Boiler Cover | How we created a bespoke solution for our kitchen
When we designed our kitchen we decided against installing overhead cupboards. Although our kitchen is quite small and we could definitely have used the extra storage we decided that they just wouldn’t work in the space. We have full width windows in the kitchen and it would just have looked odd if we’d had wall cupboards projecting out and blocking out the light from the windows. Instead we designed the kitchen around a peninsula. This divides our open plan living space, creating a kitchen area and a separate living and dining area.
We then created a dining alcove with shelves and cupboards either side. The boiler was positioned in a cupboard above the peninsula where it would help create a divide between the kitchen and dining area.
Graham designed and fitted the boiler cupboard to match the base units, taking care to allow adequate space around the boiler for ventilation and also ensuring that it’s easily accessible if we ever need to change the settings or have it serviced. The solution neatly integrated the boiler into the space, allowing it to fit in with the design of the kitchen while at the same time helping to define the dining area.
When it comes to interiors boilers are pretty functional appliances, but they don’t have to be an eyesore. With a little planning and attention to detail it’s possible to come up with a design solution to cover your boiler, concealing any unsightly pipes and allowing it to seamlessly integrate into your home – I’ve been working with npower recently to create some content for them on this subject.
Boilers may not seem like the most exciting subject but actually it’s pretty difficult to overstate the role they play in keeping our homes warm and comfortable. If you’ve ever had one break down on you in the middle of winter you’ll know just how important it is to keep your boiler regularly serviced and maintained.
A few days before Christmas I woke up one morning and headed into the bathroom for a shower as usual only to discover that there was no hot water. Trust me when I say that this wasn’t a situation I was happy to find myself in just as I was about to wind down for the Christmas holidays. On this occasion we were lucky – we managed to find someone who was willing to come out on an emergency call to fix things. The diverter valve had gone and although this is a fairly common boiler problem, it was an unwelcome shock at a time when we were getting the house ready for visitors. If we hadn’t been able to find a heating engineer who was available at short notice it could easily have ruined our Christmas.
We managed to get our boiler fixed but it left a sizeable and unexpected hole in our finances. Money is always tight in December because we’ve usually already splashed out on Christmas presents and the episode left me wishing we’d had the foresight to arrange boiler breakdown cover.
With npower’s boiler and central heating cover you get access to a 24 hour helpline – they’ll send an engineer out to your home to fix your boiler day or night. The cost starts at just over £10 per month and is fixed for two years so you avoid any nasty shocks when it comes to servicing or repairs, and you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that you’re covered in the event of any problems.
This is a sponsored post in collaboration with npower.
Images by Design Hunter.
