My thank you speech.......

Not exactly finished as we've bought the wall tiles but they are nowhere near the walls yet, however, after 21 weeks from the first bit of destruction to the old kitchen I'm going to declare this as my finished kitchen while I can still call it new!

Before the big reveal photos I would like to thank those that made this happen.

Firstly and mainly it was designed jointly by us both but built by my very clever Hubby :-)

With supplies and help from...
* M, daughter's partner, who thought he'd left plumbing behind long ago, his knowledge and skills were a big help.
* Town Kitchens  They not only supplied all our new units, handles, cooker hood and worktops but also fitted our worktops and were generally available for help and advice. They are a great family business and it's lovely that they are all our friends too.
* Jennings Electrical Another family business and Peter is another of Hubby's friends. We gave him a bit of a challenge with all the rewiring needed, and also decided that we needed a new consumer unit (fuse box) too as the old one often used to trip.
Isn't it great that we can support small local businesses and of course they can help us out with some 'mates-rates' :-)
* K M J Plastering Services, who don't appear to have a website. Replastered all ceilings and kitchen walls so you can't see the holes in the ceiling from fitting a cooker hood, or channels in the walls from the rewiring.
* Top-Floors their cute salesman Gary and lovely fitter made an excellent job of the floor, dinning room was easy but the kitchen was definitely not, so well done.
*Topps Tiles  For the tiles and trims and cement and grout that are all stacked ready.
* And of course I played my part with all the moving stuff out, getting pictures off walls and the moving it all back again afterwards.

So here are some "before" photos. This is the kitchen I designed and Hubby built more than 20 years ago.

And this is what it looks like today...

If you want to work your way through the full transformation in photos go to
 2013 kitchen rebuild
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Destruction - again...

One of the few things that definitely did not need changing in this major kitchen rebuild, was the light fitting. It's a round fluorescent tube that's neat and gives a really good even light and I like it. Unfortunately it now seems to blow the whole electrics when it is turned off, not every time but maybe twice a week! It was rewired but the electrician assures us it couldn't be anything to do with that, the starter has been changed but that didn't improve things, so a whole new light is on order!

Also, not really destruction but a bloody nuisance, our new kettle which has been in constant use for weeks now, will still sometimes have that horrid plasticy taste. We are throwing so many mugs of tea and coffee away and boiling up again that it's costing far too much. We even got the bloke in to test all our water purifying system just in case it was that. This morning I'm boiling it up with bicarb to see if that help, meanwhile I'm drinking milky coffee from the microwave. Think we'll have to buy a new kettle again too!
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Construction - part 9......

New floor arrived yesterday. It's a really thick vinyl.

Hubby was up really early clearing out the last of the furniture. Only way he could manoeuvre the base of our large dining table was to get inside it and carefully walk it through the doorways into the lounge, then of course walk it back again afterwards. No easy task as the hall is still full of furniture too!

Lovely fitter guy, took about an hour to do the dinning room side and another five hours to do the kitchen area! Poor chap also cut his hand quite badly on the back of our cooker :(

Although Hubby had done lots of measuring and checking before fitting the only cupboard door that goes to the floor, he's now in there redrilling hinge holes so it opens over the vinyl.
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Construction/Decoration - ongoing....

Ten weeks so far and kitchen is in full use now although stuff still to do. Dining room painting started today, so I had furniture to move and book cases to empty and the only place left for them to go is the hallway.

Construction - part 8....

Now in its 10th week, the kitchen, far from being finished is in a fully operational state (even if I'm not). Yesterday the plasterer returned to do the other part of the dining room ceiling so it now matches the rest.

Which of course means all the dining room furniture looks like this...

We have chosen the wall tiles, which if you look closely you'll notice are not plain white but have 'polo mint' shapes over them, which will just catch the light occasionally.  And after looking at all sorts of borders and being told that the ones I'd found online, kept a picture of but failed to bookmark, were now discontinued by the tile shop  :-(   so we actually decided on this simple chrome trim instead.

