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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Kitchen renovation in early 60's, will it be worth it

20 replies

JoDolce · 13/05/2023 02:19

We've had our kitchen for 15 years & it's mostly still in brilliant condition, especially the wall & floor tiles, so it would really peeve me to even touch them tbh. I reckon we've got another 4 years life left in the cupboard doors before the laminate blisters. It's quite a small kitchen & it drives my dh mad. When the time comes he wants the kitchen knocked through into my study to make it bigger & more open plan, & part of my study made into a utility room. I don't really need my study now, like i used to but it comes in useful for the bookshelf & desk/laptop for household admin.
He wants to do it to give us more space & it'll be a better sell for our adult dc, should they be lucky enough to inherit the house.
Thing is, we've managed like this for 25 years. It's a nice kitchen but small. All this renovation should have been done years ago when we still had dc at home. When we come to have the kitchen replaced we'll be early 60's & on our own.
Without meaning to sound morbid we'll have more years behind us than in front of us. Considering how good a condition our current kitchen is in after 15 years how many more years enjoyment, or really caring about the size of it will we have left when we're in early 60's.
In our situation would you go through all that expense, mess & upheaval for just a relatively few years left of enjoyment of it, or have a new kitchen when the time comes & manage with the space/layout as we always have. It's a while off yet, but we're saving for it. I feel I will want an amazing holiday instead of having walls knocked about in the future.

OP posts:
P0tted0rchidPlant · 13/05/2023 02:55

I'm definitely voting for an amazing holiday or holidays

HollyBollyBooBoo · 13/05/2023 04:16

Crikey how long are you planning to live? You could have another 25 years of life left in you couldn't you?!

Sunnysunbun · 13/05/2023 04:23

My MIL and FIL are 80 and 88 and they just had their kitchen renovated.

mosiacmaker · 13/05/2023 04:25

you might have 20/30 years to enjoy your lovely new kitchen!

NaturalStudy · 13/05/2023 04:33

God what a depressing way to approach life. After 60 are you just going to sit waiting to die? I see your point if you can only afford a kitchen or a holiday, but not doing it because you're in your 60s will make you very old before your time.

BranchGold · 13/05/2023 04:51

Honestly, 60 isn’t a morbid death sentence. It’s actually quite worrying that you’re sort of giving up on life at that point? Average life expectancy would expect that you’d live another twenty years, with a great number of people getting to their mid 80s+.

Are you quite a glass half empty person generally?

AlienSupaStar · 13/05/2023 05:00

I would do the kitchen.

My mum and dad redid their kitchen - my mum was 65 at the time. It did take longer than promised, flaky contractors, dust for a bit but honestly I can’t tell you how happy they are with it. It’s beautiful and was what she probably wanted all the tjme
when we’re small. She so deserves to have nice thing’s whether it’s for 1 year or 20.

I am the DC in the scenario you describe and honestly I am so happy for them, it didn’t even cross my mind to think about inheritance etc - I am just so pleased for them.

Also, to be fair, when I visit them I do the cooking and it’s an absolute pleasure.

Do it.

AlienSupaStar · 13/05/2023 05:01

*all the time when we were small

GuestStars · 13/05/2023 05:06

Absolutely renovate. It’s already an old kitchen. You’re likely to be in your house for another 20+ years, so enjoy the bigger space.

awakeeveeynight · 13/05/2023 05:09

My parents (in their 70s) have just had their kitchen redone and opened up into the dining room.
It's always good to make changes to your house that will have a positive impact everyday. Yes it's expensive but a larger and more sociable kitchen I think is worth it.

ThatFraggle · 13/05/2023 05:10

All this kitchen nonsense is ridiculous. You have a perfectly good kitchen but want to spend thousands on changing it, rather than using the money to enjoy your life.

As pp have said, you could still have 20 healthy years. Enjoy them. Don't mope around in building dust. So many people don't make it to retirement age through accidents, cancer and other misfortunes. Do the things they will never get the chance to.

WeekendInTheBoondocks · 13/05/2023 05:13

Bloody hell what a thoroughly depressing way to view life 😂

rwalker · 13/05/2023 05:23

Do the kitchen taking your concerns into consideration
it will not be a waste if you are thinking about your later years
if ether of you end up on zimmer frame or having carers a bigger kitchen would be more useful

I think it’s more the point you would of got maximum benefit from these alterations years ago when kids at home
where as now it would be nicer but not as useful to have bigger kitchen

Hillrunning · 13/05/2023 05:27

My husbands 91 year old grandmother just redid her whole bedroom and is eyeing up a new kitchen.

