Sep 27, 2013

My kitchen nightmare...(Finally finished!!)

On January 28th this year we started the kitchen renovation.  Last Thursday (September 19th) they were officially finished. I'm pretty sure kitchens don't usually take that long to be renovated- it's not as if we had new walls built or even a change of appliances- we only had the cupboards changed... or at least that was the plan. But as with all best laid plans, things don't always go the way you intended!

Here's how it went for us:

Old kitchen- yellow, tatty and in need of a spruce, spend many weeks/weekends choosing new colours and styles...
















Kitchen dismantled:






























New granite and shelves/cupboards added
















Start to fill up shelves from 'storage' (aka lounge floor)















Discover tipped over bottle of olive oil on carpet!!!!! DISASTER!!

Call insurance- who send a man round but he can't get the stain out so we need new carpet- and they will pay! (As it happens we have matching carpet coverage so they completely re-carpet the whole house while they're at it!)

BUT- have to spend weeks and weekends debating colors.....

PLUS, if we have new carpets, then we need new lounge blinds that match carpet and new kitchen as it's open plan, spend more weeks and weekends debating colors....




Discover chip and cracks in granite: PANIC!




FINALLY FINISHED!!!!!




I think it'll be a while before we do anything else to the house... how about you? Any renovation nightmares? Do you love renovating? 

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14 comments:

  1. HelenSeptember 27, 2013 at 9:48 AM

    Louisa

    I am glad it all turned out so well in the end I would have been very frustrated with all of this going on LOL. We had an addition added to our house many years ago and decided to get a new kitchen at the same time but the people who came to put the kitchen in did so many things wrong or were about to thank heavens our builder was there and stopped them from really making a mess but the kitchen did go in in a day :)

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. Louisa GeorgeSeptember 27, 2013 at 12:59 PM

      Helen, I kept saying, 'it'll be nice when it's finished,' repeatedly to try to keep positive! I'm so glad your kitchen turned out okay- thank goodness for a smart builder!

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  2. Annie WestSeptember 27, 2013 at 10:47 AM

    Louisa, I love the photos. Thanks for sharing. I've been thinking about revamping our kitchen but after hearing about your time frame I'm wondering if I've got the energy. It looks worth it though!

    We renovated (well added to our old house and revamped a couple of existing rooms) just before our second child was born. Like you we had stacks of time - or so it seemed. I do recall talking to the subcontractor when I was 8 months pregnant and our 'living' space was reduced to a two seater sofa amidst piles of storage and telling him I expected it to be completed by the time I got out of the maternity ward. It was...just!

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    1. Louisa GeorgeSeptember 27, 2013 at 1:00 PM

      I'm sure if you revamped your kitchen it wouldn't take you as long- and make sure you don't spill any oil on your carpet!

      I'm so glad you managed to have a fully finished house by the time number 2 baby came along- nursing in dust isn't very desirable!

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  3. Sharon ArcherSeptember 27, 2013 at 11:13 AM

    Argh, Blogger ate my comment and naturally it was the most profound creation - I can say that because it will never be seen again! LOL

    Louisa, I love your new kitchen! Thinking about our rather sad old kitchen - narrow benches, wooden tops that desperately need some TLC, dark dark green wallpaper ... but I must stop thinking about it becuase we're currently mid-bathroom-renovation and have been for some time! My dh and I are very very VERY slow renovators!

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  4. Louisa GeorgeSeptember 27, 2013 at 1:02 PM

    Sharon, I remember you started your bathroom renos around about the same time we started our kitchen ones- hope you're making progress! Being in chaos does get on your nerves after a while, eh?

    Sorry to hear blogger was being a pain again! Grrr!

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  5. Mary PrestonSeptember 27, 2013 at 5:56 PM

    I loathe renovating. In the past ten years I think we have just about done the entire house. It's messy & disruptive.

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    1. Louisa GeorgeSeptember 28, 2013 at 12:34 PM

      Mary, I feel your pain! There are some people who never seem happy unless they're planning another room design or a house build...I'm not one of them.

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  6. Jennifer St GeorgeSeptember 28, 2013 at 9:55 AM

    Love your new kitchen, Louisa.

    Renovating. Don't get me started. We renovated our current house and it cost double the original quote. DOUBLE! Needless to say it put us off renovating anything again. The result is magnificent and we try to enjoy it twice as much to make sure we are getting value for money!

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    1. Louisa GeorgeSeptember 28, 2013 at 12:36 PM

      LOL- Jen, I had a similar experience a few years ago with a pool and garden overhaul- now I make sure my kids spend as much time as they possibly can out there just to get my money's worth. Honestly, makes you wonder how these builders ever keep in business if they can't quote properly!

      Glad you're happy with the finished result though!

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  7. Michelle DouglasSeptember 28, 2013 at 10:15 AM

    You new kitchen is fab, Louisa!

    However, your experiences only instils a deeper sense of foreboding in me where renovations are concerned. Our house is starting to fall down but I'm still sticking my fingers in my ears and singing la-la-la at the top of my voice in an effort to ignore it all.

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  8. Louisa GeorgeSeptember 28, 2013 at 12:37 PM

    Michelle- keep singing, girl!! LOL- I know what you mean, we still have rooms that need doing, plus the outside and apart from the cost I just don't have the energy or inclination!

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  9. Amy AndrewsSeptember 28, 2013 at 2:03 PM

    Looks fab, Louisa. You must be appy with the end result despite the....setbacks

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  10. Rachel BaileySeptember 30, 2013 at 8:09 AM

    Louisa, I feel your pain. We've been very slowly renovating as well, but we're not up to the kitchen. In fact, I'm a little bit scared of it for the exact reasons you've illustrated. But, wow, it looks great at the end!

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