Is 6k a ridiculous amount to spend on a front door? Make me feel better with your stories of house extravagance...

[Wokeuptwirly]

We aren’t loaded, but have a decent amount of savings and are undertaking a huge renovation project. We are having the whole of front of the house ripped off and remodelled as it is hideous. We have budgeted hard to make our money go a long way, but feel that the front door is the first thing you see and has to have an impact. We can’t find anything we want ‘off the peg’ so have had a local company design us something bespoke. I love it, but feel incredibly guilty about spending so much on a door (even though we have haggled them down from over 7k). Please can someone come along and tell me some items they have splurged on which have improves their home to make me feel more at ease with parting with such a huge lump of cash (for us)...

Lovely! I think it’s great to spend money on your house. I wish we spent more on ours but our kids really do wreck and break everything so maybe in the future 🤞

@NaturalBlondeYeahRight you have just thrown the cat among the pigeons there as DH and I love a festive wreath and are Now frantically puzzling out how we would be able to attach one...

[quote Wokeuptwirly]@NaturalBlondeYeahRight you have just thrown the cat among the pigeons there as DH and I love a festive wreath and are Now frantically puzzling out how we would be able to attach one...[/quote]
We always attach ours to the door knocker.

@NaturalBlondeYeahRight phew have quickly googled and found this contraption. Who knew! Panic over 😁

We paid 4.5k€ for our front door that I designed - its oak on the inside and aluminum outside. Glass panels both sides. Had lots of compliments.

I also have a roll up baking Cupboard that allows me to leave the equipment plugged in and use it in the cupboard. Frame by DIY kitchen and door by some chap in the UK for about £75 I think. Again in oak.

If you’ve saved money elsewhere on your renovations and can afford it, I’d go for it! It’ll really finish off the front of the house.

I was saving up for a hall carpet, around £1,500. I'd been waiting years.

One day I was out and saw a £1k piece of art. I know nothing about art, but it really got me. I then spent weeks looking for a cheaper alternative, but I couldn't find anything I loved.

The art cost more than half my monthly salary, but I needed it in my life and eventually bought it makes me happy.

Still saving for hall carpet!

Yes, I will take a photo today. I am planning on baking this afternoon so you can see it in action😁 the doors concertina back and like Wallywobbles ( love the name) you can leave it plugged in. I also keep pulses, rice, pasta in there.

Ok so here is the baking cupboard.

Something has happened I can’t get the open door ones will try again.

People often spend that on a holiday that is gone in a week. You will still be using that every day for many years to come. If you can afford it and still feed and clothe your children why not?

Sorry Wokeuptwirly, I haven't been back to this thread for ages. I've put up some bathroom photos from when it was nearly finished. I would take new ones but I can't be arsed to tidy first. I don't have any of the sink unit, which is odd. It has built in laundry baskets on wheels, when they are tucked into the unit they match the cupboard door in the centre. There is an invisible cupboard above the loo that is exactly a loo roll deep. There are 3 shelves and I can fit 3x3 loo rolls on each shelf, handy for when the big packs are on special offer.

The drawer under is all section off for baking and anything else that doesn’t go in cutlery drawer.

Bottom left shelf is sugars, middle is rice etc top left flours.
Bottom right shelf is cupcakes, vanilla etc toppings.
Middle is mixed fruit, oats etc
Top biscuits, cocoa yeast vegan egg as DD is vegan. I could do with a couple more small racks from Lakeland to keep things tidier and organised.
Bottom cupboard houses food processor, yoghurt maker casserole dishes etc stuff I don’t use as often. Three drawers to the left house cutlery, then large sieves, those squishy cake tins and loaf ones and bottom drawer the metal ones like tray bakes, Swiss roll etc. So nearly all is associated with baking. I used to do cake decorating so that’s in a box!
It is coming up with no photos when there are loads will try again later.

Did you decide on you door? I would add up how much everything else is going to be add 3,000 and then decide.😄

@Franticbutterfly please please link me to your bathroom cabinet it sounds just what I need!

@RJnomore1 Its this one (hasn't arrived yet) www.pebblegrey.co.uk/product/815-700mm-bluetooth-grace-led-bathroom-mirror-cabinet

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar

Sorry Wokeuptwirly, I haven't been back to this thread for ages. I've put up some bathroom photos from when it was nearly finished. I would take new ones but I can't be arsed to tidy first. I don't have any of the sink unit, which is odd. It has built in laundry baskets on wheels, when they are tucked into the unit they match the cupboard door in the centre. There is an invisible cupboard above the loo that is exactly a loo roll deep. There are 3 shelves and I can fit 3x3 loo rolls on each shelf, handy for when the big packs are on special offer.

Wow! That is some beautiful bathroom ❤️❤️ I was musing getting a Japanese soaking tub for our en suite and talked myself out of it. Hugely envious 😁

@Bowerbird5

Ok so here is the baking cupboard.

Something has happened I can’t get the open door ones will try again.

I love this and we are aiming to have something similar, though we have a weird alcove so may have to make it a bit walk in pantry like. We are definitely having door thanks to lots of helpful folk on here who have made me realise that there really is no need to feel guilty about the odd extravagance if you can afford it 😁

I'm glad you're getting the door. It will be perfect for your house.

My extravagance was bathroom tiles. They weren't extortionately expensive as such but I we decided to have the whole bathroom tiled from floor to ceiling and it doubled the cost of the bathroom But five years on I still give a happy sigh whenever I get in the bath.

