January 27, 2018
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After connecting a new mains water supply to our cottage to improve the flow rate, the next major job was to replace the kitchen. It must be around 30 years old or more and many of the cupboard carcasses are rotting out due to previously damp conditions. The worktops are badly worn and most of the cupboard fronts are hanging off the hinges.
A bathroom, gas connection, central heating and a new water connection were higher priorities, so we’ve been cooking with just a microwave and a portable electric hotplate for over a year. Having a fully-functioning kitchen is something we’re looking forward to.
As always, before we began we contacted the borough council to check whether the kitchen would require listed building consent. I thought it would be unlikely, but wanted to be sure. As we’re just replacing cabinets, adding appliances and altering existing plumbing for the revised kitchen there is no requirement for consent.
We were told that if we are planning to introduce an extractor hood in the kitchen and need to knock a hole through the wall for a vent, it should be discretely located and we shouldn’t use a standard plastic external vent cover. A painted air brick or metal grille would be necessary.
We’ve had a long time to think about how we want the kitchen to look and decided that trying to emulate an old-style country kitchen just isn’t the right way to go. The plan is for a warm and modern kitchen, with sleek lines and integrated appliances that will be sympathetic to the clean Georgian lines of the building. It won’t be trying to be something that it’s not.
We now have a very precise vision of what we want the kitchen to look like. I’ve decided to do parts of the work myself, as there is going to be a bespoke element to the build. In particular, the worktops will be made from a single piece of locally-sourced rough sawn timber, which I’m going to work into shape myself. We just haven’t found any commercially-available worktops that look remotely as good as what we’ve achieved in the bathroom.
The plans are drawn up, the rip out has begun, the appliances and carcasses are on order and we should be able to unveil our new kitchen soon!
