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Am in kitchen renovation hell - please post stories of hope!

22 replies

EagleRay · 14/03/2016 21:30

My kitchen is in the basement of a victorian townhouse and although only replaced 10 or so years ago, the damp proofing was bodged and so it was long overdue for replacement. Also, the space no longer worked as a kitchen diner due to poor layout and expanding family.

Discovered I was pregnant with DC2 last year and so somehow got this now or never urge to get the kitchen sorted. As well as replacing the units and fixing the damp, there's some structural alterations to create a pantry and a new dining area.

So far, so good, but work only got underway last week and I'm now 32w pregnant and HUGE. Nothing has gone wrong (apart from the damp being worse than anticipated and so extra work needed to fix it) but I think because I've had months of looking at kitchens, layouts, materials and floorplans, then all the time spent decluttering the house and boxing up the kitchen stuff, I feel like I'm done already and don't seem to have much energy left.

And although 7 weeks should be plenty of time to get it done, I just seem to have lost any visions I had about the finished article. The silly thing is, I've had loads of work done on the house over the last decade and it's been a bit difficult but bearable. This time though it just feels a bit much. Have also got a 3yo (who thankfully is in nursery most of the time that the builders are here) and DP works away most of the time (but the building work is being done entirely under my instruction and finances anyway as the house is mine).

I think it's the displacement of an entire floor of the house which is getting to me - there are dining chairs in the spare room, boxes of saucepans in the hallway and so on. Oh and doing the cooking in a cupboard sized utility room then washing up in a tiny bathroom sink (I can barely fit into the bathroom as it is.

I will stop my whining now - am very aware it's a temporary problem and very much a first world one but my poor weeble-shaped body has had enough!

OP posts:
OnePlanOnHouzz · 14/03/2016 22:09

Can you rally round your friends and rellies to offer you a cooked dinner at their homes each night for a week or two ? It will all be worth it when it's done - but in your condition I think you can get away with asking for a bit of help !! Hope it all goes well for you !

EagleRay · 14/03/2016 22:38

Hi OnePlan Smile there isn't anyone we can ask really and our varying dietary requirements are a nightmare! I am enjoying the simple pleasures of Lidl savoury baked goods for quick lunches though and our oven actually broke back in January so we've had a fair amount of time to get used to very basic cooking.

We're supposed to be going on holiday this week for a few days in order to escape the chaos for a while, but I feel very reluctant to leave the builders as there always seems to be something that needs resolving each day. DP says we can find a nice self catering property with a proper kitchen, whereas I like the idea of a nice hotel so that I don't need to think about cooking or washing up Hmm

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MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 14/03/2016 22:59

Well if he's offering to cook for you for a few days then say thanks very much and put your feet up. If he looks confused just ask him if he actually thought that you would be cooking the slightest little thing because you won't! Have fun.

OnePlanOnHouzz · 15/03/2016 07:41

I have guests descending soon - otherwise I'd have said come over and be waited on here !

( for anyone else reading this - we do know each other !)

Treat yourself to a break somewhere close enough to deal with build problems if there are any - but far enough away to feel you are escaping perhaps ?

MiaowTheCat · 16/03/2016 07:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ExtraHotLatteToGo · 16/03/2016 12:27

OP 💐

Self catering...mwhahhhhhhh tell him not to be so daft! Unless he's offer g to do all of the cooking & cleaning up!

miaow. Where did you buy your kitchen from & what do you think of it now it is in?

LeRoom · 16/03/2016 12:53

It'll be ok! I was in the same position 2 years ago. The kitchen was in and working with a few days to spare. It wasn't 100% finished but that was ok. It worked and was clean, which were the important bits. Anything else can be easily dealt with on mat leave.

All the contractors were super lovely about making sure it was in and working by the time my baby arrived. The worktop guys came on a Saturday. Don't hesitate to have the occasional prudent hormonal outburst if things aren't trotting along Grin xx

EagleRay · 16/03/2016 17:07

Hello - finally back after a couple of very busy days!

