Monday 21 October 2013

The Kitchen

 
One of our main priorities over the last two weeks was to get the bones of the kitchen in place.  We have yet to decorate it but now it is all ready to start painting.
 
 
As it was when we viewed the house.
 
The first job was to re-model it slightly, the last owners had a washing machine and tumble dryer on the left hand side just behind the breakfast bar and a dishwasher under the sink.  We don't use dishwashers or tumble dryers so we decided to put our new washing machine into the gap we would make by removing the dishwasher (we phoned them up and asked if they would like it back and they said yes and came to pick it up).  They took their washer, drier and electric cooker with them when they moved out so we had a large gap on the left-hand side of the kitchen which we filled with the unit that had stood next to the cooker.  This then left us plenty of room on the right-hand side of the kitchen for the Aga.
 
We paid for a days labour from a qualified joiner to help us with all this.
 
 
Once the large cooker hood was removed from the wall Lovely Hubby soon got stuck into the tiling, using our choice of plain white 'Subway' tiles.  We were advised to have the tiling in place before the Aga was installed, the walls were no problems but the floor tiles took forever to set!!  I really think LH was losing the will to live by the end of the first week.
 
 
Our lovely new fridge freezer arrived on time and fitted into the end of the kitchen perfectly.  At last nice cold butter and milk, and we were able to shop for more than one days food at a time.

 
The tiling went really well, obviously the little doggy supervisor made sure that LH kept going.

 
And then it was Aga installing day.  I've waited so long for this. 
 
It was really fascinating to see it being built from scratch.  Every panel and part arrived carefully wrapped, with the ovens being carried in by both the installers as they were so heavy.  I think they thought I was slightly crazy popping in every few minutes with a paint brush in my hand to see what the next stage was :-)
 
 
Once assembled and checked it was filled with little chippings which were then carefully packed into every nook and cranny with the rod in the foreground.  The guys did a brilliant job and it was installed and working within about four hours. 
 
 
After a quick wipe down, she looked lovely. 
 
 She is a reconditioned electric Aga bought from Twyfords  and I really cannot praise the installers enough.  Hopefully by next Summer she will be being powered by our solar panels and saving us lots of money as she keeps the house lovely and warm.

 
Later in the week the shelves, made by cutting a left over piece of worktop into three, were put up so that we will be able to paint over the pencil marks and drill holes when we start decorating the kitchen next weekend.
 
It's all looking so good, and now that the Aga is in place there is a steady hum of warmth that permeates through the entire house.
 
 
The gap at the end of the run of units is to be filled in with a bookcase that LH is building with some of my Dad's wood, that will house part of my collection of cookery books and it is supported by a small single cupboard that was next to their washing machine.
 
 
 
But the star of the show is most definitely my 'new to me' Aga.
 
I'm a happy girl :-)
 
Sue xx
 

38 comments:

  1. She is beautiful !!!!! your kitchen is looking fabulous and as you say the steady hum of the aga is like a heartbeat in your kitchen. I would do anything to make sure my future home has one because they really bring your kitchen alive. I have an electric Aga now and although quite expensive to run we don't really heat the rest of the house up, relying one everyone to sit in our kitchen and conservatory:) hope to see you soon for a coffee from my Aga kettle:) lots of love Karan xxxxx

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    1. I'll be round for a coffee soon, keep that Aga kettle warm ..... I have two now you know ..... Aga kettles that is not Aga's :-)

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  2. Wow, it looks show home kitchen and you say this is BEFORE decorating! I love it AND the Aga of course, how wonderful and fascinating to see it being built as well.

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  3. Lovely - I have always wanted an Aga but had to make do with a range cooker instead so I am envious!

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  4. Very gorgeous. Just the right time of year to have a buzz of Aga love throughout the house!

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  5. Very envious of your Aga one day I will have one. Your kitchen looks lovely I look forward to some more pictures soon.

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  6. What a lovely room, I am sure you will be so creative in there! Can almost feel the heat from the Aga. X

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  7. Looking good! Love the fridge. Just curious but wondered why you went for electric Aga rather than using wood from your woodland for heat and cooking range?

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    1. As mentioned in the post, we will be having solar panels and thus generating our own electricity, and LH has back up plans for the future in case of a complete failure on the part of panels AND the National Grid to have a back up system in place by means of a generator, the joys of having an engineer as a husband :-)

      And really I would get totally obsessed with keeping a wood fuelled Aga alight and I think he has plans on my time in helping to look after his livestock ;-)

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  8. It looks wonderful, I cant wait to see the rest.

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  9. omg! its all beautiful!!!! I love it all! and the roof lantern/skylight ADORE. Oh Sue you saved and penny pinched and saved some more and you have bought a truly smashing home!

    Are you going to run it as a B&B? I would stay just to sit in the kitchen!

    adore!

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    1. Not a B&B but we do have plans ............

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    2. what about courses? anything you teach I am coming over. I am not sure I could drive that far. Maybe train and taxi.

      I would love to learn about chickens.

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  10. It's beautiful Sue, so light. I love it!

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    1. It really is a wonderfully light house, especially when we compare it to our little 1930's bungalow, we really are living in two extremes at the moment!!

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  11. Looking good Sue, really homely already!

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  12. Gorgeous....just gorgeous!!!! Xxx

    Lush......just lush!!!!

    Natalie xx

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  13. Absolutely green with envy!!! She is fabulous!!! Everything is looking so good!! Well deserved!

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  14. Wow, it's fantastic, well done you. So light, and all that space - I'm envious too!

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  15. happiness IS a cream Aga!
    I feel like I've lost a couple of weeks with your move and stuff, so really happy to see your gorgeous kitchen taking/taken shape
    xx

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  16. Looking wonderful in there Sue ! I like the sky light & sink under the kitchen window - nice & bright.

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  17. I too love Aga's but have never had one. Mind you, it wouldn't have to be an Aga as such, just something similar. I take it, it has to be on all the time?

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    1. No it can be turned off whenever we want, but does take a couple of hours to get back to a cooking temperature if you do, the beauty of the electric models. We are mostly leaving it on all the time though as our main heat source, between it and the log burner we are hoping not to have to use the central heating if at all possible.

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  18. WOW, your kitchen is looking fantastic!

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  19. There is only one word to describe the kitchen and that is Fabulous!
    Elizabeth

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  20. Kitchen is looking good! Sometimes hiring someone in for a day can save you many more (Not ust saying that because i'm a carpenter joiner)

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    1. Honestly he was worth every penny. He worked all day for a fixed price and did lots of the jobs LH would have struggled over, plus of course he came with all his own tools designed for the jobs he needed to do. His big powerful saw sliced through the solid wood worktop as though it was butter. He also installed our integrated washing machine and left everything spotlessly clean at the end of the day. Money very well spent :-)

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  21. I grew up with an Aga and have happy memories of its warmth : )

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  22. Loving your kitchen and yes, the AGA makes it!

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  23. Your kitchen is looking fab and I love love love your aga. I have always wanted one so I am just a tiny bit jealous! :o)

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  24. Your gorgeous country kitchen is the stuff of dream homes! I bet you can't wait to start cooking on your lovely "new" Aga :) Best wishes.

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  25. What a fabulous kitchen! I envy you having that fantastic Aga!! I`d love a kitchen just like that. Open and airy, and lots of room to be culinary creative.

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  26. This is my dream kitchen, very envious, hopefully if I work as hard as you have, one day I can have something similar x

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  27. I love your kitchen, it's bright and spacious. It must be lovely to cook in such a space.

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