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Post by Weyland on Jan 26, 2011 18:22:59 GMT
After my burst-pipe flood in the kitchen and utility room is dried out and tidied up, I'll be needing all new appliances, floor coverings, and possibly kitchen units and furniture, depending on what the loss-adjuster eventually decides. (S/he hasn't even been here yet, a month after the event. Allegedly coming on Friday.)
I'd like some advice. Usually I wouldn't, but the circumstances are a bit unusual, in that I'll be selling the house this year in any case, so I want to get stuff that would be attractive to potential buyers rather than the practical, functional choices I would make if I was staying here.
It's a big, big kitchen, perhaps about 6m x 8m, with a fireplace at one end and a bay window at the other, door to the house, and door to the yard via utility room.
Damaged appliances: Bosch larder fridge, Miele dishwasher, Belling free-standing oven/hob, Beko freezer, Hotpoint washing machine, Comet tumble-dryer, fan heater, LG dvd/blueray player, Humax FreeSat receiver/recorder.
Please advise me. Feel free -- assume the insurance company is reasonably generous. Let's say 5m of worktops and units. What do you reckon to an island worktop? Stuff like that.
I forgot the floor coverings. I was thinking cork in the kitchen and vinyl in the utility. Any good?
[There's no gas here, by the way.]
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Post by housesparrow on Jan 26, 2011 20:39:10 GMT
You need to speak to Everso about doing up houses to sell. The golden rule seems to be "don't" , but I accept that you can't live in a kitchenless state.
But I've heard stories of people who choose a kitchen to attract buyers, only to pass by their old house a month or two after completion to find all their expensivenew fittings broken up and on the drive, with completely different ones awaiting installation.
So why not buy free standing stuff which you can take to wherever you are moving to - just in case you don't like what is there already?
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Post by Weyland on Jan 26, 2011 21:14:27 GMT
You need to speak to Everso about doing up houses to sell. The golden rule seems to be "don't" , but I accept that you can't live in a kitchenless state. But I've heard stories of people who choose a kitchen to attract buyers, only to pass by their old house a month or two after completion to find all their expensivenew fittings broken up and on the drive, with completely different ones awaiting installation. Yes. Been there. I used to live in a three-storey "drive-in" house in Holland. Ground: Big garage at the front inside the house, big "garden room" at the back, looking out on the big garden and pleasant waterway. First: Huge living room, kitchen, toilet, balconies front and back. Second: Three bedrooms, bathroom and toilet. My daughter is physically handicapped, so we had a stairlift put in, converted the "garden room" into a live-in kitchen with the garden view, split the living room into a smaller living room and a bedroom, and made the kitchen into another bathroom. Added a toilet under the stairs. Beautiful. Hell of a lot of DIY work, new walls, shower, sink, doors, toilet, fans, etc. Really proud, I was. Vast improvement on the original architect's vision (early 70s). So my daughter effectively had the whole of the first floor to herself if she wanted. Naturally the vixen my daughter soon decided to go to a residential school 120km away, in Arnhem, and after that signed up for college there and got herself a flat in that fine city. She's still there. Anyway, we sold the house, and you know what's coming. . . . A few weeks later I called in there to get something I'd left in the garage. All my handywork was piled up, broken, on the drive, and the house was well on the way to being restored to its original state. Bloody Philistines. I've never been back there since. That's not a bad idea at all, Sparra. I know IKEA does a good range, AND it's international in case I wanted to add to it wherever I am. Thank you. Waiting to hear from the Font of All Wisdom now. And Everso.
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Post by jean on Jan 26, 2011 22:45:13 GMT
So why not buy free standing stuff which you can take to wherever you are moving to - just in case you don't like what is there already? I hear they're more fashionable now, anyway, especially in a big space. I hate wall cupboards and wouldn't have them even though my kitchen is very small. I wouldn't think cork was strong enough for a kitchen floor. I like terracotta, though that could be expensive, and anything you drop smashes to bits immediately.
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Post by housesparrow on Jan 27, 2011 7:40:10 GMT
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Post by Weyland on Jan 27, 2011 10:37:33 GMT
I wouldn't think cork was strong enough for a kitchen floor. I like terracotta, though that could be expensive, and anything you drop smashes to bits immediately. I've had cork before in a kitchen. It did need looking after, but I hear they make thicker, tougher tiles these days. It's warm on the feet and not as unforgiving as stone tiles. It's a cold room unless the fire's on, and I don't want the likes of terracotta, much as I like the look of it. That Marmoleum Sparra mentioned looks interesting. Thanks, and please keep the advice coming.