DD had a rather complex hospital appointment yesterday so that occupied a full day, then today all the trades turned up at once, and they all had questions that needed answering (where do you want your sockets to go, what wattage is your new hob, how many shelves do you want in your pantry etc etc) so I spent the morning rushing around trying to resolve everything. Then the electrician realised he needed to take up the floor in our very overcrowded lounge which is above the kitchen so chaos ensued as we had to shift loads of furniture and crap. DP here today as he's got some days off so it was the first time he'd met the builders. He actually made himself useful and made endless cups of tea for them which helped a lot.

DD is scared of the noises and she was too much of a liability in the lounge so has spent most of the afternoon lying on our bed watching Frozen on a loop

Meanwhile, the bloody holiday... DP had some sort of vision of us going to a mountainous area 'so that we could do hiking and stuff' Hmm I've had my cross face on all afternoon as just want a nice comfy hotel with a nice view and wifi Looks like we'll go for a coastal cottage somewhere now - just need to muster up the energy to book it!

OnePlan that's very kind of you re the waiting on! Yesterday I felt too anxious to leave the house for any period of time as so many things to be resolved but today we have ticked off so many issues I do think I could relax a bit if we left for a few days!

Miaow I feel quite weak reading about your building ordeal - I'm amazed you still have your sanity intact! I love the idea of your biscuit hiding area Smile

LeRoom I think the challenge is to try and stay rational about what is urgent before a baby arrives and what isn't (and I might possibly have lost sight of that!). We do have 7 more weeks though so even if things drag out, we should still be ok to finish in time. I seem to be quite good at the outbursts so far Blush

OP posts:
EagleRay · 24/03/2016 21:38

Well, an awful lot seems to have happened in a week... We did manage to go away but it wasn't the hotel and room service I had in mind - think more traditional cottage in bleak landscape with daily visits to sit on the beach (on day 2 I refused to get out of the car and instead slept in the passenger sat and read the papers).

Then we came home. And I got ill. Have just been discharged from hospital after 3 days in isolation - it wasn't fun but at least there was no dust and I had room service (as wasn't actually allowed to leave my room)

I'm in bed at home now, but have been downstairs for a few minutes to view the progress. It's still a building site but the structural alterations (more complex than anticipated thanks to historic bodgery) have been completed. A new wall has been boarded ready for plastering and most of the electrics done. Meanwhile, I'm proud to say that I managed to get the quote for the bespoke doors and drawers sorted out, plus door samples ordered, from my hospital bed with wires and needles dangling from me (driven by the terror of realising I was running out of time to get stuff ordered in time).

Am hoping things run a bit more smoothly for a few days now Smile

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ExtraHotLatteToGo · 24/03/2016 22:37

Oh no, poor you, on both counts!

Next time, book the holiday you want and tell DH that's what's happening!

What was wrong with you/how did you get it?!

I'm glad you're well enough to be home, but don't rule out taking yourself off yo your parents/friends/hotel if the dust & noise get too much.

You did well to organise stuff from the hospital -well done!!

I'm no further forward :/

EagleRay · 24/03/2016 23:22

Whereabouts are you in your kitchen renovation journey ExtraHotLatte?

I've got swine flu - not nice, but better I guess than the pulmonary embolism they were testing for!

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ExtraHotLatteToGo · 25/03/2016 07:20

Swine flu :( :( that's horrible, you poor thing 💐

Where am I in my kitchen renovation journey?

Well, I guess you could say, my runner keeps returning to the starter blocks! 😬

Design, style, budget & supplier/fitter all still undecided.. The bathroom was a complete nightmare and I'm not happy with the result, so that's not helping. I'm not enjoying this at all, I just want it done. Entire house needs painting, every wall & every ceiling have been plastered, door ways replaced, doors replaced & so they all need painting. I've got no energy or enthusiasm.

EagleRay · 25/03/2016 20:21

Oh dear ExtraHotLatte it sounds like you've got an awful lot on your plate... My entire house has been done, but over a 10 year period, and in about 4 different phases and seem to be bloody well starting back at the beginning again

Do you have anyone else to help wth decison making? (I have a DP but don't involve him in anything apart from making drinks for the builders). And is there any particular style or the age of your property to guide you? My biggest helps have been getting the kitchen space designed properly/independently, pinterest, and FB groups relating to interiors as lots of people to bounce ideas off and lots of photos to look at!

