Projects Archives - Cluett Carpentry https://cluettcarpentry.com Crafting Beautiful Things Sun, 15 Jun 2025 23:42:42 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://cluettcarpentry.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/cropped-New_Logo_500x500-32x32.png Projects Archives - Cluett Carpentry https://cluettcarpentry.com 32 32 The Country Kitchen, Narrowboat edition find out more, now! https://cluettcarpentry.com/country-kitchen-narrowboat-edition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=country-kitchen-narrowboat-edition Sun, 24 May 2020 11:38:53 +0000 https://cluettcarpentry.com/?p=358 This country kitchen was an almost complete re-fit that we did for a narrowboat in East London. We’ll largely keep to the pretty bits here, but there was some serious foundation work to do. The bilges had been ballasted with pea shingle, most of which was still in the bilge. Accordingly, all of it had […]

The post The Country Kitchen, Narrowboat edition find out more, now! appeared first on Cluett Carpentry.]]> This country kitchen was an almost complete re-fit that we did for a narrowboat in East London. We’ll largely keep to the pretty bits here, but there was some serious foundation work to do. The bilges had been ballasted with pea shingle, most of which was still in the bilge. Accordingly, all of it had to be removed. Once the floor was up, and it was out, the bilges had to be cleaned, treated, painted, re-ballasted, and the new subfloor laid. See my Dan’s DIY Tips for more on cleaning and painting bilges

Removed the old kitchen

We also had the walls down to deal with substandard insulation and lining. By the time all this was finished, the innards of the boat were basically brand new! New ballast and subfloor, new insulation and new lining and trims, a lovely blank canvas.

Rebuilding to a Country Kitchen

To this empty shell, we added a lovely oak engineered floor throughout, to match the existing flooring in the bedroom. This had previously been re-fitted the year before by another contractor, and we had built a wardrobe.

The floor

The crowning glory – Country Kitchen

Country Kitchen

The crowning glory of the boat is probably the kitchen, as it is with many boats and homes that have a nice kitchen. This one is a Howdens Tewkesbury kitchen that we have customised in places to fit the space. An off shelf kitchen can work very well in a boat, thus I am hoping to add some thoughts and tips on Kitchens in our blog posts. The worktops are oak butcher’s block, which we simply added a bevel to the edge of the tops. We took a corner off the end of the long side for ergonomic reasons. The offcuts provided from the other side some neat additional shelving, which we gave a matching detail.

The electrics were completely rewired by Katy Bartlett of Down to Earth Sparks. The workings of the electrics are hidden away in the corner behind a custom cupboard. Furthermore, It was built with a combination of solid oak and oak veneer to match in with the tops. Katy regularly works alongside us on projects and did a beautiful job. She rewired and upgraded the electrical system throughout.

The Stern

The stern steps we replaced with a solid oak set of open tread steps. Significantly, the original plan was to build to a form to allow access to the washing machine. Ultimately, it was decided to just make it lightweight and easy to remove. Markedly, full access was easily gained without compromising on the structure of the steps.

Country Kitchen stern steps

There are myriad little details and alterations I could list out from the works. We also did some upgrades to the bathroom and the bedroom, the wardrobe having gone in the previous year. We ripped out the bath and replaced the floor beneath. The bath went back in and we re-tiled the area. We also added some custom cabinetry and a screen to the bath tub. If you would like to know more about options and possibilities for kitchens and bathrooms, then why not get in touch. Or also check out my blog(s) on home/boat improvements in Dan’s Random Ramblings

The project picture book

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The post The Country Kitchen, Narrowboat edition find out more, now! appeared first on Cluett Carpentry.]]> Explore how to make a Modern Narrowboat as a working home https://cluettcarpentry.com/a-modern-narrowboat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-modern-narrowboat Fri, 01 May 2020 12:58:11 +0000 https://cluettcarpentry.com/?p=179 This project, A Modern Narrowboat, was a commission for a client who needed a London base for when life and work brought them to the capital. They wanted a comfortable and modern feel, relaxing and low maintenance. It helps that it is on a mooring. Therefore, electrics and plumbing are simplified by having utilities and […]

The post Explore how to make a Modern Narrowboat as a working home appeared first on Cluett Carpentry.]]> This project, A Modern Narrowboat, was a commission for a client who needed a London base for when life and work brought them to the capital. They wanted a comfortable and modern feel, relaxing and low maintenance. It helps that it is on a mooring. Therefore, electrics and plumbing are simplified by having utilities and facilities close at hand.

The boat had sunk under the stewardship of the previous owner and while the hull and engine were still sound, there was water damage to the floor and fit out. Thus, the whole thing needed starting from scratch.  We did a sizeable amount of remedial work to get to a point of having a blank canvas. This included, but was not limited to, removing the flooring from half the boat, drying and sorting the bilges, removing several bulkheads, and removing the black water tank.  If you want tips on removing a black water tank, then you can read more in my Dan’s DIY tips section ‘It’s a S**t job’

The Brief – A Modern Narrowboat

The brief was to make a contemporary and easy-to-care-for space. It had to be as much like a modern flat as possible. This was to be a home from home while in London, not a CC’er or a holiday boat. The chosen finishes are all very modern, and the colour palette is neutral and soothing.

