Can I ask your opinion ( kitchen)

[rubbishwiththisstuff]

Okay. So, my husband and I are at loggerheads so I'm hoping you lovely lot can give your honest opinion to help us out.

We live in an older house that we've moved into 2 years or so ago. The kitchen is so dated and really needs updated, we both agree this needs done as It is embarrassing and lets the rest of then house down. We would also love to knock down the wall into the dinning room to make a lovely open plan space. Everything has gotten so expensive and this is our problem

Do we redo the kitchen/ utility with out knocking down wall and then just paint the back room keeping it separate but having it as a nice cosy living room - this option would be less costly

Or... do we wait for years until we can do the whole thing, kitchen, knock walls down, and all the cost that will come with that ie plastering, new floor etc etc

If we had endless money we would do the whole thing now but we just absolutely can't afford it

So do we have the aesthetically nice kitchen sooner but not exactly as we want it ( wall could be knocked down later though)

Or so we just wait and live with the really old dated kitchen?

What would you do?

How dated? Ours is from 1997 and although it is a bit dated and it would be nice to have a new one it's still in reasonable condition, is it like this or is it falling to bits and about 50 years old.

I think it's from
The house was build, in the 70s. It's bizarre because the space is quite big and yet they have put in a really tiny kitchen that only uses one wall and has one cupboard to store sauces, biscuits, crisps etc. it's a really bad layout

Is there anything you can do in the short term to make the kitchen a little better? Replace or paint the cupboard doors?
If it were me, I would wait and have the kitchen diner that you really want.

Sorry no advice OP but we’re in a very similar situation so watching closely! We want to replace the kitchen, put a small utility/ downstairs loo in and knock through to dining space. However there is a small existing extension at that end of the house which we could incorporate into the kitchen too, but would require an additional small extension - extend by about 6sqm to bring an additional 12sqm into the kitchen. But the extension adds a lot of cost so we’re wondering whether to just work with the space we have and do it a lot sooner. The existing kitchen is dire but without extending would be really quite small 😣

I hate all these decisions!

To be honest I wouldn't want to put money into it as it stands. If it was a decent kitchen I'd respray it but the backs of the cupboards are all gappy and I must admit I freak out at what could be climbing through the gaps 🫣

It's rubbish isn't it?!? Two of my closest friends have just bought new builds and while
They are smaller I must admit i envy the newness of it all.

Ah, right so it doesn't sound like something you could live with very easily, maybe they had a large table in the space. You might be better getting something for the interim as it certainly sounds like you will need more cupboards anyway, depends how long realistically it might be to get the large kitchen diner

It really could be years 7+ to be honest. Thing is DH can be quite steadfast on something when he has an idea in his head so I don't think he's keen to do the kitchen now. I just worry that waiting longer meaning things get even more expensive

Seven years is a long time to put up with a really crappy kitchen with no storage space, so I'd be tempted to do something now, but as cheaply as possible. DIY stores have "off the peg" kitchens, or maybe you could get some free standing pieces whilst you save up for what you really want. Although you're probably right in that it will cost more later on.

If you were to put in a new kitchen now, vs utting in a kitchen with the wall knocked down, would you use the dame design? ie can you replace the kitchen now, and take the wall down later. With careful floor choices, you should be able to match, or put in a cheep floor now and replace the lot later.

I dont think I'd put in a new kitchen if it wouldn't work with the knocking down plan.

If we do the kitchen now it will definitely be designed to flow with the later on plans without the wall.

Then put the kitchen in!

If it is going to be 7 years, I would definitely want something now, it's a long while.

Yep!

I couldn’t wait 7 years! If you can do something now that could still work when you knock through I’d go for it.

How handy are you and your Dh and do you know what the costs are involved? This chap consults a structural engineer then does the work himself, orders the steels, puts in acro props (the thing that holds up the ceiling if it is a load bearing wall) and removes the wall.

My structural engineer was less than £200, this chap's is similar price wise. My plasterer is £250 per day plus materials. What is in the wall? Electrics? Plumbing for a radiator? Have you any friends who could help or advise you on this? Dh and I have helped lots of other people with projects. We learned on the job from Youtube and websites at a previous house we knew we wouldn't be staying in but still did a really good job. It was a test of our skills so we will now do plumbing, simple electrics (my electrician costs £250 a day too) tiling etc.

DIY kitchens is considered to be a good quality, ready built kitchen and cheaper than Wren/Howdens/Wickes/Magnet. Lots of reviews on Youtube of it and lots of people on Youtube renovating their houses themselves.

I'm in a similar position. I absolutely hate my kitchen. It's fucking orange and green! I want to knock through to the dining room and swap the vile conservatory for an extension.

So, following.

We need photos and a diagram!

Oh bless you! I totally hear you. I often wonder what the hell people were thinking when the install such odd colours

I'd do the kitchen now. We had big plans for an extension in 2019 then struggled to find a builder who could do it before 2020. Then covid and brexit caused delays and increased prices so it went way outside of our budget and cost more than we could make back on the house (wasn't our forever home). We settled for replacing the cheap kitchen and two years later, it still makes me smile when I walk in there. We're moving this week and I'm still glad we did the kitchen. We made small tweaks to the layout but the biggest difference is how much nicer it looks.

I would replace the kitchen now tbh.

Is it beyond new doors and worktop?

If you're sure it will still work once you have the major work done down the line and knocking the wall is reasonably straight forward, then get the kitchen now! 7 years is too long.
Alternatively, you could by a 2nd hand kitchen cheap enough and have that put in short term, if your kitchen isn't an awkward shape.

Sorry have reread everything.

New kitchen that is designed that taking the wall out in the future makes senses and would work with future contrasting cupboards.