Bikers' Banter

Went to a house that hadn't been lived in for over 40 years to plan a kitchen and two bathrooms... I only have a few small pics of the kitchen but the rest of the house was pure 70's.... All big Flowery wall paper and carpets.... took me right back to childhood !..... It had a cold store and a Coal bunker and outsidw loo too.

Looks similar to my house when I first bought it . We also had double doors with full length reinforced mesh glass , between the lounge and dining room .

I've owned that kitchen. I thought it was really posh

New handles and you wouldn't believe the difference

When we first opened 20 years ago, we had our first customer walk in after a week.... our first sale was a knob..... !!! done about 8000 jobs since though.... I'll try and upload pics of this kitchen when fished....

I miss my walk in larder My new kitchen is extremely dull but clean. I've already been reduced to tears after trying to cook. I had a really good range cooker before, which I loved and made full use of. Here there's a wall oven and grill thingy and they are both really useless. I have practiced (and eaten) dozens of recipes and not one is up to my previous standard. I shall keep trying as it's here and it works.
I also have many cupboards which I thought would be wonderful, but quickly realised that I can only reach the bottom shelf And the chap I called in to lay some sort of vinyl flooring, thinking it would warm up the look of the place, refused to do the job as the tiles are supposed to look rustic and have fake rough edges. He said it would crack in a couple of years, so my idea of just changing the floor and the worktops was a non starter.
Frustrating, because I'd love to pull it all apart and change it all, but can't justify the money.
When I told my eldest I no longer have room for 7 types of flour and 9 types of sugar he fell about and told me it's a very third world problem, which is true, so I think I have to learn to live with it all.
I really like the drawers that hold all my vast collection of pots, pans and trays though, so not all bad!

Oh Bee

I feel your pain. Every cooker/oven cooks differently. It took me ages to master my basics when we moved to Spain.
(Slow electricity!)

I think it's worse because of having to learn to cook all over again after the brain stuff. Just when I think you've sussed it, fate wants me to start another journey.
Never mind. At least I can afford to go out for breakfast sometimes now. Triumph owners breakfast tomorrow. We try and find two new breakfast places every month during winter. Hoping for pancakes. Yum!

The three things I always ask a new Customer when visiting to design their new Kitchen are.... What do you like about the existing layout.... What do you hate and What would you like that you haven't got at the moment ???.... then it all just flows... I always try to get big wide drawers, easy to use L shaped corner cupboards and accessable storage in every design.... and I always try to alter the height of built-in Ovens in tall units to suit the customer's height. Once the plan is scribbled on my note pad it very rarely gets changed so I reckon I've got it pretty much nailed...... To be honest, I see what other places have come up with and it quite often just doesn't work. or fit !!! Beware of the large Showrooms, they are all on commission and have no proper design or fitting experience, just a short course on how to sell....... and, when it goes wrong, they don't want to know....... I could write Volumes about this.

Beelady wrote: ↑Sat Dec 10, 2022 7:42 pm I think it's worse because of having to learn to cook all over again after the brain stuff. Just when I think you've sussed it, fate wants me to start another journey.
Never mind. At least I can afford to go out for breakfast sometimes now. Triumph owners breakfast tomorrow. We try and find two new breakfast places every month during winter. Hoping for pancakes. Yum!

I much prefer cooking on my twig burning camping Stove.....