How long would you live with a kitchen like this?

[Pinkstuffs]

How long would you live with a kitchen like this?

You have air fryer, microwave and 2 ring hob but no surface space. Food is stored in a plastic box. Plates etc in makeshift drawers. Fridge as normal. No oven.

There is ongoing work most weekends so the kitchen is difficult to keep clean. No dining space. No heating in winter. Obviously no plaster flooring etc.

Edited to add, you have a small baby who is bottle fed.

Help me understand if IABU!

I did it for 4 months, with a 4 and 2 year old, that was long enough!

If he's not keen is he the one managing and having to feed his family with half a kitchen?

If not, then get help in.

A week. Why are you doing all this with a baby?

I was going to say it's just one of those things you suck up for building work.

Ten months is taking the piss though - is he doing it himself? Definitely time to pay for extra help.

I did 3 years in a caravan before I got a small temporary kitchen in our renovated barn.
Built an extension to the caravan to hold a shower and bed, so that got better. Before that we had sun powered showers inside a scaffold tower.

No loo, so we had a dry compost toilet for 3/4.years.

I had usual caravan stuff that gave out, got a couple of induction hobs, all OK I suppose, but then I didn't have a baby

The renovation is still not finished (8 years and counting), we are doing it all ourselves and now are sending as much time on upkeep as we are finishing!

I had a friend who put up with it for more than 2 years, it was partly responsible for her ending the relationship. She had 2 babies by then. It was a nightmare.
I'd manage a month, if you can afford to get someone in to finish the job, go for it.

We started before I was pregnant, the kitchen was mostly ripped out in early pregnancy. I thought it would be done by now! (To pp who asked why we’re doing it with a baby)

Why did you let Kevin McCloud anywhere near you?
You will probably be mostly finished after Christmas and look brave but broken when anyone asks how it feels to have a new kitchen.

I would barbecue all summer.

I did a v long winter with a solid fuel stove that I was irrationally convinced (PFB) was leaking Carbon Monoxide so we were very cold, I microwaved bits and boiled the kettle but it was a lot of toast. We had only a sink, a Welsh dresser and the solid fuel stove from the 60s. Plates were on the kitchen table while we saved up.

We did a little over 2 months with slow cooker, microwave and kettle and a toaster. No hob! And it was winter, snowing in fact. We had no heating and no bathroom either, but we did have a small ensuite to use! Chaos. Baby was immobile when they started and cruising by the end. Preschooler couldn't cope and had epic meltdowns.

Get someone in to finish it. 10months is ridiculous. It's no life.

Not at all.

We also did a full reno when Ds was about 6 months. It took about 4 months BUT we we moved out efficiently to a small annexe attached. So we had a second small yet functional kitchen, bathroom and no work or dust in this area. So when we left Reno side, the dust stayed there. We also did a lot ourselves to save money but also paid for a lot more help than we would have done pre baby. Otherwise it takes forever.

I would honestly in your case just tell your dh your bring in xyz help. He can take a week of work if possible to help, but it’s going to be blitz through with him and outside help in a week to get majority done

Ooh I needed to read this. We are about to willingly embark on something similar to this m, with a mobile baby... though we will pay for some parts and I am not anticipating it taking 10 months. You're one impressive woman!

I have a friend who lives with a terrible kitchen because her DH wants to do it all himself. Except he never does. I'd draw a line at a year. If you can't succeed in a year then you have failed.

If he can't guarantee a reasonable finish date you can live with and you can afford help to move things along, I'd start insisting. There's a big difference between making do out of necessity and suffering needlessly with no end in sight.

We had two weeks with no kitchen and I was beyond pissed off.

Do you have a sink? No sink was what I found hardest when our kitchen was done.

Did that, baby and all, probably a bit older than yours though. No proper sink. Probably about 5 months. Glad it was over but it’s wasn’t hell.

Gordon Bennett!

We had our kitchen and utility ripped out and completely redone last year.
I had everything in my dining room including the air fryers and microwave with the fridge and a mini worktop above it in the hallway. Drove us mad!
I honestly don't know who was worse, either me or DH, (There is only the two of us at home now.)

How long did the kitchen take? 3 weeks including a few days delay waiting for the tiler.😂

Just call us impatient or perhaps very spoilt.🤣

OP, you deserve a medal!🏅

We have a makeshift sink. The hardest thing for me is no surfaces and DH not being around any weekends so having the baby 7 days per week!

You might consider getting a free standing bigger sized microwave/convection oven combo. I got one about 10 years ago when renovating and used it as an oven. I’m still using it - it was a brilliant buy.

If the surfaces/ food in a box is an issue could you buy a dresser second hand on Facebook etc? I lived like that for 6 months, admittedly no baby but didn’t have a sink in the kitchen so had to fill a bowl from the bath!

Im doing this at the moment while we have restorative building work and a new kitchen installed (insurance job) two primary age kids. Weve done 3 weeks of temporary kitchen installed in the living room and the new kitchen installation starts this week so loght at the end of tunnel. I dont think I would be able to put up with it much more than the month that we have. We have found freezer stash of the “cook” frozen microwavable meals helpful, to keep us from the easy takeaway option . But to be fair there has been a few chippy teas and eating out. Washing up and washing laundry in bath. Cant bloody wait til its over.

I found it hard going when our kitchen was being done up and it took about 3 months. We had a working sink, washing machine and fridge most - but not all - of the time, but most kitchen stuff was in storage and I was cooking on a hotplate, microwave and slow cooker in the dining room. And my dc were 10 and 7 at the time so no bottles needed.

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If you can afford it get in outside help. Life is too short for the shit you are putting up with, especially with a baby!