Get the kitchen re-done

The last room in the house to be done……. I put it off until last for good reason!

Several people asked why was I doing it, as it looked OK – which it did superficially.  Looking more closely, there were……

……and the grill didn’t work and the tops of the cupboards were exposed and got dusty!

So I went down to the local kitchens and bathrooms firm and got a young man there to design and measure and order and sort out the workmen.  After one failure of start date (I hadn’t got the estimates soon enough to be able to say “yes”) the young man who was doing most of the work, James, arrived on a Monday morning.

I had spent some time over the previous weeks removing everything from the kitchen – most of it in boxes to the spare bedroom.  I also had to clear the dining room as that is where the units etc. were going to be stored.  The fridge had been defrosted and then moved to a corner of the dining room.  Everything I was likely to use was in the living room – including the dining table and microwave.  Sofas had to be moved to accommodate these and smaller chairs moved upstairs.  The washing up bowl and liquid and such like, were in the bathroom.  Two friends had said I could use their washing machines……  Nothing was where it should be……  And then it got worse!

The first day a skip arrived, all the old units, sink and appliances were stripped out leaving the kitchen basically…….

The next day the gas man arrived to move a gas pipe and the electrician came to put in some sockets and move some wiring.  The units also arrived and …….

During the rest of that week the units were built…….

 

This all created a lot of dust and noise.  Good thing the weather was fine and warm so the sawing could mostly be done outside and having the doors and windows open was a good idea, to help keep a little cooler.  The appliances arrived and were…..

……. prior to being fitted.

…….but the taps were not yet connected – so still no water downstairs.

The second week was spent…..

…..and painting; the electrician came back to complete the wiring – except the under-cupboard lights he had forgotten.  He also moved the central light so one of the top cupboards could open properly.  The appliances were put in place and……

 

The third Monday there were a few finishing off tasks such as…….

……. and making sure everything was tidy.  I could then start putting everything back in cupboards, which had a few nifty little features, such as the top corner cupboard with……

….and bottom corner cupboards with….

 

I had chosen the flooring earlier and they came and measure for it on the Tuesday and fitted it on the Thursday.

Two weeks later (after the electrician and I had both returned from holiday) the under-cupboard lights were fitted…..

……and the next day my old fridge freezer was taken away, so I had all my rooms back!  I was able to finish moving everything back to normal places and do a (reasonably) good clean.

A new blind was also chosen and measured for…… so it is just a matter of waiting for it to arrive and be fitted.  And everyone had to be payed, of course.

Time for a few “before” and “after” photos……

 

So, has it been a good idea to get it done?  Well, it looks good and at the moment everything is clean and pristine!  How long will it stay like that?

The cooker is taking some time to get used to.  Grilling sausages for the first time since I have been here set off the smoke alarms – just like in my old house!  I think the grill needs to be a bit less hot.  I am also still reaching for drawers that aren’t there and having to work out where I have put some things, but that will no doubt be sorted with time.

But yes, on the whole I am pleased with it.