We've also chosen (only this morning) the flooring and just waiting for the lovely young salesman to come back with a quote before we actually order it. Silly me forgot to take a photo of it, but here is a poor copy from a webpage....

Hubby has done a bit more plumbing trying to improve the waterflow through the taps, it is a little bit faster but probably not enough of a difference to justify the hassle, but you don't know until you try.

We're still waiting for a replacement cupboard door and drawer front that arrived damaged and replacement cooker hood filters that are two different mesh at the moment and hubby needs to finish fitting the carousel cupboard and of course the dining room needs decorating as soon as the new plaster has dried out but before the new flooring arrives. So still very much his ongoing project!
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Baking again...

Well the kitchen is nowhere near finished but the new cooker is open for business and all the food has found cupboard homes so even though I'm still hunting down all the bowls pots and pans I've cooked dinners this week and today with Daughter and the children here I just had to cook up a big batch of chocolate fairy cakes. Didn't realise how much I'd missed spontaneous baking   :-)

Even though Hubby and I have both got rotten colds and when the children ran outside to play in the first warm(ish) sunny day for months, having to carefully manoeuvre round the old kitchen debris by the back door, it seemed almost normal again!
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Construction - part 7....

Sorry if you've dropped by to read the next excited progress report, because this time I need to have a moan!

Yesterday Hubby started putting some drawers together and the two units either side of the cooker are now complete, except they still haven't brought the handles, so I had to put some brown tape strips on them so they can be opened. When we first ordered the kitchen we chose the handles that were on display in the shop and Barbara very kindly said we could have them for free as they were leftover stock. Then when Mark came to take specific measurements he said we may not like those handles (guess he doesn't like them) and to not feel obligated when we see them if we change our minds. Of course if we change or minds they will then need to order replacements, but they still haven't delivered them!

Second main moan was also highlighted when Hubby was working on drawers. When Charlie was here to do the worktops he did a great job, however when he cut the hole for the sink it wasn't exactly over the cupboard so he had to cut a gap out of the two joining sides of that cupboard and the one beside it for the half sink to sit, ok so far, however the plumbing below that Hubby and M moved to get it all ready now has to be moved again and we are now not sure that the runners for that drawer has enough wood to screw to!!!

My other moans are to do with how things don't look exactly how I wanted them to which I know is me being over fussy. When we ordered the sink and taps it was out of a catalogue even though I kept asking Hubby that we see them first but we didn't. I wanted a textured or brushed stainless steel (like I had before) as I find them so much easier to clean, however the new sink has a brushed edge but the main bowls and draining board are not so it's going to need all water marks polished off all the time grrrr plus the taps are a brushed stainless steel and they look really yellow against the shiny silver sink so they are going back and being replaced, but of course as luck would have it when Charlie was here he very kindly removed all the surplus packages so we haven't got the taps box and will probably not get our money back for them!

And finally (for now) I have to mention the worktop edge. Charlie has done a really neat job of the joins, which is a pet hate of mine, and the veneer on the cut edges, however along the entrance into the kitchen space we have rounded front worktop on the right and square cut edge on the left as there was no other way to do it. Hopefully when it's all done I'll learn to ignore it.

Right well that is moaning over and yes I'm really proud of Hubby's hard work and I know it will be lovely, but this very prolonged winter weather (looking at a snow covered garden yet again) and kitchen chaos now in week seven and today having no electrics as Peter is in the kitchen fitting a new consumer unit, just meant I needed to blow a little steam here, hopefully you won't hear any more negatives.
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Construction - part 6....

