Uh oh. I've done another green DIY kitchen

[depreciator]

It's a one bed flat I rent out around the corner from home. The old kitchen was from the late 70s and was pretty bad. When I started to pull it out, it almost fell apart - it was a bit like an ill, elderly person who knew their time had come.
Richard Feynman helped me - no, not Richard Feynman the US theoretical physicist. Richard from here.
I kept the water in the same place and put new wiring in. The plumber and electrician came to about $1,000.
Getting tiles off and patching/painting the walls wasn't a big deal.

 

[depreciator]

Now, for the after photos.
I went flatpack. But not IKEA or anything like that. I used a local kitchen guy. It has soft close doors and drawers and all of that. Total cost was $5,500.
I went green again despite the unkind things people said about my previous green kitchen (which was admittedly lime green). The green suits the 70s aesthetic of the flat.
- The black ceramic knobs were from eBay - $30.
- The sink and taps were IKEA - $150.
- The oven is Smeg - $200 on eBay. I like those Smeg ovens.
- The cooktop is Smeg, too - $100.
- The rangehood is Fisher and Paykel - $260.
(Because the kitchen is part of the living space, I didn't want the rangehood surrounded by cupboards and looking too 'kitcheny'. So I built a green box for it. It's a slide-out rangehood and I replaced the polished aluminium handle bit with a strip of green. The whole thing sort of floats and looks great.)
- The splashback is glass - $1,100.
- The very obvious hole is for a F&P dishdrawer when I find one cheap.

So lets's say $10,000 all up.

 

[EN710]

I quite like it!

Prefer metal handles for the cupboards tho

 

[dan_89]

Definitely freshened the place up! interesting colour choice but I don't mind it!

I like the way you've done the rangehood (I'm assuming the exhaust runs back through the wall and either into the ceiling or strait through the brickwork?). Its always nice having overheads for extra storage IMO but not a huge issue. Cooktop and oven second hand? seems very cheap for smeg?

Well done!

 

[Biz]

Big improvement over what was there before but I have to say it - 10k

I would have thought closer to 5k for that all up. I recently did one and got out of it for less than 5k and I didn't have to touch a thing. but the splashback was tiled and not glass. Westinghouse appliances instead of Smeg too. In the grand scheme of things an extra 5k is nothing but I like to challenge myself with reno's and see how cheap I can get out of it

 

[moyjos]

Very Noice

 

[dan_89]

Big improvement over what was there before but I have to say it - 10k

I would have thought closer to 5k for that all up. I recently did one and got out of it for less than 5k and I didn't have to touch a thing. but the splashback was tiled and not glass. Westinghouse appliances instead of Smeg too. In the grand scheme of things an extra 5k is nothing but I like to challenge myself with reno's and see how cheap I can get out of it

I'm with you Biz, love to challenge myself and go as cheap as possible (while maintaining high standards on quality obviously).

If it were my IP I would have tiled the splashback.. $1100 is alot of money for something that could have cost less than $400 tiled. Alternatively could have used acrylic although wouldn't be ideal behind cooktop.

 

[depreciator]

Yep, appliances were second hand. Smeg units are over $1,000 but those ones are good quality - I have used them before and have a couple of spares.
Yep, could have saved a bit of money by compromising on a few things, but a few years down the track those compromises become pretty obvious and problematical. I've seen that happen often. An acrylic splashback, for example, would have looked fine for a year - especially if nobody used the cooktop. Cheap tiles would have looked, well, cheap.
I've got someone moving in shortly for a year at a smidge under $500, which is pretty good for a one bedder. The kitchen sold them on it.

 

[Television]

Yep, appliances were second hand. Smeg units are over $1,000 but those ones are good quality - I have used them before and have a couple of spares.
Yep, could have saved a bit of money by compromising on a few things, but a few years down the track those compromises become pretty obvious and problematical. I've seen that happen often. An acrylic splashback, for example, would have looked fine for a year - especially if nobody used the cooktop. Cheap tiles would have looked, well, cheap.
I've got someone moving in shortly for a year at a smidge under $500, which is pretty good for a one bedder. The kitchen sold them on it.

I'd think especially given the area, having something a bit different / interesting will help to command a premium. Your IP is based in a location where people care about design etc. (in my opinion).

 

[depreciator]

Yes, it's in the hipster zone.
Here is the Airbnb listing. The kitchen fits right in:

https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/1802870

 

[mflying]

in marrickville, it will fetch a premium rent.... Lot of trendy stuff happening

 

[bob shovel]

That's radical! Might not be peoples cup of tea, but def works for the area and airbnb, it's got wow factor and will stand our against other bland joints. Plus probably pull some premium occupiers

 

[Aaron Sice]

you definitely have an eye for detail - most people choose a contrasting work top which makes the space look smaller - the matching top (in any colour) changes the way the kitchen is casually viewed from the adjacent room, blurring the lines and increasing the sense of space.

well done

 

[depreciator]

...the matching top (in any colour) changes the way the kitchen is casually viewed from the adjacent room, blurring the lines and increasing the sense of space.

Thanks Aaron. When you walk into the flat the kitchen is over to the right hand side and at first glance it's like a wall of joinery, not a kitchen. That was the plan.

Bob, it's not as radical as the lime green kitchen I did at home. That one still looks great.

 

[bob shovel]

I do recall that one, it's a beauty! I'll need to revisit that for a trip in the depreciator time machine!

 

[depreciator]

I see if I can find it, just for you, Bob. I'm sure I've got a photo somewhere.

 

[bob shovel]

i can see how the costs may look excessive but i think for the purpose and requirements its what had to be done. ikea etc you could get for <1000k probably BUT, it wouldnt look or suit as well as this one does. and would have under capitalised the love pad. The fridge nook, corner cabinet, range hood box all custom and fit for purpose. would have had a hard time at ikea getting what was wanted. and the splashback, i have done tiles too and there is a big costs saving but id say the photos arent doing it justice, and did you get glass returns on the sill and sides?
aaron, i didnt pick the mathcing top originally it is a really good idea! and like you said its not just a kitchen with a laminate benchtop its like a feature or retro furniture feel.

in summary...i give it 5 spuds (out of 5)

 

[Tim86]

$10 000 and green...

$10 000 and green...

okay I need time to process

 

[travelbug]

I love the retro look but $5,500 is a lot for that size kitchen. Or did that include him doing the complete fittout? I would have thought with all of your contacts here you would have used one of the kitchen mobs that others use.

 

[depreciator]

Tim, there are a lot of colours out there to choose from. Interestingly, the identical flat across the hall just had a reno, too. I had a stickybeak while the carpet was going down. It's all beige and grey. Despite being the same size and having the same aspect, it was odd how different it felt.

Travelbug, I did it with the kitchen bloke because there was a bit of fiddling and decisions that needed to be made on site. The walls weren't square, of course. And the rangehood thing was tricky - but worth the effort. I wanted to use Hafele drawer sets and inserts and hardware. And I wanted to be able to get to the HWS easily. It sits under the cupboard beside the fridge and there is a clever panel that makes it easy to access.

And now, for Bob, and to tip people over the edge, I have found a photo of my previous and much maligned DIY green kitchen at home....