One sentence that would sum up the entire house moving/redecorating experience would be ‘it didn’t go quite as planned’. My first clue that things wouldn’t go as ‘the norm’ would be my offer on the house being accepted in a little under 5 minutes but me being me (and despite how I appear on here most of the time) I like to keep optimistic and so keep telling myself “things will work out this time”. Only yet again they haven’t …. quite.
For a month now I have been explaining to my dad the virtues of using the upcoming long weekend to fit my kitchen. I am busy Saturday night and so won’t need to be able to use the house meaning we can down tools Saturday and walk out for the evening. We wouldn’t have to stop and clean up so that I could cook and then have breakfast the next morning. After a lot of discussion (because a month seemed like a long time when I first raised the suggestion) it has been decided that this weekend is ‘kitchen weekend’. I have bought the sink, the tiles are being bought this evening, the wallpaper and paint has been decided on and purchased. I have taps, pipes, flooring, boxes to store the opened food in, a space in the conservatory to store the boxes I will fill. I as organised. I as excited.
Then my dad mentioned that we will have to ask the store to cut the work surface to size. I’ll be honest I hadn’t even thought about this. I had chosen the colour of my work surface (grey) and made sure it matched everything. I had planned the cupboard layout in minute detail (yes, I even produced a scale drawing for where everything is going!) but I hadn’t twigged that the work surface would need cutting to size. I am going to have two L-shaped work surfaces and so there will need to be at least two joins. Suddenly the decision of where to make the ‘straight’ cut and join had me panicked. Which way would I cut it to make the kitchen look as long as possible? Especially as in one corner the L bit is only about 50cms, which was would look the best? I was undecided and have been playing with the decision back and forth for a few days now.
Then my dad mentioned a join where it’s all hidden, but you need a special bit of kit to do it (see how much I understand I still don’t know what it’s properly called!).
If you care here is a link to the joining work surface thing I am talking about. if not then just accept it look very pretty, hides the join brilliantly and would solve my problem.
Turns out the special bit of kit I need to do this (as a normal saw won’t do) is owned by my sisters boyfriends father (keeping up?) and I can have it the weekend after next. Result. The only downside is that this weekend is ‘kitchen weekend’.
Dad and I have agreed that the short L shaped section would look better with a hidden joint and so have decided to hold off putting in the work top on that side of the kitchen until I can have it fitted by my sisters boyfriends father. But we are disagreeing about the other side. The other side contains the sink, and will be a large L so my dad thinks it’s worth battling on, getting it done (straight cut and join) and dusted. He says no one will notice as it will be a busy area anyway as it has the sink etc and if I don’t fit that side I can’t fit the sink, the dishwasher, the washing machine (they are all going to be inter-plumbed). Technically if I wait I would only manage half the kitchen on ‘kitchen weekend’ and rather than a finished kitchen I would have another room to add to my list of ‘nearly but not quite finished’ rooms.
However, to me waiting a week to have a clean hidden join is worth it. I know it is a faff. I know it is far from ideal, I know no one else will notice but I will see the join. I will notice it and I will wish I had waited the extra week every single time I wipe down the work top.
My folks have been beyond amazing whilst doing this. My dad has worn himself out trying to get this finished, making trips to DIY shops before and after work, watching YouTube videos, funding me when my finances became tight….. but I know if I don’t wait one more week to have it perfect I will be gutted and it will bother me every. single. day.
I’ve tried talking to my dad about this, but he is keen to crack on and so it’s falling a little on death ears.
The only thing I haven’t done is played the ‘it’s my house’ card.
I don’t want to play that card. But then it is my house and it does matter. It’s going to be years before I do the kitchen again and to wait 5 days to have a clean join seems so worth it to me.
But when my dad has given so much, knackered himself to get my little house perfect, how do I ask him to give even more?
25castleson25clouds.wordpress.com 
Re last post telling you what to do would be so wrong. Each of us has our own ideas and one must learn when to share them and when to give people space to find their own way. I know it sounds hard but trust me the last thing you’d need is a host of differing opinions pulling you every which way. You’d be in no better a position and probably more confused.
Re daddies…that is what they are there for to keep giving to the children they love endlessly, Hope when it gets finished you can cook him a blow out meal or something to say thank you. Good luck.
By the way I only saw your reply as I hit the wrong button and ended up in the last post. Usually I would have not known you had replied. Gosh that makes feel bad now but I don’t visit past posts. Wonder if I am the only one?
Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Best wishes Molly
usually you should get a notification saying I had responded, but at the moment I’m not even getting notifications saying people have originally commented so I wonder if there is a gremlin somewhere?!
Thank you for all your comments (regardless of which post they are on!) and wise words, I really appreciate them!
You’re dad has ben so supportive. I’m sure if it’s really important to you, he’ll understand.
I hope the renovations go well. Kitchens and bathrooms are very stressful. But you’ll enjoy it so much when you’re done.
I think that’s part of the problem, the bathroom has been use-able but not finished since I moved in and I think he’s worried the kitchen will go the same way!
I do so hope you are going to post pictures!! It sounds so adorable I really want to see it.
When it’s done I have plans of posting before and after shots, but at the moment everything is almost half done. Hopefully very soon it will be all finished and then I can tidy and post photos!!