Stress Sponge

At the end of 2007 Foo and I bought a house together.  Now, just over a year later, we can no longer stand the “cupboard sized” kitchen and are putting in a new one.

I’d like to thank the following people for the great work they’ve done:

Kim and Frank’s Cabinets Limited: Kim and Frank were a big help with process of getting a new kitchen made. Kim came to our house and helped us to turn our ideas into something that would work well for the small space we had available to us. They provided us with clear, detailed plans, which made it easier for the plumber and electrician. I highly recommend this experienced duo to anyone looking to renovate their kitchen.

Chris Wilson: Chris did the electrical work for our new kitchen.  We needed 9 powerpoints and 1 isolator switch put in, which required wiring a new cable into the switchboard, and crawling around under the house.  He was efficient, communicative, and did an allround good job.  If anyone needs a good electrician, Chris’s number is (09)444-8833.

Nik and Rod Turner: Nik helped us organise things with his dad (Rod) who did the plumbing for our new kitchen.  Plumbing is one of those things that’s kind of magical to me.  We needed our old taps disconnected and the piping for the new mixer put in, so Rod waved his magic wrench and in a flash the work was done.  Once the new kitchen has been installed he will return to connect up our new mixer, sink and dishwasher.  Rod has actually retired from the plumbing trade and is now studying to be a lawyer, so we were very lucky that he was prepared to help us out pro bono.

Martin Aspell: My brother and DIY extraordinaire! Marty runs a business making carbon fibre parts for motorbikes, but there’s not much else he can’t do.  If it weren’t for Marty we wouldn’t have achieved all that we have over the last 3 days.  He helped us remove the old kitchen, fill and sand the defects in the walls and paint the undercoat.  This might not sound like much… but there were a lot of defects, which required a lot of filler and sanding!  If you’re in the market for some high quality carbon fibre parts for your motorbike, Marty’s the one to contact.

Ingrid Aspell: My incredibly patient and supportive mother!  It took us 2 days to take the kitchen out and prepare the walls, but she was there the whole time helping out where she could.  As it got later and later and Marty and I got more and more tired, my mum played interpreter and translated “Marty speak” into “Heidi speak”, helping to avoid conflict caused by 2 knackered people.  I’m really glad she could be part of the renovation process.

Jeff: Jeff prepared our floor for new vinyl.  When we were pulling out our old kitchen I gave the old vinyl a bit of a tug and it lifted easily, so I thought we could probably remove it ourselves.  In the end we decided to get Jeff in and he removed the old vinyl, sanded back the particle board and sealed it.  All this resulted in a really nice flat surface for the new vinyl to be adhered to.  If anyone needs someone good to do the prep work on their floor, Jeff”s number is (021)437-688.

Barry: Barry laid our new vinyl.  What can I say… it looks great!  He did a quick tidy job and is coming back again on Wednesday to add a carpet bar, which he is selling to us at cost.  If anyone needs a good vinyl layer, Barry’s number is 0274-473-6954.