Crappy countertops, crappy old cupboards
Crappy hob and hood
Crap.
REALLY crappy oven (sans handle!)
Crap.
Crappy storage
Crappy.
Crappy finish and ultra crappy tiling
Crap. Did I mention it was crap?
Crappy use of space
Crappy boiler doors and crappier boiler control
Living without a proper kitchen for two months is really not funny. Particularly living without a dishwasher.... and if that wasn't bad enough, not having a sink for a week and washing dishes in the bath is seriously uncool.
There are only so many microwave meals on the market... if you live in the UK, Marks and Sparks have the best, closest-to-home-cooking options - and believe me, we tried them all!
Project managing a general kitchen fitter, a gas man, an electrician, granite worktop fitters and blind specialists to work around each other comes with its own set of challenges... but is still cheaper and gets you a more personalised service than the One-Stop-Shop Kitchen Fitting companies.
Getting the aforementioned One-Stop-Shop Kitchen Fitting companies in to give you a free quote is a great way of getting a free kitchen design that your own fitter can then tweak to your specifications.
Things will always go wrong with a project of such a scale.... perhaps we got off lightly with the almost-flooding-the-house-when-the-new-radiator-stuffed-up-the-heating-system scenario that I wrote about here.
Flooding your airing cupboard is one sure way to spring clean said cupboard... Nat thinks "I could wash all these soggy towels and linens, or I could just take them to the Cloth Recycle Depot - I'm not using half of them anyway!"
Scary leak
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhh!
It's nothing short of a miracle that we are actually still alive and did not explode/implode/combust/ electrocute ourselves in the seven years we lived with our old kitchen.... the renovations brought to light all the shortcomings of the previous bodger owner: gas pipes fitted straight through the brickwork with no casing to avoid corrosion and no isolation valves in case of emergency, the boiler controller earthed into the neutral, overhead lights fitted precariously into loose planks of wood... these are just a few of the hidden dangers unearthed in the process.
Builders' dust is like nothing else on this planet.... perhaps it is in fact from Mars - that might explain it's peculiar red hue. All I know is, I detest the stuff... it gets into every nook and cranny and does not relinquish its hold easily!
Baby oil is a cheap, fragrant and effective product for polishing stainless steel appliances and stopping fingerprint smudges... thanks for the tip, Gas Man!
My new kitchen is just beautiful... even if I say so myself...... click on photos to enlarge for best viewing...
Beautiful!
Beautiful!
Beautiful!
Did I mention that my new kitchen is beautiful? But hard to photograph!
I'm gonna have to agree. I will swoon in that kitchen, cook all day...damnnn, bring in that cushion and i'll even sleep in there :) Seriously, I would die for a good and spacious kitchen...with a really really nice oven :)
ReplyDeletelove your new kitchen renovation the splash of red is fabulous. Glad you survived- We did a kitchen cabinet renovation and were out of a kitchen for two weeks- of course nothing like a month but I feel for you.
ReplyDeletehttp://ladyofthearts.blogspot.com/2010/04/lady-ren-ovation.html
Oh my gosh what a transformation!! It IS Beautiful I even love the pink drain stopper! And hey, what a great tip on the baby oil, who woulda thought..
ReplyDeleteVery nice Nat, very, very nice!!
Oh yes, good job, well done Nat. That kitchen is a triumph indeed!!There is almost nothing as annoying as renovating, but especially if as you did, organize most of it yourself, it's also so rewarding. Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteNew Kitch is ahhhh-mazing! Our kitchen is beyond terrible. Its half way between barbie and doll sized with a side of crap. Ha. Oh but your new one is just awesome! Now I will live vicariously through yours until we can re-do ours :)
ReplyDeleteWow! Stunning job. xxx
ReplyDeleteYour new kitchen is beautiful, enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWow, it really looks fabulous! So it was worth it, right? (And I must have one of those door stops!)
ReplyDelete