Prosperous soul in the making

savingholmes

I took Wednesday off as leave so I'd have a rest. I went to H0bb*cr@ft and bought some sewing and painting stuff. I've made a out 6 masks this week - all by hand. I've paid another £84 off our target CC. We've booked to go to an NT property tomorrow for me and DH which should be fun. I've scaled back my time on MSE this week as I have been trying to reduce my tiredness. 

hugglemonster

Glad you had a break, it's so easy to do too much whilst at home that we forgot to have some down time. Well done on the credit card payment, hope you enjoy your trip tomorrow.

H x

MovingForwards

You needed the rest, probably need a lot more too. Getting supplies is always good and allows creativity to flow.

Ooooh, do tell us how it goes!

Tahlullah.H

Have fun at the NT.

savingholmes

Thanks HM, MF and Tahlullah. I went for a walk with DH and pooch midday to the local park which was nice. When I finally finished work - DD had started stripping the first cupboard door in the utility. She used my heat gun that I had for card crafts to strip the laminate She then sanded and primed it. It took her 2 hours! She then went out to see mates and I did another 3 doors while she was out LOL. DS asked me to go to McD's with him so I also did that and we had a nice chat for about an hour and half in the car. I then did another kitchen door. I have hated our kitchen beech coloured doors most of the time we've been in the house. We have only primed them  (white) so far but they look so much better already! I am planning two tone cupboards - grey for the bottom doors and white at head height.

I need to decide whether we put door handles back on or whether we fill the holes and put soft closes on instead and leave them without handles. I also need to  get all the hinges and handles looking shiny again. I will try k3tchup. The walls also need repainting. The ceiling needs replastering however DD still regularly floods the bathroom which then floods the kitchen so may wait for that.

I would like to revamp our kitchen at minimal cost while still potentially putting in some of the features we would have done if we had ripped it out and replaced it. In an ideal world I would like:

• Soft close doors - looks like I can get for £1.50 per door! - so £15-30.
• Add an end unit where our bins are with a waist high oven (desirable).- this would increase our storage space - although I would then need a bin solution! - £250-500 for the oven plus £150 for unit - if we moved the oven - would also need to put something in its place! As a minimum need a door. Call it another £50
• Replace our defunct gas hob with an induction hob £170-400
• Take out our existing oven hood and replace it with a quieter, more stylish one £100-200
• Replace the kitchen counters with something that is heat proof (ours are 19 years old and warped underneath) - £300-400
• See if I could create a pull out larder system so less bending needed - £100
• Put narrow shelves in the gap where we currently precariously balance lidded food boxes on top of one another - if one falls they all do! Could probably do for free reusing stuff we already have. 

Even if I picked the most expensive version of the price range I've put above - that would come to around £1830. We would need a professional to fit the new electrical items and do the counters - most of the rest we could do ourselves. So perhaps another £300. I'm very tempted to do it - out of next month's pay. Will discuss with DH and see what he says. I want to repaint the doors first anyway. I think another l0ckd0wn is likely in winter and it would be lovely if we could get it sorted first!

Chrystal

Sounds lke brilliant plans for the kitchen for a comparably small price. 

Hope you have a lovely day out tomorrow. XX

DancingInTheRain

Kitchen plans sound great and we'll thought out too.
Have a lovely weekend x

jwil

If you are moving the oven to where the bins are, you could turn the empty oven spot into a bin/recycling cupboard.  You could put a door on it and then have your bins out of sight.  The plans sound great and great value too.

Have a lovely weekend.

StripeyTightsSpottySocks

Hi Savings just caught up - i hope you have a lovely weekend. 

The changes you've done to the kitchen already with the doors sound like they've given you a boost. I'm trying to envisage your other plans - it sounds like you'd feel like you'd have a new kitchen for a fraction of the cost - if i've got that right - which sounds bargainous 

savingholmes

Thanks Crystal, Jwil, Dancing and Stripey. I know we aren't debt free yet but one of the first things we wanted to do when we were was upgrade the kitchen. As you've said - rather than spending the £7K our neighbours did - I can hopefully get most of what really matters to me for between £1.5-2.5K. It should be an investment when we come to sell and add value - but hopefully this way we get at least a year's enjoyment out of it first. 

I have rubbed ketchup over all the metal hinges and handles. I am leaving it to soak in. I've bought some soft closers from Am**** 10 for £12.99 - I will test them out before buying more and some round dot bumpers £3.99 for 100. Also bought some black vinyl wrap for the dishwasher £7.98 - wish me luck! Two of my sisters are now considering making over their kitchens too LOL. We are going to focus on repainting all the doors and see how that looks before taking the bigger steps of the oven, hob, counter etc. Having looked at our extractor fan - it looks like I could get a new unit for the rectangle bit for about £40 which might solve the noise issue.

It's been raining on and off today - hoping it holds off while we go to our NT property around 3pm. I hadn't realised we couldn't take our dog so a bit gutted about that. I've booked to go to one of my favourite NT properties next Saturday but I am not sure we can take our dog there either. Will need to check.