Quick update on the kitchen but I'm thinking I may not put any more progress photos on here as it will no doubt spoil the grand reveal when it's done! I'm such a tease :-)

Yesterday the worktops went in and what a difference it makes, the whole shape of the kitchen is now defined. We did have the professional in for this job as one of my pet hates is noticeable joins and they use special tools which of course hubby doesn't have, nor does he have experience which does make a difference. One problem was the "professional" cut the worktop for the sink slightly left of where it was expected to be which looks fine from above but below means the pipework doesn't match up, so hubby and M will have to bend pipes yet again........although that will have to wait a while as neither if us like the taps that arrived as the brushed chrome looks yellow against the sink, so replacement taps should be here Monday.
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Construction - part 5.....

Hubby was out all day yesterday, so a well earned break from all the DIY.
But with the end of last week and cracking on early today there's plenty to show you...

Lots more plumbing.

Which has meant no sink since last Friday. Thank goodness we have a downstairs loo with sink!

Nearly all the base units have been put together and stand roughly in their new home.

And then more boxes arrived!

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Construction - part 4.....

This was so nearly a very tragic update with Hubby in my baddest of books, so nearly but thankfully not at all.

Let me set the scene...Hubby is a self taught DIY enthusiast and he built me a beautiful kitchen more than 20 years ago and it worked so well for me (even though I'm quite short). So right at the outset of the "I need to replace this kitchen" versus "I love this kitchen keep your hands off it" discussions (which started in 2007 and came to a head this year), it came down to my tick list of things I had to have, the absolute main non-negotiable must keep at all costs were my two corner carousels that had integrated doors that spun inside as the carousel turned and therefore took up no floorspace. Brilliant !!!

When looking at all new kitchens not one range had corner units like them. They had similar turning shelves but fully opening hinged double door, or there are the wire basket types that slide along when the door is open or lots of variations on the same theme.

Hubby decided that he could buy a new corner unit, replace the sides with end panels and remove the old carousel and install it into the new cupboard. We both knew it would be a lot of work and I managed to redesign the kitchen so it would only need one of these Heath Robinson affairs.

The new units arrived and the corner unit got unpacked and there was some crashing and banging and swearing and more banging for ages. Eventually Hubby decided to go to bed and his parting words were "you can't have your carousel, it just won't fit".

Well to cut this long long story down to size, I'm pleased to announce that after nearly two days of his hard grafting and my very gentle encouragements and suggestions (*wink*) he got it to fit and work with the old doors. Fingers crossed when the new doors go on they will fit too.

See struggle, struggle, struggle, success!!!
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Construction - part 3 ....

Yay the new kitchen has arrived.

Although not quite ready to use!
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Construction - part 2....

Just a quick update to say the plastering is all done and drying out nicely.

And the new cooker arrived this morning and will be connected up this afternoon but will have to stay under a cover for a while yet.

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Song, sob, sisters, sleepover......

Hubby and I with sisterS and bilK want to holiday together again in August but as yet we hadn't managed to research independently so decided to do it together and arranged a weekend at theirs (which is a two and a half hour drive from ours). I actually know someone who would cringe reading 'theirs' and 'ours' when I know it would only be correct to write 'their house' and 'our house'. Sorry to say in blogland I do get a bit lazy, so if it offends you I apologise! 

Anyway, as you know there is a kitchen revamp underway here and Hubby had cleared and prepared all that was needed for our electrician to come Monday so the whole weekend was packed for a relax at my sister's before all the hardwork.

Of course there was a little hitch (isn't there always) as the plasterer said Thursday night that he'd had a job cancelled so he could do our ceiling next Tuesday and the walls on Wednesday. I checked if hubby was still happy staying away two nights and he said "Yes it will be lovely having a proper break before all the hardwork starts!"

Friday morning we set off via Daughter's as I needed to drop my car there (she is still car-less) and got to sisterS for a late lunch. We haven't seen them since the family gathering at the end of December so big hugs all round. The plan for that evening was eating out and the cinema, so after their shopping delivery we walked to the station and two stops hopped off again (public transport novelty for us hahaha), pizza/pasta fill-up first yummy then Odeon for a film bilK had prebooked. Song for Marion staring Terence Stamp and Venessa Redgrave. It's a weepy about her last days with terminal cancer and her husband coming to terms with it. I'll not bother giving a review of the film itself cos for me and sisterS it was just too close to reality   :-(

When we woke Saturday morning hubby then said "we'll have to go home today, there is so much to do now the plasterer is coming Tuesday".  So after breakfast we told them we would only have the one day to sort out the holiday as we would leave after the special dinner we knew sisterS had planned (not missing out on a yummy dinner eh?).