The Kitchen

Modern Narrowboat kitchen

We fitted a Benchmarx kitchen. I’ll try to do a tips post on kitchen fitting sometime soon. This was given oak butchers block worktops, from worktop express. The oak tops are excellent value for money. However, you do need to take a little care to look after wooden tops. However, on the plus side, they can be refinished where a laminate cannot.

The Bathroom

The bathroom is tiled in a Travertine mosaic, with an ‘off shelf’ vanity and a quadrant shower cubicle from Wesley Marine Windows Ltd. Wesley Marine are one of the few producers of ‘short’ shower units. They do a range of them in 1600-1800, which lets you fit in a proper feeling shower enclosure within the restricted height of a narrowboat. You could have a shower enclosure made bespoke. However, this would cost a lot more.

The Bathroom on a modern narrowboat

In the bathroom, they chose a bench style Thetford cassette toilet. It is very easy to use with its wheel along cassettes. This mooring has an Elsan point on site, so a cassette toilet is a good choice. Read more about toilets in our toilet blog post! Essential boater reading matter.

The project picture book

The Bedroom

For the bedroom we made a fully bespoke suite, with drawers beneath the bed for storage and more drawers at the end with a hanging space above. This little area also serves as a dresser with an offcut of worktop making up a dressing table. It includes a power socket set into it for easy use of a hair dryer or other items. The boat itself was chosen by the client to be wired up largely as a 240V boat, running off the shoreline. Though it does also have 12V sockets and lights so it can be used away from the home mooring.

A Gentle grey and white colour scheme

The colour scheme is a gentle grey and white, very popular at the moment. I think it is calming as well as elegant. Everything was painted by us, in an acrylic water-based paint. This is a good, durable paint. It can be wiped clean of light stains and marks and has a certain degree of resistance to water and humidity. A satin finish water-based paint will not be as durable as a high gloss. Yet, it feels a bit more modern and is easy to work with and apply.

In conclusion, then, this is a delightful little boat that should hopefully serve the owner well for many years to come. It shows a narrowboat can be comfortable and modern. I hope this is a relaxing and pleasant space for the client, and they enjoy it whenever they stay there.

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The post Explore how to make a Modern Narrowboat as a working home appeared first on Cluett Carpentry.]]> The most epic Wheelhouse you will see for your narrowboat https://cluettcarpentry.com/wheelhouse/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wheelhouse Wed, 29 Apr 2020 13:35:08 +0000 https://cluettcarpentry.com/?p=338 This is typical of a wheelhouse build, taking the project from design through to finish. We have used this design, or a variation of it, on many wheelhouse projects. This blog goes through some details of how we do this. The clients needed more space and wanted to turn the stern deck into a useful, […]

The post The most epic Wheelhouse you will see for your narrowboat appeared first on Cluett Carpentry.]]> This is typical of a wheelhouse build, taking the project from design through to finish. We have used this design, or a variation of it, on many wheelhouse projects. This blog goes through some details of how we do this.

The clients needed more space and wanted to turn the stern deck into a useful, and beautiful, exterior space. It also had to be collapsible. This was necessary so that the boat would still be able to get through tunnels and under bridges when it left its mooring. All elements more than a foot or so above the boat cabin roof had to be removable with two people. We had weight limits and engineering challenges to consider.

After in-depth discussion of specification and requirements, we produced detailed drawings of the overall wheelhouse and the specific details. The way that the different parts would connect was considered. We also planned how the piece would work as a whole. Working out how water would be channelled from the roof and how it would escape from inside was essential. This area would still be an exterior area at times.

Wheelhouse roof

Wheelhouse

The roof was a challenge. It needed to be light enough that the two of them could remove it between them without assistance. It’s quite a big area, and they also wanted it to be reasonably strong, just in case somebody went clambering across. It can’t guarantee it’ll take the weight of a person, but it’d stand a chance. We chose to split it into several pieces to make manageable weight. Even then, at above head height, the panels would be weighty. It is constructed from Vekaplan, a lightweight closed cell plastic with smooth exterior, combined with a timber frame. This sits on a skeleton timber frame with integral metal channelling to take water away.

As to the overall construction material, the clients chose Sapele. It’s a West African hardwood which is relatively cheap, straight-grained and very durable. We needed about 2 cubic metres to build the whole wheelhouse. It is a lovely timber and comes up a beautiful mahogany like colour once finished. The fixtures and fittings are all solid brass so that they would be weatherproof even when the roof was down. The brass goes nicely with the red of the timber too, so it’s aesthetically pleasing

Inside a wheelhouse

They wanted as much light as possible. Indeed, we ultimately swapped out one of the lower panels for glass as well, where it was originally timber. Thus, it wouldn’t block the sunrise on the back door. The upper panels are toughened glass, and they let in lots of light. We made sure that there were several opening points. This ensures that on a hot day it didn’t become a furnace!

