Aibu to want to replace this kitchen now

[Cantinao]

Hi, DH and I have just moved into our new house- it’s somewhere we plan to stay until the kids have flown the nest, lovely house but a bit dated.

The kitchen is solid and functional but I don’t like it. It must be 20 years old. To replace it would mean that we would have to borrow more which dh is dead set against doing. He thinks that we just live with it for a few years.

i’ve attached a couple of pics. Not showing the whole room in case someone identifies me!!

could you live with this?

There are companies that can change/pant doors, lay a thin worktop over existing one and paint or wrap the bits that can't be changed. If you're happy with the layout and the cupboards are in decent condition that would cost far less than a whole new kitchen. Painted walls and new Lino and you'd feel completely different about it for a fraction of the cost.

It's ugly and outdated so yes I would like to change it but makes sense to wait and save - could you potentially buy something more spendy if you waited?

Before our current kitchen, we had a kitchen from Wickes.
We didn’t replace it straight away because it was brand new.

It’s a cheap kitchen because the quality is crap.

Youll be much better waiting a bit more, cope with the ugliness and then get a better quality kitchen that will really look good and will last.

Also the price of the units is a fraction of the cost even if you do all the fitting yourself. It’s the plumber, electrician, plasterer (once you’ve removed the tiles) etc…
Weve just put a new kitchen in. Dh is good at that sort of stuff, incl plumbing. It was still a huge undertaking.

lifes too short. get the kitchen you want

I mean, if you want a new kitchen that’s ok, but I think your current kitchen looks fine. It’s not ultra modern but I also don’t think it’s massively dated either

@Mmmkaay I forgot to reply. Thank you very much. Yours looks absolutely amazing I have to say, absolutely unrecognisable and truly gorgeous 😊

Look fine to me. Such a waste to replace a kitchen that’s in good condition, consider your environmental impact. Perhaps just paint or replace the doors / handles.

I would get a quote to update it. Change the worktop, sink, pelmet round the corner hood, curved doors and drawer fronts and handles. Then get a comparison quote for new units in the same layout from DIY Kitchens. Decide if you think it's worth it. If not having the available cash to make changes means it won't happen, but you can afford to pay back a loan and you'll be happier with it - let's face it we tend to spend a lot of time in kitchens - then I'd do it.

You can sell or give away units in good condition. It's twenty years old so hardly wasteful.

Yes I could live with it. As PP have said - paint the doors, walls, change the handles.

I've lived for 20 years with a kitchen I dislike - badly designed waste of a big space. But we had other priorities for our money all the time. I'n glad we kept the annoying kitchen but went on great holidays with DC instead.

Also, OP, just decide you'll redo it in 3-5 years. That gives you time ot really think about what you want it to look like, whether you want to knock through and have a bigger kitchen diner, to choose a design that won't date, that works with the natural light etc. Take time perfecting what you want and saving up for it.

I was going to say that I agree with your dh. Good money management really does pay off in the long run. However, although it doesn't align with my ethics, I understand a lot of people no longer live with things that are still functional if they don't like the look of the thing, so if you really think you can get a new kitchen (removal, repair, materials, labour, decorating) for £1200 or whatever it was then I can sympathise with the temptation. You really need a much better estimate. And it would be really smart if the decision was made after a really good understanding of your financial situation and long term goals. That said, I agree the kitchen is not pretty.

How much money would you need to borrow? Can you afford the repayments? Can you afford repayments and still have emergency fund available/ other savings?
This is a financial issue not an aesthetics issue.

I’ll add though that it doesn’t look like an ugly kitchen to me.
Those suggesting painting the cupboards- they look vinyl wrapped to me rather than wood. Is it possible to paint vinyl wrap?

I would take down some of the high cupboards and have a shelf or nothing at all, although you may need to declutter first.
I’d paint the cupboards too.

Very much like the kitchen I've lived with for 6 years. We've worked our way through the house and garden, the kitchen is the final hurdle but first we must replace the central heating boiler.

The thought of having workmen in for weeks doesn't inspire us to get on with it.

We have the same kitchen cupboards I think. German brand 20 odd years old. Well made and solid. We costed kitchens and could not justify it so we changed the sink arrangement, floor and worktop, and that has made a huge difference. Gone from dark worktop to light and awful orange floor tiles to light oak. Walls are white and we have good lighting. Instantly modernised and I am happy and can live with cupboards. I also looked at wrapping and spraying. Both reasonably priced. Wrapping worked well for my sister. Still might do that.

I would find it very difficult to get rid of a perfectly good kitchen just because I didn't like the look of it. I agree with pps, change the handles and paint it if you wish. Don't spend money you don't have.

It is dated, I do acknowledge that but getting rid of serviceable items just because of aesthetics is also a rather dated idea.

For a relatively small amount of money, you could transform it:

Change the worktop (personal choice - but I can't stand black, it's too harsh and draws-in small spaces to look even smaller).

Keep the cupboard carcasses but replace the doors.

Pay good attention to the replacement handles, as they are also a focal point.

Get rid of those awful outdated end shelves (funny how they really were all the rage once).

...sell any wastage, as it is always in demand.