We all looked at the few links I'd shared for package hotels I'd found on the internet. Actually I'd discovered that Teletext Holidays seemed to offer the sort of thing I was searching for at the best prices. Well we were all ummming and arrrrring a lot and then Hubby mentioned his mate Ray’s place in Spain which they quite liked the sound of, so hubby sent him an email to see if it was available in August.  Then we were interrupted by football and rugby on tv, so sisterS and I walked down to the High St and popped in to see her friend the travel agent and collect some brochures.

Later on hubby found a holiday in one of the brochures that appealed to us all and I rang the company to check there were still places available but didn't book it because hubby needs to hear back from Ray and bilK needs to get confirmation from work that he can take those dates as it falls at the end of a major project he's part of. So fingers crossed!

Dinner was really lovely, so glad we stayed, and the late drive home must have been uneventful as I think I slept most of it.

And today we have both been working in the space that used to be my kitchen. So I'll leave you with a few building site photos.....

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Construction - part 1.....

First new thing to go into the kitchen was a radiator (it needed to be smaller and further along the wall). Of course the heating system had to be drained down and the old rad removed. M was here sharing his plumbing expertise with Hubby and between them it went without a hitch.....until the switching back on bit!!!

By this time I'd already put on my fleece jacket, on top of a blouse and cardigan, also added a scarf and when I curled up on the sofa I pulled a blanket over my legs (I really hate being cold). Meanwhile Hubby and M did lots of radiator bleeding round the whole house and boiler resetting and head scratching and going around the radiators again and then discovering an extra reset button hidden behind a panel on the boiler and finally all working and a warm house again :-)

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Destruction - part 2 (with a sniff and a cough)....

I've got the rotten cold now, but hey I don't work anymore so no deciding if I need to take sick leave, I live in a lovely warm house fully stocked with food, boxes of tissues and a bottle of blackcurrent squash (my favourite hot drink when I'm not well) so just a case of riding it out!


Kitchen update is still at the destruction stage.

Cupboards coming off and the first hole in the ceiling. On the positive side we are very nearly at the stage of confirming the order for the new kitchen units, the electrician is coming next week to put in new hard wiring and isolation switches and possibly a new fuse box (not sure when he's actually coming as his wife is due to deliver their second baby any day now) and the cooker has been ordered for 1st March delivery.
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Destruction - part 1......

Hoping this will be an ongoing story of destruction closely followed by construction ending with finished wonderful KITCHEN.

Hubby and I have managed to get through the planning, rearranging, replanning, drawing up, choosing units stage. We've had a friend (who is also a kitchen supplier/fitter) involved. He came for consult, his wife just for a chat, then we went to visit their daughter in the showroom and then their son came to take exact measurements and work out solutions for a couple of tricky bits.....now just waiting for them to comeback with a price for parts only as Hubby will be doing all the work! Also waiting for another of Hubby's friends, the electrician, to come round (he's on holiday just now) to talk over and price up all the rewiring needed, as the cooker is moving across the room and a cooker hood needs to be fitted. Years ago Hubby would have done all the electrics himself but the rules have changed and only the qualified and certified are allowed to now.

Hubby will also need to find a plasterer as that is one job he doesn't like doing. But meanwhile he has started with taking tiles off the walls.

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Choosing choosing choosing....

Am I the only person on this planet who really hates shopping? I hate the choosing, especially for something expensive that I need to be happy with for a long time! At the moment we are shopping for a kitchen, a new(er) car for me and another shed for hubby.

