my finished kitchen !!!

At last it's done. Can you believe we actually started it in June, but then life got in the way ie. working for a living, and choices to be made, with finances taken into account.

Just a couple of notes first -

1)   We DON'T really like the unit doors, BUT financially we couldn't do everything.
Our biggest expense was having a new boiler and having it moved, including all the pipework.
It cost loads and added to the other necessary items, the doors will have to stay for now.
I know I can paint them, but these doors are a horrible kind of plastic shrink wrap and I don't think the paint would survive - not in our household anyway !!!

What we did change -
the oven and hob,
the sink and taps,
the work surfaces,
the back door,
the flooring,
and the fridge freezer.

Then we added a couple of new units, shelving, the cupboard door, and the wall covering.

My old geezer in a BEFORE pic. Luckily his 12 year old daughter took these photos of her Dad at work as I took none - I didn't blog then !!!

You can just see the fridge freezer that used to be in the space on the left at the back, and the boiler.

The ceiling had been re-plastered ages ago and we hoped to have at least one wall of exposed bricks, but they weren't any good.

THE AFTER - a shot taken at virtually the same angle.

Another BEFORE shot.

There's the ghastly old boiler, the dropped ceiling, that accommodates a section of the stairs, and three layers of tiles, that the old geezer is trying to prise off.

And AFTER.

The wall units came from the other side (they seriously blocked out the light).

One new double unit at the end. A new fridge and freezer (well actually second hand off ebay, but in very good condition). Re-purposed wood into new shelves (no cost). And of course a new work top.

Before this, there were two butchers blocks and a little drinks fridge here - so hardly any work top at all. And also there was yet another inbuilt cupboard at the end, but we blocked this off because it can be reached via the hall.

And the last BEFORE shot I have.

Old oven and extractor fan, beech effect doors AND work top AND floor actually !

And NOW.

My nice new induction hob and oven. Less cupboards getting in my way. New 'cashmere white' worktop - it's the best we could find for our budget.

Another view. The wall units used to be here blocking out the light !

My new ceramic sink (ebay), and taps (local diy store) and OOPS I've forgotten to silicone round the sink (truthfully I've been putting it off because it's not easy stuff to use).

Also apologies - please don't look out the window. The 'lean to' (not posh enough to be called a conservatory) needs some serious work.

I love my little fan, but even more I love the little pully system that opens the top window.

This house was built in 1935 and this is original, so I can't bring myself to re-string it or change the 'ends', but perhaps I should ?

Other favourite things - my little hooks,

Painted white of course.

My duallit toaster - a gift ! Everyone should have a best friend like Pandy.

My £3.00 shelf, which I wrote about here

And the doors I wrote about here

and here

And I'm loving the new darker laminate - you can see the old one in the hall in this picture.

We have enough of this to do the whole ground floor, and it was on sale. What would have cost us about £500, cost us £250 - for the whole lot.

So, it's done YIPEE. I love my new kitchen and so it's onto the hall - I may just be injecting a little bit of colour, and thanks if you stayed for the whole post. You know what it's like though - keeping a diary like this is quite a cathartic process.

Thanks to everyone who visits x

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All the best to all of you for 2012

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