Finally after more than 14 years of enduring the terrible kitchen in my otherwise nice house, I am on the verge of installing a new one. The mere thought of the new units was enough to get me extremely excited but now I am dreading the upheaval. Not one tile has been ripped from the wall or one unsightly cupboard removed and I am already realising that this project is going to be costly in more ways than one.
The Adventure
It all seemed like such a great adventure at the outset. I was walking around showrooms choosing the new units and appliances feeling on top of the world. Soon my unsightly old fittings would be a thing of the past and the most important room in the house would be a space to be proud of. At that stage I hadn’t considered that a bunch of kitchen fairies weren’t going to appear to magic up the new look room overnight and that I was going to have to do a lot of work before the project could even get underway.
The Preparations
For a start that ugly Artex ceiling is going to have to go which will mean that I will be spending quite some time steaming, scraping and clearing up the mess. Then the wall and floor tiles must be removed and the old units pulled out and that is a lot of demolition! The place is going to look like it has been hit by an earthquake and then it gets a whole lot worse. The oven, hob, fridges and freezers must be removed which will make life very tough indeed for two weeks and more.
The Disruption
The thought of a couple of weeks trying to cook on a camping stove and having to visit the garage when I need something from the fridge is not an appealing one. Life already seems like a constant battle against the clock to get everything done but it is about to get a whole lot worse. Throw in all that banging, dust, debris and a skip on the drive and all I now wish to do is leave the country!
Empty Space
Once the demolition is complete the electrics will be done and then the plasterer can work his magic on the walls and ceiling leaving what will hopefully be the perfect blank canvas for the installation. By that time I may well have had a nervous breakdown and all I will have is an empty room.
No Magic Wand
Hopefully the following week my new kitchen will be installed, will look fabulous and everything will work. I will emerge from the darkness into the light and life will be good again. I have a feeling that I won’t ever want to go through it all again and I am already wishing that I could merely click my fingers and the work will be completed.
Fun First
There I was enjoying the excitement of choosing my new kitchen, colour schemes and flooring. I was dreaming of the beautiful accessories I would feature in the room. The reality is that all the fun of a new kitchen comes at the beginning and is followed by weeks of hell during which I am likely to regret having ever thought of embarking on the project. This kitchen had better be worth the wait and the hassle and don’t get me started on how much all of this is going to cost!
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- License: Creative Commons image source
Sally Stacey is a keen writer who works from home and is dreading the disruption of that kitchen!