For his shed I had to make the decisions of what size and where to put it, which thankfully wasn't too difficult. So now he's found the shed he wants to buy and is waiting for the supplier to give him exact measurements so he can make the concrete base for it.

Think I've mentioned the kitchen before. There are actually only a few things that need changing in our kitchen and I definitely need to keep the cupboards and features that work perfectly for me......so what to choose and how do we get it all to match?

And now my car. I am only it's 2nd owner but I've had it about 10 years now and it's sounding really rough and will undoubtedly cost me money to keep it going so a good time to trade it in, it's a T reg Peugeot 306 which is a pretty shape and I'd love to just replace like for like but they stopped making it years ago. I'm definitely not buying a new car as I think one that is a couple of years old is much better value for money. Hubby always drives his 'toy' whereas I consider my car a 'tool'. So far we have been to Toyota and looked at the Yaris (too small) and test drove the Auris (quite nice but nothing special). At Marshall's we looked at the Kia Rio, C'eed and Soul and took the one year old Soul Silver for a test drive which was very nice, negatives were the price and it is a bit of a quirky shape! Then at Bristo's we were surprised at the Clio's internal space, the boot space was so much bigger than it used to be, the price was really good too, so out for a test drive in that and I actually pulled the car over half way back for the dealer to take over as the seat was just so uncomfortable! The dealer was really pissed off, didn't say just could tell by his body language and the way he drove the car back as there was nothing left to negotiate over, car was fine but the seat just wasn't a fit for me! I really hate all the detail giving and haggling and time wasting and sales-pitching but mainly the choosing! But the searching and choosing goes on.

Not sure I should even type this but this laptop has had to be turned off very quickly four times in the past week as the hard drive has made a most terrible noise..........please don't make me have to choose a new laptop just yet!!!!
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Another busy week....

Had a lovely evening meal out with my usual Tuesday friends on Tuesday of course, always good to catch up with gossip haha.

Wednesday morning hubby and I drove to friendsL&K's (hour and a half away) and after a quick coffee I went with friendL to meet the coach leaving the men with their plans of computer buying and installing and moving huge wooden sleepers in the garden. FriendL is an active member of her local WI group and had arranged a coach trip to the West End to see Blood Brothers. Just 16 of us piled into a small coach and were deposited near the Phoenix Theatre, Charing Cross Road. FriendL had really kindly bought me a sandwich and bottle of water so along with others from the group we went into a little park area to sit and picnic in the sunshine (a bit chilly though). It seemed like community gardens with little paths and small areas where brick walls or large stones had been arranged for seating. We did get a couple of odd-bods walk directly into our semi-circle and start chatting but they didn't stay long and I don't think anyone felt too intimidated by them!

The show was brilliant. Marti Pellow (formerly of Wet Wet Wet) was a lead role as narrator and although I didn't actually recognise the other actors they were all brilliant. I laughed and cried!!!

We got back about 7pm(ish) and the four of us then went straight out to dinner. When we finally got back to their house to settle in the lounge we had all their cruise photos and our Florida photos to bore each other with.....then definitely ready for bed at midnight.

Thursday up not too early and lovely bacon sarnies for breakfast (thanks FriendK), then we bid our fond farewells around 10:30am(ish). On our way home Hubby and I stopped off at B&Qs to have our first look at kitchens - yes I've finally given in and letting him give ours a makeover!

Thursday evening was an art-group night. So nice to see a few more people there. I think there were 10 of us :o)  Then onto the truck stop for live music and a bit of dancing and a lot of chatting to friends. And Friday was our usual Daughter and children here for dinner day. E was doing a lot of sewing and made a full set of clothes for the rag doll she had made, clever girl in both design and execution. R spent a lot of the time sitting around not sure what she wanted to do. O was his usual cheeky self and Daughter and I cooked between us and pegged out washing and brought it back in again between us too.

Today is a relax day for me, recharging my energy levels because I've a full house again tomorrow with NieceL and her family along with Daughter and hers......off to do the shopping list now!
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