Busy, busy, busy

I have been too busy to post recently and am still flat out with the final bits of the kitchen redecoration. I have yet to complete the final topcoat on the doors (4), frames and window surrounds and I'm not doing it today because the weight of the roller is making my right hand and wrist sore.

The last things to do, apart from the above, are:

• take delivery of the new dishwasher (selected, paid for yesterday - due to be delivered and fitted tomorrow or Thursday)
• receive and fit the splashback - I'm going to glue it on the wall myself (selected, ordered and paid for this morning - due to arrive in 10 working days)
• receive and have fitted the tiles to go above the up-stands (selected yesterday, ordered this morning - due to arrive sometime in Feb/March ...)
• decide whether to fit a blind and, if yes, what kind.

We love the new kitchen cupboard doors and the new benchtop and the new paint job - I have painted the kitchen walls the same colour as we had at Cherswud: Resene's Melting Moment which is a lovely soft warm yellow which we think looks great with the dark black/grey benchtop, white t&g-look cupboard doors and grey floor. It is all certainly a great improvement on the formica cupboard doors, pale blue/lavender benchtop and door handles ... Judge for yourselves in the following photos from original to now:

Even tho I started at 6am I was still working when the guys arrived after 9am.

Old style but new paint

David emptying the under sink cupboard

Evan the electrician and David contemplate the fitting of the new rangehood

Dave the worker splits the bench into manageable chunks for removal

Builder's crack ...

Benchtop off and sink out

These are temporarily easier to access ... and had to be moved out for safety's sake ...

The new stove needed a new carcass to sit in as it's not freestanding

Stove carcass in,  drawers coming out for old fronts to be removed

Hugh gets the new cupboard doors on

Ready for hinge adjustment by Dave and new handles by Hugh

Dave gets up close and personal

The first section of the benchtop goes in

Nearly there - up and over so the sink goes in over the framing

In! Only two more sections to go!

Second one waiting

And the third one is going in

A hive of activity - Hamish is refitting all the plumbing stuff - taps, dishwasher, waste disposal

Evan wiring up the new stove, Hugh finishing the undersink cupboard doors. You can see Hugh needs a new pair of trousers!

Hugh cleaning up, Evan is still going - he was first in and last out that day.

So all of that work took place last Thursday - pretty amazing what was accomplished in a day! I started at 6am, Evan was with us for a couple of hours from 8am and came back about 4.30pm and left at about 5.30pm. Hugh and Dave were with us from about 9.30am till about 5pm and Hamish the plumber came in first thing to unhook all taps and remove the dishwasher and then came back about 4 to hook everything up again.

Our friends Jack and Sarah are homeless at the moment (moving in to a new home in Richmond, Nelson in April) and are staying with us for a few days. Yesterday while Sarah and I went to select a dishwasher and tiles, Jack started stripping the wallpaper in the dining room using Janneke and Nico's machine. It is still a very slow job.

I have advertised the job on Student Job Search and included the painting of the ceiling, the painting of the walls ready for papering, painting of all the woodwork. I will hang the wallpaper when all the hard messy stuff is done ...

In the meantime, I need to get the kitchen painting finished - hopefully tomorrow my wrist will be less painful and I will get it over and done with!

EDITED WED AM - painting finished - started at 6 and finished at 9 this morning. Thank heavens for that - I am over painting for the minute! It looks good tho, if I do say so myself.