Lay My Hat Forum

[ccazes]

I had a look at your website and although there is only one photo, I think that if budget is a concern, I felt that what was making the kitchen seem outdated was the tile on the walls and the glass door.

If you were to take away all the tile and replace just on the backsplash, replace the door and possibly change out the cupboard doors, you wouldn't have the expense of ripping out the kitchen and starting again. Ok you might want to change the worktops too.

The inconvenience of taking out the doorway is that maybe you have others that are the same off the hallway and it would be odd to have different doors on the same level. But have to say that a new kitchen won't change the look of the doorway.

[KathyG]

We've had an Ikea Whirlpool dishwasher that's been going strong for about 10 years now.
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[Nemo]

Oh that takes me back; I had a kitchen like that - mine was brown gloss though! Those narrow worktops as well....a new kitchen will be lovely and well worth it I think.

My new property has just been refurbished and has an Ellis kitchen which comes with soft close as standard. The worry is the laminate - it already has an odd scratch from the builders and guests love to cut directly on the work surface so I don't expect it to last forever. So that may be worth investigating alternatives.

I have all Bosch appliances including a touch sensitive hob, which hopefully will be good. I await feedback as I haven't had the first guest yet!

I definitely wouldn't fit a pull out tap, they are wonderful for home use but risky as the webbing can fray and I've heard of someone's kitchen being flooded because of a failure on such a tap.

As much worktop as possible, maybe a breakfast bar if you have nowhere other than the formal dining table to eat. In building the microwave would also be an idea.

I sourced a Reginox stainless steel sink - from the top of their range, nice and deep and good quality. The builder said it was the best he's fitted.

The glass door would be ok if you just paint the surround white and change the door handle for something modern.

Enjoy the process!
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[Annew]

I agree with Ccazes that you could just replace the tiles, unit doors and possibly worktops if budget is a problem. But, by the time you've done that you could probably get a whole new kitchen!

As a result of suggestions from a couple of guests, we are gradually replacing all our taps with single lever mixer taps like these http://www.tapstore.com/bristan-ruby-eco-monobloc-sink-mixer.htmll which are much easier for people with impaired mobility to operate.

Stainless steel sinks are much much easier to clean and maintain.

I'd also advise against built in appliances in case you need to replace them quickly.
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[HelenB]

I used to have a white resin (Astracast?) sink at home. I hated it with a vengeance and could never keep it clean. I replaced it with stainless steel, but it does get scratched however hard you try to keep it pristine and polished, So I was actually relieved to find a white resin sink in my apartment. . It also seems to be easier to clean than my old one.

[Greenbarn]

Interesting point about S/S sinks. You put one in, stand back and admire the wonderful finish. A few days later it's got a couple of scratches and you curse, a few weeks later and it's a nice overall sheen!

The resin ones seem to be variable, but I guess you get what you pay for (same with S/S sinks which can vary a lot in thickness). We had a Franke (I think they called their stuff "Fragranite") at our last house and that was great and cleaned up easily - unless it had tea stains that had been left for a few days (this at a time when I was living a bachelor existence, you understand....)
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[Marks]

[kyreniagirl]

Hi - sorry not to reply before. Had a family problem which has taken up all my time. I will read all posts asap & reply fully. Thanks for all your replies.

[Margaret]

But Ikea do a fabulous double Belfast type sink. Whatever kitchen I was buying in the future, I would always put that sink in it.

I do think fairly trendy, fixed taps can add something to a kitchen - we have replaced those while the sinks are still going strong (stainless steel in the apartments, unfortunately, before we discovered the Ikea sinks).

And I second the 'buy cheap, buy twice' comment - for any room.
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[welshgirl]

Have to agree with Margaret on the Belfast sink that Ikea do. I put a single one in the utility and its been brill. Its not a traditional Belfast design but actually, a bit better, as it sits under the worktop like a typical s/s sink and you don't have to deal with warped edges on the worktop

Definitely freestanding appliances for a rental - much quicker to replace when they breakdown and cheaper too!

[pepsipuss]

While doing a changeover the other day I was reminded of the one thing I have said I will never have again in a rental : a beautiful big stainless steel extractor. Far too much cleaning on changeover days. The one I have at home which slides out of a cupboard above the hob when in use was much, much cheaper and easier to keep clean. Plus you get extra storage space with the cupboard - and the OH built in some shelves which you do not normally get with a conventional extractor cupboard.
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[gardenboy]

Ikea +1

I refitted mine in the let villa last year with an Ikea one.

You can't go wrong with a high gloss white one. I used dark granite worktop & splash backs, Franke sink, good mixer tap, under shelf LED lighting.

Whole lots came in under 3k - v 8k quote for a company to do it all for me.

Good luck, spend ages planning & you will get it right. You can never have too many sockets!

[pepsipuss]

[fionac]

what do you all think about the size of fridge?

I have to chose between a normal family fridge freezer or a smaller under counter fridge. Either would fit but I will gain extra work surface and think it will feel more spacious by having a built in under counter fridge. I would have thought a small fridge would be enough for a holiday house but would value your opinions...

Also thinking of going for a 45cm wide dishwasher. Logic being people are quite likely to run it not full so smaller is better. Any reason why not?

House will sleep 6.
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[ccazes]

I would not mind the smaller dishwasher but a small under the counter fridge is a real turn off for me. These days most fridge freezers have the fridge on top and access is easier.
Also when on holiday the fridge is used differently. Maybe people want to stock up for the week and not shop every day or so or else if the weather is good, drinks need to be chilled etc.
We sleep 6 and have 2 fridges. We put in a second fridge after using the house ourselves and realising that one fridge meant I had to constantly prioritise what was in it (ratio food for dinner/yogurts and ice cream/cold drinks).
I have a small laundry room where I am able to store the extra appliance but if the tall fridge/freezer in our kitchen ever goes on the blink I will probably replace it with a tall fridge knowing I can put a small freezer in the back kitchen.