What did you do with your old kitchen?

[squeezeoflemon]

We are replacing the kitchen in our new house, there's nothing particularly wrong with the old kitchen it's just not to our taste. It's about 6 years old.

It seems a waste to chuck it in the tip, but I am already really stressed with the house renovation/work/young DC so don't have loads of time...what have others done? Have you tried eBay or other websites and how difficult was the process?

Thank you!

At one house we put it on freecycle and the literally collected it as our builder was taking it down - so all gone the same day. (Then they invited me round to see it in their home. Their old one had literally been falling part so they were really happy as it was a decent oak kitchen but not our taste).

At our next house our next door neighbour had just built a massive workshop so again as it came out he put it in next door. This time we sold the worktops and appliances on local FB page.

They aren't mindlessly throwing it out so are considering other options that will benefit our planet.

Getting rid of a kitchen that’s only six years old simply because you don’t like it can’t in any way be described as being an option that benefits the planet.

It’s wasteful and indulgent. And I couldn’t care less what you think of my comment.

Wasteful and indulgent to change a kitchen you don’t like? I took one out that was only 6 months old, when I moved into my house. I recycled it all.
Recycling is good

Recycling of something that is no longer usable or fit for purpose is good.

Removing a functional kitchen and replacing it with a brand new one because it’s not to your taste is wasteful and indulgent.

The mantra is “reduce, reuse, recycle”, in that order.

@FamilyOfAliens it's not going to be recycled at such though is it..it's going to go into someone else's kitchen!

Yes but you’re buying a brand new one using brand new materials that you don’t need, just because the current one is not to your taste.

Passing on your perfectly functional but unwanted (wrong colour, wrong style) goods to someone else will salve your conscience, but it’s wasteful and unnecessary.

Yeah that mantra means if you can’t reduce, recycle!

By you can reduce, by not ditching a functional kitchen because it’s not to your “taste”!

The people buying the second hand kitchen will need to get one from somewhere though? This way people who need a kitchen but cannot afford the ridiculous prices can get something still decent.

The people buying the second hand kitchen will need to get one from somewhere though?

So the OP’s decision is ok because even though she’s buying a brand new kitchen she doesn’t need, as long as someone poorer takes her cast-off kitchen, it’s ok?

Oh fgs, They don’t have to be poorer, they just need the kitchen

To be honest, poorer or more savvy. I'm thinking of getting a second hand kitchen. Our kitchen is on its last legs. I could get credit and spend a fortune but would rather stay debt free and buy a cheaper one. I'm not the type to be that bothered about current styles and we intend to rent the house out for a few years anyway. People who replace a perfectly good kitchen will be saving me thousands.

Our builder carefully removed ours for his son. The builder was a neighbour, so all good.

Oh fgs, They don’t have to be poorer, they just need the kitchen

Well of course if they don’t already have a kitchen, they’ll need one. But if, like the OP, they already have a kitchen but just fancy a change and the wastefulness is of no concern to them, they don’t actually need the OP’s secondhand kitchen.

I put one on a skip and a chap knocked on the door and asked if he might have it was over the moon when I said there was an oven to come.

One went to the builder who fitted it in his flat (was 14 years old but good condition).

The last one went in the skip, fitted 1982 replaced 2018, and stayed in the skip. It was a little past its expiry date. Good in it's day. I had a green and black art deco bathroom too - charming in it's way but had to go.

You’d argue with our Lord. They could be living with a cupboard and a sink, the issue is the kitchen is being reused, you know like in your mantra.

So if you're putting it on Gumtree or Facebook, do you advertise it a week or so before it needs to come out, and say "available on 1st May"?

Yeah, exactly that, Squif. If it’s not possible for you to store it you have to specify a date. Mine stayed outside under a tarpaulin for a week.
Tbh, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to co-ordinate, finding someone whose requirements match yours exactly, if you’ve got a kitchen that’s still being made it’s easier, cos they could just order an extra few doors or whatever they need. But sometimes people need cupboards or utility rooms, they just make it work.

@FamilyOfAliens I bet you're great fun at parties 🥳

Squeeze if the layout is fine your cabinets should be structurally sound so a door replacement could be an option.
I lived for 12 years with an awful, badly planned, terribly fitted kitchen. I hated it (in place but new when we moved in). Last year we bought a second hand kitchen from the local Facebook selling page. The sellers had just moved in and knocked through to form a kitchen diner so the existing kitchen no longer worked for them. It was listed as available from X date and they carefully removed storing in the garage, we collected that day. We reused parts of our original kitchen, fitted some bits in the garage for storage, Freecycled the spare appliances and a couple of cabinets, reused hinges and handles.

You’d argue with our Lord.

Who the fuck is “our Lord”?

Mine went in the skip but it was about 30 years old.

Into the garage and has proved to be invaluable. Great storage, including long worktop.

Who the fuck is “our Lord”?

We cut up the old kitchen for firewood, the house was the temperature of the sun for a week.