The plasterers arrived on Monday. A mouthful of teeth between them and a hearty two sugars each in their tea – balance has been restored after the no-sugar, smart, neat-bummed brigade from last week.
Can you spot the ceiling in this photo which has been skimmed? Rory came home on Monday night and thought the brown ceiling was really cool. I told him it was temporary.
The dust is getting everywhere. We have arches between the kitchen and utility room but also between the kitchen and the hall. The temporary curtain we have rigged up is worse than useless: it may, in fact, be wafting the dust further up the stairs. The chaps have put another sheet up in front of the curtain. It helps a bit although yesterday I walked through it and it unravelled and fell on my head, covering me in plaster dust. I said ‘bollocks’ quite loudly and I think they were shocked as they had mistaken me for a lady.
Yesterday we started to have ‘things put in’ to the kitchen! Hoorah. Slightly unnerving that the units coming in are not much different in colour to the ones that went out. We seem to be keen on maple in this house. Dougie is now saying we should have just changed the bloody doors.
So what’s next? Appliances to be fitted, new floor, lights and counter tops still to be done. Another week maybe? Then the decorator comes to paint it.
We also have a white elephant living in the bathroom. See its trunk coming down through the ceiling searching for water? Feeding him on microwave meals at the moment, but he, like the rest of the family, is tiring of ding ding food and he tells me he fancies a trip out to a restaurant on Friday. I told him I’d book a table.
It is coming on nicely, but taking a long time! And you said "bollocks" only once??
You have so lost me on the White elephant. Has hubby gone to wallow permanently or son? I think you should start a tour of all things take away scoring in price, taste, delivery and ability to still have low cholestryl (oh you know the word I mean) afterwards. Ps dustsheets are waste of time. Save you sanity and give up trying just keep on cleaning !
@Funky – I don't think I realised how much preparation work was needed re electricity and plumbing. I do the rest of the swearing once they've gone!
@Kelloggsville – the white trunk? Can you see the white spiral thing in the photo – it's the ducting for the cooker hood.
So far, the Sainsbury's pork thingy and the M&S chicken and prawn paella have been the best!
Buns. Don't elephants like buns? Try buns.
@Madame SG – The voice of reason. I'll take him to Greggs.
OOH jealousy thy name is auntiegwen. I want a new kitchen soooooooooooo badly.
I love a good renovation! It's looking great!
You have my entire sympathy! I still have flashbacks to renovating our kitchen in Arizona when my youngest couldn't have been more than four. The 'temporary kitchen' arrangement with two small boys was Not Fun. But don't worry about liking your new kitchen: I promise you, you'll love it!
It's going to look fantastic! I also once thought that our plasterers had made a hideous mistake and our kitchen was going to remain brown!! 😉
@Auntie Gwen – If I video it when it's finished I'll give you fair warning. You might not like it so that'll make you feel better.
@cjtato – thanks for coming to visit (will pop over to yours today). Today it's looking even better. Still no appliances in but we're getting there.
@Emma – I keep getting panicky that I won't like it and that we'll have spent all this money!! Maybe brown ceilings could become de rigeur?
Looking good. I'd be tempted to keep the periscope, purely to aid in-house communication.
@Ms Caroline – The temporary arrangements seem to go on for weeks, don't they. Still no cooking facilities. May buy a camping stove to see me through.
@Steve – what a good idea! I can just shout up to the bathroom and tell my son to move away from the mirror and come down for his breakfast. It's what would permeate from the bathroom to the kitchen that would bother me, though!
Can we all visit for tea and cakes at the official opening? I'm quite excited to see the final thing… does that make me seem sad……
don't answer that at the back!
@Libby – I think an official opening would be excellent. I'll start thinking about invitations and get some bunting. And no, it's not sad, it's great for me to know you're actually interested as this blow-by-blow account is probably not everyone's cup of tea (two sugars!)
You know… to be extra Shoreditch you could leave brown ceiling, pulled down walls and light bulbs industrial and edgy as they are! Your elephant trunk could be a piece of installation art. Or….not. Love seeing the progress, looking so bright and breezy already!
Hooray! Ours is more like Exhibit A at the moment. Actually that's a lie. We still have our hideous old kitchen, it's just where the new kitchen is going to be that's a building site… Still the screed went down today and now has yellow welly shaped footprints all across it…
Oh, and I've just tagged you on the Save the Children meme that's going around. I hope that's ok.
It looks like its going to be amazing, can't wait to see it finished. Brings back memories of us having ours done.
Dude, at least it's the elephant's TRUNK poking through your ceiling, you got off light! 🙂 The reno is looking FAB so far!
oooh look (big screen fired up just for you) there's a white trunky thing
Aaahh that's what my kitchen was like a couple of months ago. how I Don't miss the dust and the chaos and the microwave meals! But it's all worth it in the end. Enjoy those meals out for now!
Your kitchen is looking good!!
Oh my gosh, I just read your comment about having gravel so you can hear your hubby coming up th drive so you can get off the computer and look busy! I laughed so hard! I know what you mean! hahaha!
Have a pretty day!
Kristin
Hello my fellow odd-library person! Thanks for your comment earlier 🙂
I have one piece of renovating advice for you – I was in hospital when my kitchen was renovated so I luckily missed the whole thing and it was therefore stress free… I suggest you fake a serious illness and voila! it will all be done and you won't have to inhale three tonnes of dust. You're welcome 😛
@About last weekend – yes, I thought the trunk had a semblance of Tate Modern about it. Unfortunately the elephant disappeared yesterday to be replaced by a cooker hood. Not half as entertaining.
@Plan B – Welly footprints across the screed? AAAGH!
(Have asked my grunting teen if he will draw a pic for the meme. It didn't go down well!)
@Diane – good to hear of successful kitchens elsewhere! FIngers crossed.
@Vegetable assassin – God can you imagine the mess if it wasn't the trunk? Mind you, it would go unnoticed here!
@Kelloggsville – now everyone will realise the reason you had no clue about the elephant in your earlier comment was because you'd been reading the blog on your phone. You see, readers, she isn't an idiot after all 😉
@Mummy dichotomy – I'm feeling a bit more reassured by these comments! It's far more chaotic than I'd imagined.
@Bringing Pretty Back – Haha! My ruse is a good one, isn't it.
@Glowless – I think you're onto something. I can do 'faint' very well.
Progress progress progress, breathe deeply it'll soon be over (well not too deeply cos of the dust), just keep making the tea tea tea tea tea…
You're being very courageous about it all!