DIY Remodeling Project

Diary – Week 13

We’ve chosen the hottest week of the year to remove the wall between the kitchen and the sitting room. We created an enclosure around it so that the dust wouldn’t go everywhere. It looked like a scene out of ET. Of course dust  did go everywhere – the wall was a stud and plasterboard partition. Actually, getting rid of the wall didn’t take a long time and wasn’t very difficult – it was the dust prevention measures and the cleaning up that was time-consuming..

Despite taping off the top floor with polythene sheets, our new bedroom is still covered in dust. It doesn’t help that there is no air moving around and it’s really annoying.  Never mind, the dusty part is over.
 
The opened-up space already looks much bigger. But there is a lot of work to be done! We have to remove all kitchen units, block the existing kitchen door, amend the plasterboards where the walls joined together, remove the wall tiles, change the plumbing, install a new lighting system etc..

These works will take weeks – particularly because the kitchen units won’t be arriving until the end of July.  I decided to go for IKEA units as they are cheap & cheerful, pretty well made and easy to change or update in the future. I designed three different layouts and we decided to go for the one that creates the most open feel – one side has floor to ceiling units, the other only lower units. In the built-up section there will be three "windows" or recesses for extra work surfaces created simply by leaving out some units. The built up section will be built from upper cabinets (even the lower units!) as there is no need for kitchen cabinets to be so deep. I find it really annoying trying to find things in those deep cabinets. These units are only essential under a hob, sink, oven – or next to these appliance for a stream-lined look. Otherwise they are not necessary; in fact they are rather useless.

Anyway, off we went to IKEA to order the units and we were told that that we would have to wait for six weeks! The lower units (without the doors) were available to pick up there and then, which we did. We reckoned that at least we could install these and the appliances. But I’m disappointed. I won’t have a kitchen until the end of July! I’ve lived once before without a kitchen for three months (during another DIY renovating project) and it wasn’t fun.

I think I’d better research and source the appliances asap – so that we can get the cooking area sorted out. Also, I’d better start emptying the existing kitchen cabinets – but where to????  I don’t want boxes in our office again nor in our new bedroom. The hallway is already full of boxes and power tools.

In the meantime my friend and I removed all dado-rails around the house. This was a pain in the butt. They’d been glued onto the plasterboard so removing them pulled off chunks of the plasterboard. I tried to use some filler to fill the holes but I think proper full plastering job is required. Yet another skill to learn!