JoDolce · 13/05/2023 05:30

@ThatFraggle exactly. It's not a depressing way of thinking. It's just thinking of the best way to enjoy our savings. I've looked after our house & most of the kitchen is as good as new. So it seems a waste of money & too much hassle to start ripping it out. It's not very environmentally friendly either to rip out a.perfectly good kitchen & tiles. We've managed perfectly fine for 25 years with a houseful of people, so what's the point now we're on our own? Dh wants to do it & I say enjoy life instead with a nice holiday. We've done 2 houses up & lived amongst dust, rubble & practically a building site at times over the 35 years we've been married. Now we're mortgage free & approaching retirement I don't want to go back to that sort of upheaval again. It's a pity we haven't got enough money to buy a doer upper. Dh could indulge himself in a new project & I could continue to enjoy a dust free home!

OP posts:
JoDolce · 13/05/2023 05:34

@rwalker yes you've understood me. It would be nice to open it all out, but not as beneficial as if we'd done it years ago. And not very environmentally friendly either.

OP posts:
GuestStars · 13/05/2023 05:57

It just seems such a waste to use the money on holidays that are gone in the blink of an eye.

My MIL follows your way of thinking and has stayed in her current house for 65 years!! It’s not at all suitable for older age, yet she’s always going on her extravagant “bucket list” holidays.

It’s really irritating, as the likelihood is that she’ll get dementia like everyone else in her family and won’t remember her holidays and we’ll end up paying for wheelchair ramps, chair lifts and opening the doorway into her kitchen!! Wish she’d spent the money wisely with an eye to the future.

MommasTired · 13/05/2023 06:00

JoDolce · 13/05/2023 02:19

We've had our kitchen for 15 years & it's mostly still in brilliant condition, especially the wall & floor tiles, so it would really peeve me to even touch them tbh. I reckon we've got another 4 years life left in the cupboard doors before the laminate blisters. It's quite a small kitchen & it drives my dh mad. When the time comes he wants the kitchen knocked through into my study to make it bigger & more open plan, & part of my study made into a utility room. I don't really need my study now, like i used to but it comes in useful for the bookshelf & desk/laptop for household admin.
He wants to do it to give us more space & it'll be a better sell for our adult dc, should they be lucky enough to inherit the house.
Thing is, we've managed like this for 25 years. It's a nice kitchen but small. All this renovation should have been done years ago when we still had dc at home. When we come to have the kitchen replaced we'll be early 60's & on our own.
Without meaning to sound morbid we'll have more years behind us than in front of us. Considering how good a condition our current kitchen is in after 15 years how many more years enjoyment, or really caring about the size of it will we have left when we're in early 60's.
In our situation would you go through all that expense, mess & upheaval for just a relatively few years left of enjoyment of it, or have a new kitchen when the time comes & manage with the space/layout as we always have. It's a while off yet, but we're saving for it. I feel I will want an amazing holiday instead of having walls knocked about in the future.

Another 15/20 years is a long time
with a kitchen you don’t like. Do the kitchen, and keep a few grand back and go on a nice holiday!

Eviebeans · 13/05/2023 06:06

I’m 60 and live in a way that says if it gives me pleasure for one day it’s worth it. However I have a tiny kitchen in a tiny house. We’d looked at ways to redo kitchen - it was old and tired, including taking walls down and creating one large space downstairs. Weighing up the mess etc we decided against it. Repurpose/refurbish your study if you want to -
I work from home full time and
I decided I couldn’t tolerate the mess.

ThatFraggle · 13/05/2023 06:57

GuestStars · 13/05/2023 05:57

It just seems such a waste to use the money on holidays that are gone in the blink of an eye.

My MIL follows your way of thinking and has stayed in her current house for 65 years!! It’s not at all suitable for older age, yet she’s always going on her extravagant “bucket list” holidays.

It’s really irritating, as the likelihood is that she’ll get dementia like everyone else in her family and won’t remember her holidays and we’ll end up paying for wheelchair ramps, chair lifts and opening the doorway into her kitchen!! Wish she’d spent the money wisely with an eye to the future.

Oh my god.

So why go out for a nice meal? You'll just poop it out.

Don't watch any TV or movies. In 5 years you probably wouldn't remember most of the characters' names and the plot details.

Don't go to any parties. You probably won't remember the names of everyone who was there in a few months.

Don't make any friends because they will eventually die.

And and.

Life is for living.

Not piling up useless material things. If you don't have money for rent and a holiday. Pay the rent.

But if your basic needs are met, and it's a choice between experiencing life and buying something, then go for the experience.

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