Where is the alcove then in your drawings that you're going to put the washing machine in? At the moment you've got a fridge/freezer in it yes? I understand that you're putting the new fridge/freezer behind the door under the stairs yes? I can't fathom out where that other alcove is though?

It's looking good, you're using every ounce of space like I had to - even got the door opening the right way to save space!

I think I see that alcove now, by the back door, not the hall door? No, you can't do anything with that then if it's not part of the house and built into the outside wall. I used to have a larder in a victorian house we had once, and that too was built into an outside wall, and in fact, the kitchen was about the same size as yours too!

You're right too, if you shop around for bargains and at the right time, you can get a really good deal. I even managed to get my kitchen doors at B & Q when they were 1/2 price too!! That made a great saving If I remember right, I think in total we spent around £3,500 but I had a window moved, the whole room plastered, a new combi boiler, all done by crafstman that I know as friends, so got all that done cheap too! Lol! I really am a cheapskate ya know!!

And, just for fun, a picture of some of those tiles :



Hey i love those tiles, we want our kitchen doing my OH says it will cost around £3,000. but i thought it would be more. however judging by the cost of yours and what Helena says, he could be right That makes a change

I want light wood, greyey marble top (pretend!!), a white butcher sink and some sort of grey tiling for the floor (i think your tiles would match this, can i have them please?)

We need to knock an old built in cupboard out too, and also probably a new boiler.

ooooo i want it nowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

wow duboing you must be soooooooooooooooo excited!!!

I'm sooooooooooooooooo very jealous.

Our kitchen is...well...ancient!!! We've lived here 9 and a half years and it had been in for about 7 before that .
It has a horrible ceiling and lots of artex.

We decorate it...but it's still horrid..thing is when we have it done 'properly' we know it's going to cost a fortune to do what we really want (which in my book means extending into the garage and building a utility and loo in there......OH not h.p at that but heydee ho!!!!!)
Helena your kitchen is lovely...I want it...and your dogs...FOXY shall we get her in the van then sneak them away????????:smt002

Helena - what a price for all that work! Your friend don't come to Liverpool do they?

Toby - sorry but they're mine, all mine!!! They were a wee bit pricey (£32/m2 + VAT on special offer ) but as we're only doing a 30cm splashback all round, plus a bit extra over the cooker, it doesn't end up being too ridiculous.

Ailsa - don't talk to me about Artex, some psycho plastered it all over what is now our bedroom, and it looks like the snow-scene effect icing that my mum does on her Christmas cakes

Hey I love those tiles too!! How far up the wall are you going with them - all over?? I once fell in love with some Italian jobs I'd seen in a tile shop, it was our first house, and I wanted to retile the whole kitchen, it was small, but I bought more, and more and more, turned out it cost me over £400 back in 1981!!! That was a lot of money!! Looked nice though when I'd finished it, but if you're going to do it, make sure you measure first and price up, which I forgot to do in those days!

Toby, if you're changing the boiler, you must go for a combi, you can then get rid of all the old pipework and tank coz it doesn't need any. Best investment we ever made that was, and that's how we gained space in the hall by getting rid of a massive hot water tank from a big cupboard, knocked it all out Well o/h did! then he rebuilt a stud wall 3ft. back to get more room in one of the bedrooms at the back
If you want grey floor tiles, go for the slate they're really nice. My worktop is granite pretend and the splashback too, but it looks the part!

Ailsa, mine had a lot of artex in too, and no matter what I painted it, it still looked c*ap!! Especially as there was one very long bare looking wall. Can't you fill the artex'd walls with cupboards and new splashbacks that would hide a lot of it? and no, you can't have my kitchen, you can try and steal it if you like, but I'm watchin' youuuuuuuu!!! and so are the doglets!!! Thanks for liking my kitchen, but wait till you see what Duboing's got in store

Helena...the artex is on the wall that used to be the exterior wall..it's slap bang in the middle of the kitchen and is a pain in the butt!!!!! Can't put anything on it as there is no room...not worth having it plastered as we may remove the whole thing when we do the kitchen.it's horrible and i| hate it...it attacks my clothes and pokes my doggies...not good.....

Lol - attacks your clothes!!!!! You can always get the sander out and sand off the sharp bits?! Makes a bit of a dust cloud though, we tried that! Our whole hall was artexed when we came here, but Dave, bless him, plastered it all when I went away on holiday over to Mum's this year, bless, and NO you can't have my hubby too - Foxy's already got her eyes on him!!!!

Oh well i will just have to buy my own..where did you get them from?

Helana, thats the word i meant to use, granite not marble I like the sound of slate floor tiles. Yes we already have a combi boiler but its getting on a bit and is a bit noisy. I know what you mean though we have a really good cupboard on our upstairs landing thanks to the hot water tank being removed in the past

LMAO at Ailsa being attacked by the Artex If I pull myself up in bed too suddenly it takes chunks out of my scalp Suppose it could be useful if you suffer from an itchy back...

The tiles are from www.stonehousetiles.co.uk They do a pretty good service, and you can get up to 3 samples free. Beyond that you pay postage on each sample you order. I ordered these on Tuesday, got the receipt on Wednesday and the tiles were delivered today (Thursday). Postage is £15 on any order.

thanks , i'm going to have a look