 meter rule will help slow this thing in the general population and possibly help with the overall infection rate but it may not be enough to protect my family if I was to bring it home. At best it's a game of Russian Roulette with 5 empty cartridges that we don't get severely ill concidering our age and respiratory issues. At worst we're about 20 days away from our last goodbyes. I hope above hope I'm over reacting to all this. I don't judge anyone who has an alternative perspective. I only ask my protective measures are taken seriously. If you disagree that is respected too. You're welcome to use my service under my conditions or be free to source an alternative operator. Of course I would rather you choose me. Stay safe and positive everyone and encouraged by the thought that in every crisis there's room for much opportunity. This could be a massive boost for micro buisiness to challenge many of the established monopolies. Best wishes to you all, Grant.

05.01.2022 This is becoming a popular choice to fill the space left by the 900mm high oven. I believe it works out more economically even when taking into concideration my contribution. An extra advantage is the ability to create the a more ergonomic height tailored to the client. In this case I could have had the oven higher and a bigger drawer underneath. The 80mm panel at the top ballances the esthetics but most importantly puts the oven at the ideal height for this elderly client.

04.01.2022 The very sleek finish of this oven was partly due to the minimalist design of this oven but also due to the choice to not fit a handle to the drawer. To open just press.

04.01.2022 I've been contemplating for a while how to educate perspective clients regarding the pitfalls that can occur when fitting modern appliances to their counterparts from yesteryear. Lauren-ashleigh Dobrilla is working hard at setting up a webpage that I hope will help people choose the correct appliance for their needs. Please feel free to share your experience so we can build a page that might make it easier for others to make the best choice. In the meantime here is an exampl...e of the kind of problem that you may face. In this situation a local kitchen manufacturer made some very nasty choices in the way this rangehood was mounted. As you can see some really dramatic action had to be taken to remove this appliance from its space. Whoever fitted this rangehood did it in such a way that it was impossible to remove it without serious and painful effort. The machine was screwed in place in the workshop and once tiled in it was impossible to remove it without destroying it and risking damaging the surrounding cabinetry. Fortunately all worked out in the end.

03.01.2022 Hi all. Hopefully everyone is finding a ballanced response to the threat of the current pandemic. I would like to reassure my clients that I am taking what I see as reasonable steps to minimize the spread of this insidious disease. My idea is reflected by many commentators that the main threat is the overwhelming of our medical system during the first wave. So doing everything we can to slow the pace of the infection will likely help the hospitals do what they do and has the... potential to save many lives at the peak of infection. I'm expecting that peak to happen within the next two months. Obviously I'm not expert and there's also livelihoods and economic conciderations that make others repell from the strategy I'm taking. I'll be answering to my own conscience in this instance with no judgment on the choice others make. So while I remain healthy and apparently virus free I'm dramatically reducing exposure to larger groups of people. I'll continue to work in individual clients homes but avoid working in the retail stores for the time being. If at any time I feel my usual seasonal asthmatic cough has any other sinister symptoms I'll immediately respond with self quarantine measures in line with current guidelines. Stay safe everyone. Take this as an opportunity to build a healthy community spirit. Regards, Grant.

02.01.2022 Another example of the utility of using a drawer to take up the extra space left by the previous oven. These lovely clients appreciated my solution. It's especially rewarding to have my work valued this way.

01.01.2022 This is a before and after that I have been waiting for a good example to show off. Centering the oven and fitting a stainless steel strip on the top and bottom of the oven bridges the space nicely.

01.01.2022 This collet from the top of a retractable rangehood was attached to the flexible ducting by two screws by a previous installer. As you can see the valve halves are both subsequently locked in the closed position. The poor clients had lived with a noisy rangehood for over 4 years that did absolutely nothing except waste precious electricity... It is doubly satisfying to solve such a critical issue in the course of my job.