Kitchen renovation - the big one !

My husband has been longing to renovate our kitchen since we moved into the house back in 2007.  12 years later it happened.

How we got to this

The kitchen was split into 3 rooms and had not been touched for over 50 years !

This is the old kitchen area

Then the pantry

Then the wash room/utility

The room was knocked into one big space

We had to to get an architect and a structural engineer involved to help with the plans for the steel beams, and ensure we got the correct building regs.

Then the demolition process could commence !! Bring on operation kitchen

 This old fireplace was stripped right back, this was going to house the new log burner

The slate slab in the pantry was carefully removed to be used as the hearth for the log burner

This slate will have been in the house since it was built so great to be able to re-use it

This big Belfast sink will become a "herb garden" feature in the courtyard

These are the old windows - could not wait to get new ones in and lovely new patio door where these windows were

New patio door to be fitted here

Old windows out

Sledge hammer alert

Goodbye pantry

Hello huge kitchen !!!

The space was huge

A well earned beer at the end of the day

The only way to cope with such an upheaval was to embrace it and go with the flow !!
Luckily I had prepared 50 fresh meals the week before to freeze !! Meal times we a little bit chaotic, but not half as bad as it would have been if I had not prepped the food !!

Candle lit "alfresco" dinner for 2

Beef and ale stew !!

I organised myself a make shift kitchen area in the dining room (which we decided to decorate just before starting the kitchen, but it came in really handy for storing everything, before we got the new carpet fitted)

Quite enjoyed the adventure really !! 

To make the kitchen ready for the steel work, we had to dig out four holes for the vertical beams

New steel work going in

Those who renovate together, stay together

Loved the new "dishwasher" ha ha

While Gary dug out the holes I got to work on the chimney breast - couldn't find the safety googles so I used my old ski goggles

Before

After

A little bit of luxury in between the mayhem with my bestie

It was like living on a building site ! The courtyard will be the next project !!

Look at all of the rubbish

Gary was in his element - he has wanted to do the kitchen for so long

Back wall came out ready for the bi-fold doors and the new steels were fitted

The building inspector checked the steel work so the holes could be filled with cement

The new windows and patio door were fitted before we started plaster boarding

The windows were sourced from https://www.quickslide.co.uk/ again.  

Cannot recommend them enough.  We have used them for all our replacement windows so far

 Once the old plaster had been knocked off it was time to re board the walls ahead of plastering

The ceiling and walls have all been insulated

This wall required some stud work before the walls could be boarded

Starting to take shape now but still along way to go

I did some more work on the chimney breast

This arch is going to look fantastic

New hearth fitted in fireplace - the old slate slab from the pantry

The chimney breast looked great once it had all been re pointed once all the old joints had been ground out

Why would you cover something like this up ?

BEFORE

AFTER

Bi fold doors started to make the room take shape

The floor was then levelled at the kitchen end of the room

Was like mixing a big Christmas cake !

New coving and ceiling rose all fitted by Classic Plater Moulds who have worked their magic again ! Their work is first class !  https://classicplastermoulds.co.uk/

Log burner looked great in it's new home

Floor tiles looking fab !

Felt like we had turned a corner when the kitchen got delivered

We got the kitchen from Jolly's kitchens - fantastic customer service and a lovely family company

https://www.arjollylimited.co.uk/home.html

Lots of boxes everywhere

The first stage was to place all the units in roughly the correct places

Couldn't wait to build the drinks cabinet

Some seconds fix electrics was the next stage with our electrician and then we started putting the kitchen together

Suppose I was a bit naive and thought the cupboards all came ready just to fit

I could not have been more wrong, the amount of decisions that have to be thought of along the way was immense.  I understand now why it costs good money to get a kitchen fitted perfectly.  It is all the hidden jobs that you can't see when it is all completed.

Taking shape

Lovely larder unit

Love the colour we chose

After another hard days graft I gave Gary this framed photo to show him how much he had achieved in 35 days

So excited to finally have an oven !!! whoop whoop I will drink to that !!

Started to fit more of the units - can't wait for the all singing all dancing drinks cabinet to be completed

Looking forward to filling it up with gin

Managed to get the new log burner fitted at the weekend what a beast

Mary Poppins popped round to clean the chimney before we fitted the new flue

We choose a great day for doing it

New closure plate fitted

All in a days work

We bought the stone from Stoves Online and were blown away with the customer service.  We love the Dru 64 stove we chose. https://www.stovesonline.co.uk/

The slate slab from the old pantry made a fantastic hearth

A long day and a very much needed celebratory drink and relax ........

After a quiet few days on the kitchen front we now have more cabinets in

The fridge freezer, dishwasher and washer are also in place.

We had a nice night in the kitchen at the weekend - and jazzed up the drinks cabinet - can't wait to get all the lighting fitted inside

Bought a couple of bits for the kitchen at the weekend too

Have been looking for a stags head for the chimney breast for a while and we found just what we wanted.  It is hand crafted from reclaimed timber

Along with a little chef duck

Starting to all come together slowly

Lighting fitted in the drinks cabinet

We got our oak work tops from https://www.worktop-express.co.uk/.

Very prompt delivery and friendly delivery men.

We are very impressed the quality of the work tops and would not hesitate to recommend this company

The work tops needed oiling and they look great - photos to follow

The kitchen is starting to take shape now.  The lighting is from https://www.oceanlighting.co.uk/

They prices matched all the lighting and the prices were really competitive

We pushed the boat out and got a WOLF gas hob - my husband wanted to treat himself as he really enjoys cooking.  He saw James Martin using the WOLF hob once and we managed to source it online

Love the colours we have chosen for the walls - two tone, one blue and one grey to go with the two tone kitchen

Work tops are ready for oiling

The long work top getting it's final cut for the sink and taps

The lounge end of the kitchen needed the floor levelling before the new parque flooring could be fitted

Then it was time to get the new floor fitted

All coming together now

Was great to get the drinks cabinet finally sorted - bought this gin in Staithes as it matched the kitchen colour scheme

Then we added some shelves in the pantry for the recipe books

Starting to feel cosy now

Running water downstairs was a novelty after 2 and a half months of no water downstairs

The original Belfast sink we wanted to use that had been in the house since it was built was not usable due to it size, so we managed to source another one off market place as did not a brand new one.

Some more final touches with the fitting of the blinds

At last the kitchen really came together and we could not be happier with the result.
We love our 1909 kitchen
http://www.1909kitchens.co.uk/

Loving the new breakfast bar area !

Starting to enjoy some cooking nights

My favourite part is the drinks cabinet

How lovely is the gift off my bestie ! A photo book illustrating the 3 month journey of the kitchen renovation ! #thoughtful #lovelygift

Now to enjoy some fantastic cooking nights and entertaining

Has been a long 3 months but all the hard work as been worth every second

Now to relax and enjoy .............................