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Post by Weyland on Jan 27, 2011 10:38:36 GMT
I hear they're more fashionable now That's the main thing.
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Post by Patrick on Jan 27, 2011 12:21:44 GMT
I should hope Cork is better these days! Had it in one kitchen in a rented place and the sealant on it must have been long gone. The previous tenants had left it pretty grubby and it needed a good old fashioned spell with a scrubbing brush to get it clean. This probably cut through the varnish all the more. It may be a little on the naff side but I'd rather linoleum myself. You can buy some really thick stuff now I notice - just ban anyone wearing heels on it.
I could never have tiles! I break too many things as it is - so a surface where the possibility that they might have a fighting chance as they/it cascades onto the floor - or better still "bounces" is all the more important.
Weyland - Do they have the "Plug and Play" kitchens in Holland? I've read that in Germany it's usual practice for people moving house (quite often) to take their kitchens with them, but as a result most kitchen parts are easily fitted by anyone without much need for the "Specialists" we have to call in.
I would hope that before long we could move onto that stage - where plumbing in your kitchen is as simple as connecting up your television or plumbing the washing machine. All it requires is simple push-fit pipework and a simpler way of connecting cookers. That'd wipe the smiles off the faces of some of the tradesmen.
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Post by Weyland on Jan 27, 2011 12:38:51 GMT
Weyland - Do they have the "Plug and Play" kitchens in Holland? I've read that in Germany it's usual practice for people moving house (quite often) to take their kitchens with them, but as a result most kitchen parts are easily fitted by anyone without much need for the "Specialists" we have to call in. Probably, Pat. I've never come across that, but I wouldn't be surprised. The Dutch do have special plugs and sockets for cookers. Dunno why they have to be wired in here. Mrs YI says Novilon flooring in both rooms. Cheaper than Marmoleum, harder-wearing than cork, lots of choice. I won't be living there, so I'm not really bothered. Otherwise I'd probably have cork.
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Post by Patrick on Jan 27, 2011 12:41:18 GMT
When I was looking at kitchens in the nineties - it was easy to discover that all the D.I.Y chains charge pretty much the same. They just up the price on a different size of cabinet compared to their rivals. So in B & Q, your 200 and 300mm cupboards would be (hypothetically) £20 and £25 and the 600 to 1000mm units might be £40 and £60. Go over to Homebase and the 200 and 300mm's will be £25 and £30 but the 600 and 1000mm units will be £35 and £55. They nearly all ended up at the same price when you priced up the units. At the time we ended up with B&Q with the added bonus of interest free credit. They weren't bad with the fitting and stuff - and even when something didn't quite work out - One night after the kitchen had been cleared they didn't re connect the cooker for us - we got a washing machine out of it.
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Post by Patrick on Jan 27, 2011 12:46:38 GMT
House down the road's just been sold (I think) there's someone in there now ripping the kitchen to bits - which didn't look that old.........
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Post by riotgrrl on Jan 27, 2011 12:55:44 GMT
The tiles on my kitchen floor are always getting broken by the over-zealous spinning of the washing machine (which dances across the floor.)
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Post by Weyland on Jan 27, 2011 15:44:40 GMT
The tiles on my kitchen floor are always getting broken by the over-zealous spinning of the washing machine (which dances across the floor.) Breaking tiles? It must be some dance it's doing. The Ibrox Stomp? How old is it? Modern ones don't do that, in my experience. At least not AEG, Bauknecht, or Hotpoint.
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Post by housesparrow on Jan 27, 2011 16:41:05 GMT
I've been racking my brains to think of a flooring that Weyland can take with him so's not to waste it if the buyers want to rip it up.
Carpet tiles? No...don't be seduced by the "washable" claim. They have no place in any kitchen where people cook.
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Post by everso on Jan 27, 2011 17:05:09 GMT
When we refitted our kitchen, 15 years ago now (and when I say "we" I'm using the royal "we"), we bought units by Keller, a Dutch company I believe, and we had all Bosch appliances, which have been excellent and are still going strong.
