Building Work (Week 7) – Sink and Slab

The week started at 8am on Monday as the builder and the plumber had a meeting and I’d been told to be there with decisions on underfloor heating and plastic vs copper pipe.  I sided with the plumbers on the pipe (plastic) but I got some grace on the decision about the underfloor heating (eek!).

Some pipework got done on Monday – you can see the grey plastic pipe under the floor and ready for the shower mixer in this photo.  The basin has also been removed.

Plastic Pipes

The stud work for the downstairs loo got put up and the Barbican basin got rigged up at the generally accepted height for a basin (900mm off the ground) for me to approve or disapprove.

Barbican Basin Low

I thought it was weirdly low though – I can’t rationalise why as you’d think the design would make it look higher.  Anyway, I asked for it to be 5 inches higher and although you can’t really tell from the photo, it’s so much better now!  Love that basin 🙂

Barbican Basin High

I’d also managed to find a recessed mirrored cabinet, which was exactly the same width as the basin (510mm) and thought that would look pretty smart mounted above it.  But unfortunately due to the grey pipe (that’s the drain from the shower) in order to make it fit,  the cabinet (and therefore the basin) would have to be off-centre by 25mm to 50mm.  It was also not as recessed as I had imagined – I thought it would just be the depth of the mirrored door but it actually stuck out about an inch.  So I said to forget it!

Can’t fault Screwfix though, I ordered it Monday lunchtime, it arrived Tuesday morning, they sent a courier to collect it Wednesday and I was refunded on Friday.

Croydex Recessed Cabinet 51 x 66

As for the extension – some baffles had been placed in anticipation of the concrete being poured.  I think the rain was a little heavier than expected for pouring day (Wednesday) though.

Baffles

Here comes the cement lorry!

Cement truck

A few hours after it had been poured.

Slab Day 1

The following day – someone obviously forgot their orange jerry can!

Slab Day 2

That’s it – I think they went off to work on another project while it was curing, so nothing happened Thursday or Friday.  There’s insulation and bricks on site now though, so I reckon there’ll be more action this week.  Which also means I need to make some decisions – eek!

6 thoughts on “Building Work (Week 7) – Sink and Slab

  1. Hi,

    We are considering installing a Barbican sink ourselves, but one thing that has been incredibly hard to find, is exactly how they are mounted? This is especially because we will be installing into a solid brick wall. And both water feeds will need to come from below.
    Did you take any photos of the back? Did it have instructions?
    And I guess, now being 4 years on, was it actually a good choice?

    Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
    Regards,
    Andrew

    • Hi Andrew,

      I think one feed came from above and one from below – there are holes in the top and bottom of the basin. I looked for a photo but the only one I have of the back has the crucial areas covered. I found this on Worthpoint though – which has a photo of the back (you can see how that one was installed too, both feeds came from below but they took one around the side and in the top).

      The waste goes straight into the wall too.

      Mine was second hand so there were no instructions, I had it in advance of the building work though so the guys could see exactly what was required. I also changed the layout of the room to be able to put it into a stud wall – I wouldn’t fancy trying to put it in a solid one, it’s quite recessed.

      4 years on I still love it, it only gets used for washing hands though – I get teased occasionally about it looking like a urinal but I still think it’s the perfect cloakroom sink. Only thing was that I didn’t much like the taps it came with (the ones in the photo), one leaked a bit and I actually found the angle made them a bit tricky to turn on – so I switched them out for the more classic 4 pronged taps and it’s been perfect ever since.

      Hope this helps, good luck with your project!

    • Hi Andrew,

      I hope you are well and enjoying your iconic sink, it’s a real gem!

      I now find myself in the same position as you did 2 years ago.

      We are fortunate enough to have the chance to purchase a brand new complete set of the Barbican basin.
      I am yet to collect the sink & kit hence the following question.
      Having viewed the rear of the sink via the link supplied by Trish, how an earth is Gigi’s mounted? I will be installing it into a stud wall so the recess will not be an issue, but how is the basin secured in place?

      I hope you can enlighten me and very much look forward to your response, thank you in advance…

      Cordially
      Craig

    • Hi Andrew,

      I hope you are well and enjoying your iconic sink, it’s a real gem!

      I now find myself in the same position as you did 2 years ago.

      We are fortunate enough to have the chance to purchase a brand new complete set of the Barbican basin.
      I am yet to collect the sink & kit hence the following question.
      Having viewed the rear of the sink via the link supplied by Trish, how an earth is the sink mounted and secured? I will be installing it into a stud wall so the recess will not be an issue, but how is the basin secured in place?

      I hope you can enlighten me and very much look forward to your response, thank you in advance…

      Cordially
      Craig

      • Hi Craig,
        I’ve just looked through my photos and the builders always had it propped up with a piece of timber until the plumbing was completed and it was siliconed. I think the feed pipe must have passed through the noggin – I suspect that’s what is stopping it tipping out.

        https://www.amazon.co.uk/photos/share/RqMRO8b5rJE6kbPoN15Yp09awfF9fFQZm2MrdWBHdqN
        Not a great photo but the only one I have of the back – this is obviously before the feed pipes were added and it is still propped up at this point.
        N.B. The other pipes are going to the shower upstairs.

        Good luck!

        • Hi Trish,

          Thank you for your response, it is very much appreciated and apologies for my delayed response, hectic this end.

          We collected the sink yesterday so I will think long and hard over fixing solutions and the best way to support the sink, hopefully avoiding the stress on the pipes and connections to do so.

          Thanks again and have a lovely Xmas…

          Cordially
          Craig

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