{"id":1478,"date":"2016-03-17T23:19:45","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T10:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.charmedlife.co.nz\/cowboybootsandbrokenfingers\/?p=1478"},"modified":"2017-09-11T10:46:45","modified_gmt":"2017-09-10T22:46:45","slug":"kitchen-sink-diaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.charmedlife.co.nz\/cowboybootsandbrokenfingers\/kitchen-sink-diaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Kitchen Sink Diaries"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here we are then, back to review\u00a0the story of\u00a0that scary looking hole in the kitchen<\/a> I showed you earlier in the week. You might want to settle in\u00a0with\u00a0a cup of tea, this turned out to be rather a long post.<\/p>\n

So, let’s start at the beginning. Here for your viewing pleasure is the kitchen at the farmlet as it was when we first saw\u00a0the property. It doesn’t look too bad does it?<\/p>\n

\"Before\"<\/a>

BEFORE<\/p><\/div>\n

Indeed layout-wise\u00a0it’s very\u00a0convenient, with\u00a0significantly more storage than our previous kitchen<\/a>. There is even a huge\u00a0pantry with lots of shelving (cue for major\u00a0excitement on move in day).<\/p>\n

On a\u00a0less\u00a0positive note\u00a0the insides of the cupboards and drawers are made of\u00a0melteca-covered\u00a0chipboard which is\u00a0breaking down and separating, and many of the doors are wobbly and\u00a0don’t close properly. There is also a bit much orange pine\u00a0for my taste, and the small matter of it being paired with a pink benchtop — yup that’s right. Pink! And orange!<\/p>\n

These aren’t earth-shatteringly urgent problems to solve, but since our\u00a0kitchen is a space that’s constantly in use (we have a teenage boy\u00a0to feed y’all), it would be nice to have:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Cupboard doors that function smoothly;<\/li>\n
  2. Cupboard interiors that are easy to wipe clean;<\/li>\n
  3. A space that looks just\u00a0a little less like the 1980’s might roll up\u00a0and claim it back.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So, I have PLANS.\u00a0Not wildly expensive plans mind, not replacing the whole shebang plans<\/em>, at least not this\u00a0decade.\u00a0I’m thinking along the lines of new\u00a0hinges on wonky cupboard doors, and replacing the worst of the cabinet insides\u00a0with painted plywood. Oh, and a\u00a0decor reboot.<\/p>\n

    How about\u00a0dark\u00a0paint, white tiles and a wooden\u00a0benchtop<\/a>?\u00a0 Don’t hold me to that though, it could\u00a0all change in the click of a\u00a0mouse across\u00a0a\u00a0Pinterest<\/a>\u00a0board.<\/p>\n

    OK, now I’ve brought\u00a0you up to date\u00a0let’s talk\u00a0about that poorly photographed hole in the kitchen?<\/p>\n

    \"Blurry\"<\/a>

    Call me weird but I always find demolishing things quite\u00a0satisfying.<\/p><\/div>\n

    That, my friends is where my\u00a0first function-improving upgrade is now sitting. I ripped out a drawer and a\u00a0cupboard with my bare hands (and a selection of sharp tools).\u00a0After which\u00a0came some adventures in\u00a0plumbing, during which I discovered\u00a0that when joining butylene pipe to a brass tee connector you\u00a0don’t need to use thread tape.<\/p>\n

    \"sink\"<\/a>

    Plumbing. All praise to my friend BH\u00a0who provided invaluable phone advice when\u00a0things were\u00a0leaking.<\/p><\/div>\n

    Well. Really! I had thought\u00a0that all plumbing joints needed thread tape. Thus\u00a0when the\u00a0connector leaked I applied\u00a0more tape, and then more, until I gave up and resorted to the ‘ring a friend’ strategy. Bless him — the\u00a0leak was immediately solved by removing all that tape, and this gleaming kitchen helper\u00a0was plumbed in…<\/p>\n

    \"progress\"<\/a>

    AFTER*<\/p><\/div>\n

    Welcome home dishwasher. Boy, have we missed you! I’m leaving your\u00a0protective plastic in place for now as there is a little bit more jiggery pokery happening\u00a0this weekend to sort out a\u00a0power supply. Then we’ll load you\u00a0up, press the buttons and walk away. And just in time for a\u00a0new\u00a0season of Game of Thrones<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    * Yes, of course I tidied the kitchen before I took that\u00a0photo. You think\u00a0it normally looks like this?<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Kitchen expenditure so far:<\/p>\n