Weyland, you don't say whether the insurance company are going to hand you a cheque or just settle the bills. If they're handing you a cheque then I'd just get the cheapest units with free-standing appliances that you can remove. If you're selling up it's really only necessary to make the kitchen neat and tidy.
We have Armstrong Rhinofloor in our kitchen (again, that's been down 15 years and still looks good) but I'd just get the cheapest floor covering just to make it look nice. Floor tiles are unforgiving in a kitchen - they look great but if you're clumsy (like me) probably not a good idea.
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Post by Weyland on Jan 27, 2011 17:21:09 GMT
Weyland, you don't say whether the insurance company are going to hand you a cheque or just settle the bills. I don't know yet, Ev. Maybe I'll find out tomorrow, if the Lord High Loss Adjuster deigns to visit Castle Yutani as promised. Any tips for dealing with loss-adjusters?
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Post by Weyland on Jan 28, 2011 9:05:44 GMT
I don't know yet, Ev. Maybe I'll find out tomorrow, if the Lord High Loss Adjuster deigns to visit Castle Yutani as promised. I bloodywell knew it! Phone call at 08:00. Nobody's coming today. Van broken down. So that's another week without a working dehumidifier. The bloke said it's probably too cold for it. I could not possibly have made that up. 21st century, and dehumidifiers might not work in the cold. Still, at least the mould is thriving. Now it's even started climbing the walls. Thinking positively, it reminds me of the adventures of Professor Bernard Quatermass, the Doctor Who of the 1950s, only much better. Phoned the insurance company to find out if the loss-adjuster was still coming (the van was Polygon, the drying-out company). Turns out there's no separate inspection. God knows how they calculate the bill in that case. Last time Polygon was here they told me they don't do inspections. Maybe they'll just pay whatever I claim. Which would be nice. Thinking positively, they told me I could hire a dehumidifier at their expense. If I can find one. And it doesn't mind the cold. Now entering the sixth kitchenless week. Happy New Year.
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Post by rjpageuk on Jan 28, 2011 9:54:51 GMT
If you are planning on selling soon ask an estate agent around for advice on what to do with the kitchen to maximise sale value.
It is hard to recommend anything without knowing what sort of people your house will appeal to.
EDIT: Thats terrible service from your insurance company though. When we re-did our kitchen just before Xmas we found mould behind the cupboards and a wet floor from a pipe that was leaking we didnt know about.
The insurance company had offered us an amount to fix it and sent the cheque in under a week.
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Post by everso on Jan 28, 2011 9:57:45 GMT
I don't know yet, Ev. Maybe I'll find out tomorrow, if the Lord High Loss Adjuster deigns to visit Castle Yutani as promised. I bloodywell knew it! Phone call at 08:00. Nobody's coming today. Van broken down. So that's another week without a working dehumidifier. The bloke said it's probably too cold for it. I could not possibly have made that up. 21st century, and dehumidifiers might not work in the cold. Still, at least the mould is thriving. Now it's even started climbing the walls. Thinking positively, it reminds me of the adventures of Professor Bernard Quatermass, the Doctor Who of the 1950s, only much better. Phoned the insurance company to find out if the loss-adjuster was still coming (the van was Polygon, the drying-out company). Turns out there's no separate inspection. God knows how they calculate the bill in that case. Last time Polygon was here they told me they don't do inspections. Maybe they'll just pay whatever I claim. Which would be nice. Thinking positively, they told me I could hire a dehumidifier at their expense. If I can find one. And it doesn't mind the cold. Now entering the sixth kitchenless week. Happy New Year. Weyland, this is awful. Someone needs a damn good thrashing. I don't know who, but someone. I don't know how I'd cope with something like this. Cry probably. That usually works. I hope it's resolved soon.
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Post by Weyland on Jan 28, 2011 10:28:41 GMT
Weyland, this is awful. Someone needs a damn good thrashing. I don't know who, but someone. I don't know how I'd cope with something like this. Cry probably. That usually works. I hope it's resolved soon. Thank you, Ev. Crying didn't work. What I do is whinge on messageboards, Skype, telephone, in the boozer, email, F'book, Twitter, to the neighbours, and on the street to passers-by. I'll be getting a reputation -- another one to add to my collection. I've organised a dehumidifier, coming this afternoon. What fun.
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