I have a new kitchen. I call it my 24 kitchen, All of the appliances are 24inches wide.
I took the leap last year and bought a condo outside of Victoria. It had an old and tired feel to it. Some poor soul thought that it was a good idea to paint it, so they did. Everything including the counter. It looked great on photos however keeping it clean was impossible as the painted counter top had a sand mix to make it look like granite, They forgot the last coat of epoxy and it was like cooking on and cleaning sandpaper. So, we gutted it and started fresh.
The first to go was the fridge and stove. We had a good fridge and I would rather have a washer and dryer. Next the counters, we took them out in stages with the old cupboards below. To fill the needs of the kitchen we bought an old oak side board.
Then we budgeted and planed. Ikea cupboards were selected as my partner and I were good at putting things together. The Ikea planner was really helpful. I found the appliances that would fit this small space (6*10) and then the fun really began.
Every thing but the kitchen sink was removed. The washer and dryer were movable and worked as our defunct kitchen. Yes, the kitchen sink is on saw horses. It worked but was a pain to do much more than the basics and we ate out a lot during this part.
We sanded, primed and painted the walls. The electrician came, ripped out some drywall and installed new lines for the new cook top, built in wall oven oven and the dishwasher.
We called the plumber to properly hook up the washing machine, so more wall had to be removed, the plumbing was also updated with new lines and bits.
We stared the setup for the new cupboards. They reach the ceiling giving us more space and clean line. This was fun, like putting together a Lego castle. The drywall was replaced, mudded, sanded, primed and painted.
The blue is the plastic protecting the finish. It only came off as we finished working in that area.
We had removed the old sink and that meant dish duty was a laborious affair in the bathroom sink. We used a toaster oven and some induction cook plates (for 5 years actually – long story!)
The plumber came back to hook up the sink and the dishwasher. The dishwasher is the white drawer in the picture below. Perfect size for the two of us. Love it!
Then we had the electrician back to hook up the juice for dishwasher and cooktop. The empty space is for the wall oven that was damaged in shipping. Bummer but it happens. And we couldn’t finish the bottom until the oven arrived. All of the appliance in my new kitchen are 24 inches. So we had to do some serious mods to the bottom cabinets to fit the appliances. And it worked beautifully!
So, after 11 month and 10 days, I have a decent working kitchen! The floor is next but will have to wait as I blew the budget. And for the first time in 5 years, I have a great working oven and cooktop.
In a small package
