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brdrl

Built in banquette/radiator question

brdrl
8 years ago

We just completed our kitchen renovation with custom cabinetry. The workmanship is exceptional with one glaring exception. Our built in banquette completely encases a brand new custom radiator. We had numerous miscommunication issues with our contractor so I should have been very concerned that we didn't receive specs for this (because he was going to get the cabinet maker to "throw it in at no cost" at the end of project.) That didn't happen - we paid for it. I sent a picture of exactly what we wanted (open underneath for heat with simple legs for support) to our contractor. He said ours will be better. Upon installation we realized a single straight bench with a shaker front was built and not L shaped. Cabinet maker had not been told what we wanted but he agreed to modify. I had a busy work week and should have paid much closer attention. What they did is beautiful and our contractor doesn't understand why we are so upset. It does not open or pullout in anyway. This house is 180 years old. At some point we will have a heating problem and need to take a sledge hammer to this, not to mention all the heat gets trapped. In addition it is 19 inches tall so my feet dangle when I sit (I requested 18 knowing we were adding foam) and the space underneath is just high enough for our cats to get trapped. He finally agreed to schedule a meeting with the cabinet maker. Our requests, if possible, include: removing the small feet to lower it to a normal height, cut out the shaker inset panels and replace with metal mesh to let the heat flow out and make the lid removable so we can access the radiator when there is a problem. Does this seem reasonable? Our contractor and I are barley on speaking terms because of many problems and his screaming at me on 4 occasions. I would love to hear some opinions on what we should be able to expect at this point.

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