Can you pay someone to do the painting if it's really getting to you?

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MiaowTheCat · 26/03/2016 08:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OTheHugeManatee · 26/03/2016 09:07

ExtraHot - you have my sympathy with the painting. I've decorated more than half our house already and it's a grind. I find the only way to cope with the hugeness of the job is to just think about one room at a time. If I try and contemplate the whole thing I just want to cry.

ExtraHotLatteToGo · 26/03/2016 22:37

ER How are you feeling today?

Yes, there's a lot to do 🙁 It's not a huge place, but it's just 'everything, everywhere' I've just not got an ounce of energy for anything, let alone this.

It doesn't have any character to base decisions on. Unfortunately. It's definitely not my dream home!

It's a small kitchen & due to doors, windows, gas point etc there aren't really that many design options. How much did your independant kitchen design cost? I don't 'do' FB, but have looked at Pinterest, houzz, magazines, various other google searches. I love Houzz, but get frustrated as the majority don't say where the stuff is from.

I could pay someone to do the painting but, mostly don't want to. I've done quite a bit myself, but I've paid people to do more than I wanted to. I wanted to physically do more myself (for the accomplishment more than the cost, though obviously a factor too) and this is one thing I can do. Also, I'm a perfectionist and after having every surface replastered I'd lose it big time if it wasn't a fabulous paint job. Though, I'm not sure I've got the energy to do it perfectly myself anymore.

Miaow For the love of fuck! Really?! You are having the worst time :(. Who is taking the financial hit on that Cock up? I hope it's not you!
💐

OTHM. You are right of course 😊One room at a time, but somehow the decisions all seem to be linked and everytime I think about one room there's an 'oh but I find that there, then X won't work' 😖 Whether it's wall colouring (shades of grey pmsl), yikes, flooring....gahhhhh. I should stop moaning and at least get the mist coats done. No decisions there, except where to start & where to put all the stuff 😁

I need 🍷🍷🍷🍫🍫🍫

OTheHugeManatee · 27/03/2016 07:37

Get a mist coat done. You'll feel better even for that progress. I know that mind block feeling though 😞

FWIW I find decision fatigue is a real killer in big projects too - just the sheer number of things that need to be chosen from a zillion options. My best solution is to narrow each decision to three options and make DH take the final choice. He likes this as he has design views but hates doing the research, and I like it as I can pick several options all to my taste but not be worn out with final decisions all the time.

MiaowTheCat · 27/03/2016 18:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EagleRay · 25/04/2016 20:09

Well we moved a tiny step closer to completion today...

Worktops fitted then later this week pantry will be completed and oven/hob fitted. And plumbing/taps will be connected too!

The real ballache though is that drawer fronts won't be ready for another 2/3 weeks so nothing can be stored in the kitchen until then.

The house is filthy but I no longer have the strength to do much due to pelvic pain - arghhh!

Am in kitchen renovation hell - please post stories of hope!
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OnePlanOnHouzz · 25/04/2016 21:15

Beautiful sink and worktop !!!

Nearly there !!!

Smile

EagleRay · 25/04/2016 21:38

Thank you! The tap isn't connected but I put it into position to make everything look nice Smile and so that I could pretend to use the sink

I can't remember if I said before, but we made a couple of drastic design changes - the pantry is much smaller than planned as I decided to use the cupboard only and not any of the hallway space. It just felt so nice being kept as open space

I also did away with all of the wall cupboards as they made me feel sad (that's loony pregnancy hormones for you). The microwave is probably going to sit inside the pantry so that I don't need to look at it.

It's all coming together - the overall look is quite stark and pale and there will be additional decorative features which will make it feel like a bit like a big windswept beach. DP cares only about when we'll have a dishwasher again Hmm

OP posts:
OnePlanOnHouzz · 25/04/2016 21:53

I'm sure it will be fab !! Smile

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