The first full day of a kitchen installation or having any work done is always going to be a bit busy / traumatic! John from Newcraft who partner with Countryside Kitchens to manage all of the trades and Gavin the main kitchen fitter from Countryside were here early along with plumbers for their first fix work. Essentially they wasted little time in getting stuck in.
We have organised ourselves a makeshift kitchen in the garden room so tea and coffee are available along with a microwave… Here’s the thing about microwaves, We’ve never really had one before. Well, to be absolutely honest both myself and Susan had them when we met – She used her’s as an oven timer as the clock on her oven had broken and I used mine to start off baked potatoes and to do scrambled eggs. Both of which I manage to cook much better cooked conventionally. So about 12 years ago when we set up home together, we got rid of both of them and haven’t used one since. So this is a big bold move into the… yes … yes that would be the 20th century for most normal people. Microwave ready meals, here we come!
Having been though a build recently where we were the project managers, it’s really nice to pass this task over to the professionals and do little other than make coffee / tea and get on with some work. I think that there may well be a few decisions be made along the way, it’s simply the nature of any build.
It is true to say that you get a bit of a sinking feeling when your old kitchen comes out, but the guys have been really good about keeping areas clean and minimising disruption as far as possible which helps enormously. Floor protectors go down, the old Esse range is removed, tiles, sinks, cupboards all disappear. The plumbers work around and re-route pipes for the new gas stove, and outside tap, and rework the utility room plumbing. At the end of the day we are left with pretty much an almost empty shell.
I nipped to the supermarket and bought some microwavable ready meals… I’ve gone for sweet and sour chicken and some rice. – I’ll let you know how it turns out.. microwave help maybe needed! Tomorrow it’s the turn of the electricians who get to do their first fix. For me and the dog who has been out of the way at daycare, it’s a do nothing-at-all evening. We’re both exhausted.
To be continued
Simon C
If you are considering remodelling your kitchen, utility or boot-room, we have lots of ideas in our brochures as well as the galleries for ideas. Get in touch with us for more information
