Kitchen Reno: Out with the old (Part 1)

I got an email from the kitchen guy, Ross, last Tuesday night, saying he'd be ready to install the new kitchen on the Thursday following. R & I were still in coasting-mode, slowly finishing off the bathroom, so the email was a bit of a wake-up call to come back to reality and get on with the next part!

R's had a lot on his mind with work and going away to Adelaide, and was feeling a bit stressed about getting it all done on time and doing a good job. If you're gonna do it, do it properly, he says. He's a good man. While he's been away, I've made the most of my time (usually while I'm waiting for the kettle to boil) and made a start.

I unpacked the kitchen and have relocated as much of it as I can into the dining room. I hope there aren't any important birthdays coming up that I need to bake for, my tins are buried... Also now that I look at it, I'm not sure why I ever feel like my pantry is full, there's really not that much food there.

I was feeling adventurous, and after taking the shelf down, I got a little screw-driver happy and removed the space-filler that joined the top of the pantry to the ceiling. Then I spoke to R on the phone and he told me there was a screwdriver bit for the drill, and how to make the drill go backwards. Yay! Much easier.

So, about a dozen screws and a good bit of wiggling later, I pulled the pantry down. I barely caught it though, it turned out to be a little heavier than I was expecting. Still. I had a little 'I am Woman, hear me Roar!' moment. (I discovered later I have quite a bruise down my leg where it scraped, but hey, battle scars are cool, right?)

It's hard to tell from these photos, but the room feels a lot wider now. I was expecting it to feel bigger, and longer I guess, but wider was a happy surprise. Hey, in a townhouse, any feeling of more space is very welcome!

It is now possible to stand at the stove and see the TV. (We watch TV through the computer in the corner, in case you're looking for an actual TV set in the photo somewhere and going crazy because you can't see it.) And yes, the pantry will stay right there in the middle of the lounge-room until R is home and there's another guy here to help with some muscles. Did I mention it was heavy??

I think the cabinets look small now, but the room feels bigger. Can't wait to see the new one go in!

Looking through the new doorway from the garage. (Behind the cabinets is a piece of plasterboard, and behind that is the new dishwasher. Yay!)

Next, the electrician will move some light-switches and add in some power points; the carpenter has a bit more work to do to finish the wall and doorway (and he'll kindly lift the tiles with his jackhammer too); we've got to fix up the bulkhead; then the kitchen will go in on Thursday.