DieScholz´ens16 Aug 2018 10:03Bought a house, estimated the renovation budget plus 10-15% for inevitable extras, and we set aside 5000 EUR for the kitchen!!!!
That’s how it started... at first, I was in a bit of shock, but we still had time. First step: remove all the walls for a new layout—I need space...
Let’s start with the (according to the agent) move-in ready property. The small kitchen, just under 8 square meters (about 86 square feet), had its 1970s pass-through removed. The wall including the kitchen door is gone! The wall next to the cellar stairs is gone too! Actually, the entire slanted wall, nearly 7 meters (23 feet) high, removed completely...
The window had to go as well since we needed a different working height than the standard 90 cm (35 inches). New screed installed, we switched to underfloor heating, all electrical wiring and water pipes are new.
After almost six months, the realization slowly sank in: the kitchen budget will not exceed 5000 EUR, so we had to look for a used kitchen... something special, but very cheap.
The search criteria: within a 100 km (62 miles) radius, up to 1000 EUR, because I still want new appliances.
That’s how it started... at first, I was in a bit of shock, but we still had time. First step: remove all the walls for a new layout—I need space...
Let’s start with the (according to the agent) move-in ready property. The small kitchen, just under 8 square meters (about 86 square feet), had its 1970s pass-through removed. The wall including the kitchen door is gone! The wall next to the cellar stairs is gone too! Actually, the entire slanted wall, nearly 7 meters (23 feet) high, removed completely...
The window had to go as well since we needed a different working height than the standard 90 cm (35 inches). New screed installed, we switched to underfloor heating, all electrical wiring and water pipes are new.
After almost six months, the realization slowly sank in: the kitchen budget will not exceed 5000 EUR, so we had to look for a used kitchen... something special, but very cheap.
The search criteria: within a 100 km (62 miles) radius, up to 1000 EUR, because I still want new appliances.
DieScholz´ens16 Aug 2018 10:17Suddenly, a Bulthaup kitchen from the 1970s caught my eye—lots of cabinets, well-maintained based on the pictures, and best of all, free. Free fit perfectly into the budget, so I went for it...
A specialist is remodeling it for us, but he realized we have too much space for too few base cabinets. I panicked briefly, but he said we would buy additional carcasses and cut the fronts to fit (great, a plan). But I got clever! I searched again on the classifieds site and, lo and behold, found the same kitchen just 200 meters (650 feet) from our current home—basically a neighbor’s kitchen... 50 euros if it was okay with me (okay? Of course it’s okay!), so I bought a second kitchen... Planning was a bit tricky, arranging the cabinets, and of course, I wanted soft-close doors (Ikea makes that possible). The pull-out trash bin also comes from the Swedish store, soft-close runners for the drawers, and a slimline countertop bought online, plus a few shelves from the hardware store.
We ordered the appliances after months of watching online prices, with a price guarantee (the lowest online price) from AO.
And now it’s all set up—my/our 1970s kitchen... and I love it.
The budget was exceeded by 90 euros because we installed a minibar fridge under the coffee bar (the section with the upper cabinets) for milk to the coffee machine.
A specialist is remodeling it for us, but he realized we have too much space for too few base cabinets. I panicked briefly, but he said we would buy additional carcasses and cut the fronts to fit (great, a plan). But I got clever! I searched again on the classifieds site and, lo and behold, found the same kitchen just 200 meters (650 feet) from our current home—basically a neighbor’s kitchen... 50 euros if it was okay with me (okay? Of course it’s okay!), so I bought a second kitchen... Planning was a bit tricky, arranging the cabinets, and of course, I wanted soft-close doors (Ikea makes that possible). The pull-out trash bin also comes from the Swedish store, soft-close runners for the drawers, and a slimline countertop bought online, plus a few shelves from the hardware store.
We ordered the appliances after months of watching online prices, with a price guarantee (the lowest online price) from AO.
And now it’s all set up—my/our 1970s kitchen... and I love it.
The budget was exceeded by 90 euros because we installed a minibar fridge under the coffee bar (the section with the upper cabinets) for milk to the coffee machine.
DieScholz´ens16 Aug 2018 11:15Well, thanks a lot (laugh). My friend says the kitchen looks like her grandma’s, another thinks it’s too white and sterile (I believe the term “doctor’s office” was used), and now kindergarten or school… well, okay, I can see it’s definitely not mainstream…
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