The wood pile

A Collapsible Wheelhouse

To make it collapsible, all the upper row are hinged on to the lower, fixed panels. This means once the roof panels are off and stacked on to the boat roof, you can lower each of the panels. They can also be removed entirely if required, as the hinges are all lift-offs. Speaking of storing the roof on the boat, the curve of the roof was based on the curve of the boat roof. This produces a sympathetic line with the rest of the boat.

Outside the wheelhouse

Sapele is a naturally durable timber. To give it greater protection and to save it from discolouring over time, it was given two coats of Osmo UV protect exterior hard-wax oil. This should protect it from water and sunlight, not to mention bringing out the beautiful colour and grain of the wood. We could have varnished it and that might have been a more durable finish short term. However, it is more difficult to touch up and repair/redo in the future. Oiled timber can simply be given a light rub down and a new coat applied. Varnish is a greater undertaking and so is oft neglected and can end up looking very shabby after time.

The whole wheelhouse is mounted on a metal rail, which is twofold in purpose. By lifting the timber off the floor, it should have greater protection from rotting base up. It also gave us the capacity to put some easy drain points in. This helps, should water get into the area while it was open. The lower wall of panels was then bolted through this rail in to the underside of the timbers. This ensured that it was rock solid.

A different view of the wheelhouse

My favourite wheelhouse

We’ve done a few wheelhouses and parts of wheelhouses. A couple of the photos (the ceiling and the close-up on the detail of the roof end support) are actually from another wheelhouse we built. This is because I didn’t have enough good photos of this one. The designs are similar and all is our work. However, of the wheelhouse work we have done, this one is still hands down my favourite.

Project picture book

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The post The most epic Wheelhouse you will see for your narrowboat appeared first on Cluett Carpentry.]]> Installing amazing Clapton Cupboards and a Kitchen https://cluettcarpentry.com/clapton-cupboards-and-kitchen/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=clapton-cupboards-and-kitchen Wed, 29 Apr 2020 11:35:07 +0000 https://cluettcarpentry.com/?p=277 This job, Clapton Cupboards and Kitchen, is particularly dear to me. I carried out a large amount of the manual work on it personally. Sadly, I was also responsible for the photography of the finished products, so this does leave something to be desired. The kitchen was a remodelling of an old kitchen (above) left […]

The post Installing amazing Clapton Cupboards and a Kitchen appeared first on Cluett Carpentry.]]> This job, Clapton Cupboards and Kitchen, is particularly dear to me. I carried out a large amount of the manual work on it personally. Sadly, I was also responsible for the photography of the finished products, so this does leave something to be desired.

Clapton Cupboards and Kitchen

The kitchen was a remodelling of an old kitchen (above) left over in the flat from many years before.

Clapton Cupboards and Kitchen diagram

This had to go completely, except for the worktop and sink. The top, which is a beautiful old piece of wood, we took away to repair and re-finish.

This came up beautifully when sanded and oiled. We paired it with Iroko for the other wooden details in the kitchen. Iroko is interesting, in that it can be very light in colour when machined, but will darken down to a gorgeous deep brown over time.

Genuine Oak wood worktop

Clapton Cupboards and kitchen with marble

The marble contrasts beautifully with the old timber. The two give a real heart to the room. All the doors and drawers are, as with the other cupboards, spray finished in AC lacquer (colour ‘first light’). The carcasses are birch ply that were then finished with two coats of Osmo hard wax oil.

Another notable feature in the kitchen is the industrial influenced cooker extraction hood. Made by local fabricator Nel Holmgren. I also really like the ceramic knobs, which are actually wiring insulation knobs re-purposed as hardware for the doors and drawers.

Clapton Cupboards and Kitchen stove

As we move through the rest of the flat, there are a series of wardrobes and cupboards. Each was purpose built for their rooms. The one that stands out for me is the entrance hall. With the open shelving and the fluted glass side table, it has a lot of character and fits its space really well. Here, as with many of the other rooms, the spray finished parts have been paired with solid oak elements. These include the end panels, trims, and shelving.

The master bedroom is likewise, and here we have a continental feel to the room. There is a pair of wardrobes bracketing open shelving over the bed. Incidentally, the headboard opens at the top to give some extra storage space inside. Of the other two bedrooms, one is very similar in design. However, the other has no oak elements to it and instead has sprayed parts for the end panels and framing. This was the choice of the room’s occupant, and I feel it looks just as lovely as the oak and paint in the other rooms.

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The post Installing amazing Clapton Cupboards and a Kitchen appeared first on Cluett Carpentry.]]>