I’ve only just noticed this thread. And think your front door looks gorgeous @Wokeuptwirly. We extended our house about 10 years ago (built a double height extension on the back so almost doubled it). Lovely big new kitchen, but when we went to fit the cooker hood, we realised the kitchen planner hadn’t asked the height of our ceilings. We live in a very old cottage and the extension had matching ceilings. The hood would have been about 6 inches above the hob.

We saved and saved and eventually managed to afford an Elica Star cooker extractor. I still love it all these years later. I bought it from abroad to get it as cheaply as possible but it was still about £1000 then.

www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/ELCELESTIAL.html?source=adwords&ad_position=&ad_id=415703895099&placement=&kw=&network=u&matchtype=&ad_type=&product_id=ELCELESTIAL&product_partition_id=888894467886&campaign=shopping_excluded&version=finalurl_v3&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9IX4BRCcARIsAOD2OB12wr-07HW4lD6wGaPBFL6CfkhKfO_Fg30v_uT7v47VYUjhJkyfIZwaAoqoEALw_wcB

Thank you I love the bathroom cabinet!

Also the cooker hood above.

Better get saving...

@sergeilavrov - also have an art piece that was gifted to me by a former employer, which costs in the tens of thousands to ensure each year. I don’t even like it and it’s professionally stored in a cupboard but he’d hear about it if we sold it or loaned it to a museum and I would feel rude

You'd feel rude?? Yet your employers doesn't feel bad for making you spend tens of thousands of pounds every year having a painting YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE insured?

Batshit.

😉try again
Yeah it has worked this time.
So 1.baking cupboard
2. Kenwood pulled out and where it is in use. I asked them to put a double socket in the cupboard and it has it own light that goes off when you shut the right hand door.

I saw a walk in pantry with an awkward alcove the other day probably Pinterest. A joiner would be able to give you ideas. I would have quite liked a mirror image cupboard the other end for tea,coffee and kettle but there is the sink and a window nearby so don’t think it would have worked as nowhere to stack dishes. It doesn’t looked odd like I thought it might.

Good luck. I see you are going to have the door. It will make you smile when you come home. I still smile every day at my kitchen. I never thought DH would fork out for it. I thought he would want cheap B& Q
I did take him to Howdens first. He made me pay for half which is a whole years wages for me. I’m a TA.

1. Was the cake I was making WW coconut and lime. It is delicious.

@Bowerbird5

😉try again Yeah it has worked this time. So 1.baking cupboard 2. Kenwood pulled out and where it is in use. I asked them to put a double socket in the cupboard and it has it own light that goes off when you shut the right hand door.

I saw a walk in pantry with an awkward alcove the other day probably Pinterest. A joiner would be able to give you ideas. I would have quite liked a mirror image cupboard the other end for tea,coffee and kettle but there is the sink and a window nearby so don’t think it would have worked as nowhere to stack dishes. It doesn’t looked odd like I thought it might.

Good luck. I see you are going to have the door. It will make you smile when you come home. I still smile every day at my kitchen. I never thought DH would fork out for it. I thought he would want cheap B& Q
I did take him to Howdens first. He made me pay for half which is a whole years wages for me. I’m a TA.

I love it! Especially the cake - coconut and lime has been one of my faves for years, though mine have never looked as impressive as that as my frosting ALWAYS slides off. If it means I might finally crack it hopefully I’ll be able to get DH on board 🤣. Am in teaching too@Bowerbird5 which is why I think I have this stupid guilt complex. DH earns several multiples of my salary and he never ever makes me feel bad for spending (in fact he often encourages it), but it just doesn’t sit right. Anyway. Hope you don’t mind but have screen shot your pics for future ref and will be back in a year or so (kitchen is phase 4 or our build plan) to show you how I’ve emulated it 😁. This thread has been v inspiring, given me lots of ideas and made me feel less bad about splurging. Was a bit scared about posting as MN can be so judgy sometimes, but v pleased I did now 😁😁

£6k is a ludicrous amount of money. Am I right in assuming that door wouldn't even provide much security?
For less than that you can get a very secure steel door, which looks like an ordinary wooden Victorian door, with European certification etc. Not much point spending that kind of money on a secure door if it's very easy to break in via the windows, though!
www.kensingtonsecuritydoorsandwindows.co.uk/residential-security-doors/

I would imagine it has toughened glass for that amount parentofone
I would think it would very unlikely that a burglar would use the front door and the OP may live in a safe area. I do.

Wokeuptwirly Glad you like it. I liked the fact that you didn’t lose the breadth of worktop and it means I don’t have to lug the mixer out from a cupboard like I used to have to do. It means I use it more.
I had some Tupperware from years ago and bought some more from eBay as they are ideal and save space some of it is still going strong after nearly forty years. I don’t mind you having a screen shot of it at all. Good idea. I would love to see what you do to the kitchen. The units were painted in F&B dimity. They brought all the electrician, plumbers etc and were fitted by someone I used to occasionally mind after school.
I have lights under the wall units which are useful at times. I had shelves last time and the kitchen was cherry wood. I looked at lots of magazines and kept a collection of pages for ideas. Now Pinterest is here I find it incredible and saved lots of ideas. What a brilliant idea that was.
I know what you mean I am quite shocked at some of the posts and how unpleasant some posters on mumsnet . I like this corner and find people usually very helpful. I like looking at what other people are doing as I enjoyed renovating this house and another with my DS2. Good luck with it. It will be beautiful when you have finished.
We have been having the bathroom done and then lockdown so had no shower for over three months. He is coming back today to put the door on and then it is finished. Floor tiles were laid this week and look lovely. It has been a long drawn out affair for such a small room.
I have always been careful with spending my DH says it the Scot coming out in me as I’m half Scottish. Some things are worth the money in the long run.