Kitchen Refit, Sherwood Avenue
Project: Kitchen refit and remodel. Year: 2021
Beth and Antonio’s kitchen was falling apart. It had been put in by the previous owners over 30 years ago and it was well past its best. Doors and drawer fronts were beyond repair and despite it being quite large, the layout meant it was cramped and lacked practical storage.
Beth explains, “We needed more space for storage but also for our children to run to and from the garden without hitting their heads on the corner of the breakfast bar.”
To start we suggested getting a design from their kitchen supplier of choice, Howdens. The designer created a 3d design based on their current kitchen layout and then tweaked it to suit their specifications. This was particularly helpful as, due to the pandemic, it meant they could see what their kitchen would look like without traveling to the showroom.
Beth, “It’s crazy how quickly it all came out. I was expecting much more mess but everything seemed to be removed without any drama.”
But then there were the electrics…
Underlying issues often crop up during a seemingly simple job. After the kitchen units were removed our electrician, Chris, set to work making sure he knew where all the cables went and that they were safe.
Beth, “Chris’s face was a picture, he found a live wire embedded in the wall so started to chisel the wall to find out where it was coming from. He found 8 wires off the main one, only 2 of which were being used for sockets and 6 were just live and plastered into the wall.”
The sockets were corroded and as Beth and Antonio wanted a new induction hob they decided to have the whole of one side of the kitchen rewired.
“It was fun to watch the units go in but then we had a long wait between measuring and fitting the worktop which made the project feel like it was dragging. Brexit and Covid 19 meant lead times were longer and the worktop company didn’t have enough staff to meet demand, it seems everyone was doing their kitchen at the same time!”
Beth and Antonio kept Paul, our carpenter and kitchen fitter, busy while he waited for the worktops to arrive. He made a bespoke cabinet to fit between the window and back door. Beth says, “I wanted it to be shallower than a standard cupboard as I wanted an uninterrupted view out to the garden.”
Paul also put up some floating shelves, cut a shelf for their utility room and boxed in the huge amount of cabling that came with the rewire. The whole project took one month, although without supplier delays it would have taken around two weeks.
“Once everything was in it was totally worth the wait. I think my favourite bits are the bespoke cupboard and the mini breakfast bar that we have tucked a wine fridge under. There’s more storage but the kitchen feels huge.“
“I love the way Tijs and his team are open to ideas, they will always try to turn your dreams into a reality and if you’re not sure about something they will give you really good advice.”
If it weren’t for the red SMEG fridge freezer and dishwasher the kitchen would be unrecognisable after this transformation.
