Preparing for Hob installation

I prepared the 2 base units in question by cutting holes in the back - the one under the hob had a hole already for the electrical connection, though this needed to be enlarged to allow the gas pipe through as well - irritatingly Hotpoint have moved the gas inlet between the 2 models. I'd have preferred it on the other side as it's now right in front of the electrical supply on the wall. The other base unit (to the left) is under where the gas pipe drops, and behind it is now the isolating valve for the gas supply to the hob. I cut the hole quite generous for this as once the worktop was glued down the base units weren't moving and the poor gas fitter had to somehow manoeuver a couple of bits of 15mm copper pipe into the 40mm gap behind the base unit. I also notched the sides at the back to allow the pipe to pass.

The worktop was carefully measured and then cut to the dimensions of the hob using a router I'd borrowed off a mate. (during this the dyson overheated and died -argh!) The position was worked out to allow the gas supply to drop inside the base unit (rather than behind the back board) to allow easier access. With the drawers in there's about 30mm behind the rear of the drawer for the gas connection - plenty. This did however, push the front of the hob quite far forward - leaving it about an inch from the post-formed edge. Not a problem in itself, though the fixing clamps for the front of the hob now foul on the cross-brace that supports the base unit sides at the front. Oops. Reluctant to remove the brace (knowing how tightly wedged the base units are, I had visions of the sides being pushed in and the drawers jamming) I opted to put a pair of holed under the clamp mounting holes on the hob. Bin the clamps and put a slightly longer screw into the hob with a large washer to catch on the underside of the crossbrace - much tidier.

Once the base units were cut they were replaced in position and the freshly routed out worktop was then repositioned in it's final resting place. Despite the fact that the dog-bone worktop joint bolts say they're not suitable for a trend-jig cutout, I found they still fitted, so in they went. A tube of jointing/filling compound was squirted over the cut ends of the mitre and the worktop was then bolted together. A quick rub over with the solvent removed the excess and I've now got a nearly-tidy worktop joint.

At the same time I also cut the hole in the plinth for the kickspace heater. To support the heater in situ I screwed a couple of bits of batten to the back of the plinth that sit unde the heater keeping it at the right hight. The flexi hoses that come with the heater are a bit short, so I think the 2 spurs that are under the corner unit will need extending with copper pipe before being connected. Likewise the power lead is shorter than it needs to be. Arse.

Lining the hob up in it's intended hole has highlighted the poor build quality of this hob unit as well. Even screwed down there's a gap of a couple of mm all around where the top surface doesn't reach the worktop. This is poor, Hotpoint.

Now it's over to the professionals..