Kitchen & Bathroom renovation wish lists

lostinrates

Arlandria606 wrote: »

Absolutely - couldn't agree more about the baths! Something tells me we don't live anywhere near each other. Definitely no verandas in my area!

Veranda is a bit of a grandiose word for what it is , lol.

Its an area that covers an awkward return on a house with a corrugated metal roof :rotfl: installed by some farmer some time last century, overhauled by us (well, our builder) year before last and listed. Yep, we have a listed 'tin roof'. :rotfl:

We do have pp and listed building people approval to change it to glass in the future, but.....tbh, I've grown quite fond of it.

browneyedbazzi

I'm in the process of having the bathroom done and the main extra we're having is electric underfloor heating. It's not as expensive to put in as you think it will be and because it can be on a separate thermostat/timer to the rest of the heating and only used when you want it most (ie in the morning when people are getting up to shower and you don't want cold toes!) it won't be too expensive to run.

The other thing that I'm (sadly) excited about is a storage bath panel - it looks pretty much like a regular bath panel but you can open it up and then use the space around the bath to store your cleaning products etc. We had one in modern rented flat and it was brilliant because the space around the bath is usually wasted and there's never enough storage space.

Also I echo what people have said above about large drawers in the kitchen for storing pots/pans/baking stuff etc instead of cupboards. That's what I have in my current kitchen and it is so much easier to make good use of the space available and to get things in/out. And good task lighting - one thing I don't have at the moment but did in my last two places (and really miss) was good lighting fixed under the eye-level cupboards to light the work surface.

One don't - high gloss units. I had them in my last place and they were an absolute nightmare to keep looking good. They needed to be washed with a detergent, rinsed with fresh water then buffed to a shine with a soft cloth to look nice. Otherwise they would have streaks/water spots/finger prints and look horrible.

dizziblonde

Storage for the annoying things like ironing board and hoover.
Space for the dogs beds
A totally better layout than we currently have - sink's miles away from cooker and dishwasher is in opposite direction for example.
Easy to clean.
About four times the size of our current one which is tiny!

Bathroom the big killer we have is a lack of storage for spare bottles of shampoo, toiletries etc... and a heated towel rail - my wishlists are fairly simple I think

hazyjo

Haven't read everything, but wanted to give some 'watch outs' for you to consider!

If you're in the slightest bit heavy-handed, avoid granite. I usually don't break anything. (I even have six intact mugs I bought back in 1994 which get used regularly!) I had granite in my last kitchen and we ended up with loads of breakages. If you imagine going to put a wine glass on top of it and catching the bottom on the edge of the worktop, it'd break. I put a wine bottle down on it flat and that completely severed the bottom of the bottle (gutted lol). Still can't for the life of me work out how it split. Didn't knock it or anything, it just fell apart!

If you choose a roll-top bath, have a separate shower enclosure!

I had a roll-top and it was a nightmare with a shower overhead (had to have a large overhead shower so make sure ceiling height is high enough to stand in bath and use shower). Also had to have one a round shower curtain rail over the top and the curtains constantly 'attacked' me. Yuck - I'm a bit phobic about them at the best of times! Can't be avoided really (unless you go for one that has an 'edge' to fit along a wall, or a fitted shower enclosure round one end of the bath, but they're very expensive) - you'll end up with water over the edge if you want a shower on a wall and a standard rolltop. Also, unless you have a rack over the middle of the bath (pain if having overhead shower), you have nowhere to store stuff round the edges.

Jx

Gillyx

Kitchen for me. (I saw one in Ikea the other day that had everything I'd love)

Island with hob (6 rings) extra freezer drawer and fridge drawer, and small sink for rinsing veg etc.

Belfast sink at one end, double door fridge/freezer. Dishwasher. Double eye level oven (brilliant for cooking things at 2 separate temps) built in coffee/espresso machine, loads of handy storage space, i/e cupboards which pull out for tins.

I'd also like a utility room.

Not fussy me...

Arlandria606

Gillyx wrote: »

Kitchen for me. (I saw one in Ikea the other day that had everything I'd love)

Island with hob (6 rings) extra freezer drawer and fridge drawer, and small sink for rinsing veg etc.

Belfast sink at one end, double door fridge/freezer. Dishwasher. Double eye level oven (brilliant for cooking things at 2 separate temps) built in coffee/espresso machine, loads of handy storage space, i/e cupboards which pull out for tins.

I'd also like a utility room.

Not fussy me...

Public Service Announcement: Ikea are overhauling their kitchen ranges in April. Faktum will be no more, replaced with Metod (though you'll be able to buy Faktum until July). The Swedish version of their website has a few details, but you can't get to specifics without logging in. Basically there's now different sizes, including heights, for the units, and (from what I've seen) some new styles.

I've had an Ikea kitchen planned down to the tiniest details and saved ready to do in the next couple of years, so part of me is annoyed that my plan might go to waste, and part of me is thrilled that I get to plan it again with possibly cooler solutions. (I love a scale diagram and spreadsheet, me.)

goodfriend_

Icey77 wrote: »

OMG! Why not go the whole hog and just use paper plates and be done with it!! :rotfl:

Really!!??? Wow, I am astounded and really, really want to go to a high end kitchen shop now

I’m surprised! It’s when you are too lazy to do something! I just laugh when I read someone’s proposition to go the whole hog and just use paper plates and be done with it!! It’s ridiculous to have two dishwashers and use them this way. You know, under traditional Jewish Law, dishes that are for meat cannot touch dishes for dairy. Only some Jews use 2 dishwashers. Others clean the dishwasher in between washing meat plates and dairy plates. Maybe you also don’t want to mix meat with other dishes? LOL

lady1964

These wish lists are great; we're planning to install an ensuite and will see if we can use a few ideas from peoples' wish lists.

I'd certainly like a socket to charge my toothbrush & the mirror with lights sounds great, we won't have room for a bath but we have one in our main bathroom so don't need an additional one.

We're just waiting for the quote from the builder to se if we can get the extras we want as we're also adding a walk in wardrobe/dressing room (changing 2 bedrooms into master with ensuite etc).

squirrelchops

On my wish list would be an island with refridgerator drawers in it. Would need a large kitchen for this, but one can dream. Also double oven.

Seriously though, after the wish list comes the planning of where you want everything to go. My kitchen was installed based on how I wanted it. Hence I hate stooping to see in the oven so it is at a sensible level. The drawers and cupboards were put where they would suit me in terms of when I cook. Also, if you have an extractor put in make sure it doesn't jut out too much - i have seen those glass hoods that look fab but you forever catch your head on them!

Personally, although at times a pain with the upkeep in terms of sanding and oiling, I like solid wood work tops.

We have done several kitchens now and find the 'wow' factor can be added to even a cheap kitchen with a good worktop, handles, tiles and lighting.

Oh and and on the subject of handles - seriously this is a a bigger task than you think! Try out styles - i hate the very shallow built in ones - hurt your fingers if you can't open and trap dirt!

theoretica

Bathroom: somewhere to sit is rather handy for foot care etc.