In the late 1990s, a kitchen salesman appeared at my doorstep. At that time, we lived in Scotland. Being confused, I put him in. I had a part-time library job and a baby under my arms. Did you look like you spent £ 30,000 on the kitchen?
After 30 minutes at our company, the salesman didn’t think so either. “What is your profession?” He asked, trying to figure out the extent of our solvency. My ex-husband thought wildly. “Gardening!” He finally said. The salesman made a gap. Our overgrown garden was about to come to the kitchen window.
“But it’s not this garden,” my husband at the time added. The salesman repacked the sample bag. “I met all kinds of people in this job,” he tweeted. “Drug addicts, trivial criminals, people like yourself …”
At that location and time, the approach to interior restoration and construction was on par with social failure.
But the upcycling move has changed it all. The most sustainable kitchen is what you already have and it is possible to change its appearance quite radically without removing the corpse. This is more environmentally friendly than buying and installing a brand new kitchen. It’s also very cheap.
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DIY blogger Catherine Carton
Catherine Carton Pretty dress diary A blog with the same name as (Easons € 18.99). She is a brilliantly clear accountant for DIY projects that would otherwise be difficult, and has also produced videos that fill the gap between frills, flowering teapots, and power tools. It’s all very empowering and deep and practical.
She also knows when to draw a line between the projects she does and the projects that require hiring people with specific skills.
“When I first moved, the cupboard felt small and dark, with orange pine tones with magnolia walls,” she writes. “A few years ago I painted them, and it instantly made them fresh and made them feel bigger and brighter. But my countertops felt obsolete and I made them I wanted to change it. “
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Anise Lawn Satin Painted Kitchen
The existing countertop was a stone laminate and she couldn’t afford to replace it as well, but she wanted something more durable than sticky vinyl. At around € 10 per roll, it’s a good low-budget option, but it’s not a long-term solution.
Instead, she chose the middle path. A custom sized Ikea Säljan countertop made of melamine laminate and cut to the size of an existing kitchen. To negotiate with the (very helpful) Ikea kitchen team about such a purchase, we had to pay close attention to the details. The length outside the pegs of the laminate is 186 x 63.5 cm and costs 65 euros.
She also decided to replace her nasty old kitchen faucet. “People postpone changing their faucets because they think it’s expensive, but this is gold, it looks flashy, and it costs € 90.” Then fitting Came. Carton is a handy hero to carry with her, but she knew she needed professional help.
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Annie Sloan Chalk Painted Kitchen
Wiring and plumbing were out of her skill set. She went shopping and found a local handyman who could do both jobs while installing a countertop, and was careful not to break her favorite ceramic sink. The total cost of the project was less than € 600, the fitting took 4 hours and the interruption was minimal.
Painting cabinet doors is a smaller and more manageable project. You can do it professionally, but it’s not rocket science. “I removed the door for the first time, but now I’m a professional,” says Carton. “I think I painted my cabinet three times.”
Her approach is to first wash with sugar soap and warm water, lightly sand, then prime and then paint. “It costs about 100 euros to paint a kitchen door,” she says.
“It uses good brand paint.” Colortrend’s satin finish is suitable for the purpose and costs € 32.50 per liter. Do what it says to the can.
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B & Q Riffy Valley Manager Craig Birdon
Craig Verdon, the manager of Liffey Valley B & Q, found more and more customers talking about a fragmentary approach to updating their kitchen.
“Many people come in on a limited budget and ask what they can do for it. New doors in existing cabinets are new to old kitchens, especially if you choose trendy streamlined doors without handles. Give a lease of life (they have grooves so you can open them).
“People want a two-tone kitchen, one above the counter and one below,” he said, with prices of luxury goods such as boiling water faucets dropping and now 479. It starts around the euro.
“All kitchen doors and countertops could be changed for € 1,500-2,000,” he says. “Prices vary by material. Granite countertops are more expensive.” This approach only works if you are happy with your kitchen masterplan. Everything that involves layout changes is a much bigger job.
“The biggest mistake people make is not measuring space correctly,” says Birdon. All major kitchen retailers, including B & Q, have kitchen planning software and trained people to use it. The kitchen is like a jigsaw puzzle and needs to be installed together, but without the size of the room, there’s not much they can do.
The second biggest pitfall is that it doesn’t take fitting into account. “We strive to get our customers to think about these things before they make a mistake,” says Verdon. “The kitchen needs to be installed by someone. Ask them who fits it.”
In general, the price of the installation has nothing to do with the price of the kitchen. It has to do with the level of work required. Projects that involve the movement of utilities such as gas, plumbing, and electricity are significantly more expensive than projects that are left on site. The cheapest option is probably to do what you can and contract the rest locally, but it’s worth asking the kitchen seller about the installation package, as merchants are in high demand and each requires a call fee. I have.
“Each store has a local fitter. Whenever we sell a kitchen, we give you two quotes, one for the kitchen only and one for the fitting,” Verdon explains. “In general, the lead time of the actual kitchen can be coordinated with the availability of the fitter, which can relieve stress when managing the project in one place.”
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Neptune Chichester Kitchen
The advantage of service packages is that they are less likely to incur unexpected costs and are more likely to complete your project on time. Most kitchen remodeling projects are time sensitive.
All that is needed is for the plumber to reduce the dose of Covid and for the whole family to live in pot noodles for another week.
look diy.ie, daintydressdiaries.com, colourtrend.ie
