Our oversized, overfilled house is always very generous and gives us a continuous list of jobs and repairs that need attention. In the 5 1/2 years we’ve lived here every room has been decorated at least once. Some have had just a lick of paint or a covering of wallpaper. Others have had a major refurb. The kitchen had had new flooring and the walls painted, but everything else remained as it was the day we moved in.

I have never been in love with the kitchen. Despite the previous owners fitting, what were probably, expensive units, work tops and appliances, it’s not very user friendly for a family of 9. Since moving in, it had taken a hefty battering, the cupboard doors and drawers starting to look very tired and the built in appliances ready for the graveyard.

With the Christmas festivities over and the cold weather setting in, we decided that whilst we were at home, now was the time to focus our attention on the busiest area of our home.

In an ideal world, it would have been great to rip it all out and start again. However with so many cupboards and a granite worktop a completely new one would have taken a sizeable chunk out of the old pot. So after a family discussion it was agreed a revamp was the way forward. Although we would allow ourselves the luxury of new appliances, the cupboards and worktops would remain in situ.

In an effort to be frugal we spent quite a bit of time searching the internet and visiting stores to find our ideal items :-

• Shopping around for the best deals, we found all the items we wanted online cheaper than we’d seen instore. Being a bit of a coupon queen I also found several discount vouchers on the new appliances. Kerching
• We picked up paint tester pots and colour charts, and ordered wallpaper samples to ensure we got the right match.

We had a major clearout and rethink of where things should be stored in an attempt to make it a more usable space. Then armed with tins of furniture paint, the work began. We had a little production line going. Removing all the doors, drawers, handles, hinges and kick boards, we spent a week sanding and painting them all inside and out a more modern grey, cleaning the inside of the cupboards and rearranging whilst waiting for the paint to dry.

Treating ourselves to a new induction hob, we found that half our pans were not compatible 🙈 However, they have been recycled and are now enjoying a new life in the care of our eldest daughter.

Needing some finishing touches we wanted to replace the existing sink tap. How hard could that be? But wow so many different shapes and sizes to choose from. Some with flexible hoses and sprays, tall ones, shorter ones, long spouts, short spouts, double levers, single levers, chrome coloured, nickel, black or two tone. Modern designs, classic designs or retro. Ones with or without boiling water facilities (thought that was what a kettle was for!) Aargh I’ve never spent so much time contemplating the style of such a simple every day object! After a long while walking up and down the aisle, touching them all, discussing style, plus a phone call to the son in law, we decided on a dual colour, modern one. Yay job done.

Our dining table and chairs had been with the family for about 15 years and were past their best. Although it had served us well, the table was a bit too long for our current dining area so we needed something a little shorter but a bit wider. However it’s not been easy finding a table to fit the space we have AND big enough to seat 9 people. After some research, we finally found someone, again online, who makes bespoke tables at a reasonable price and as we await it’s delivery, in the next few days, and by purchasing slightly narrower dining chairs we can hopefully all now sit comfortably together at a table that fits our space better.  All hail the World Wide Web.

We had to recycle some things to keep the budget down:-

• The cupboard handles have been cleaned, polished and refitted
• The worktop has been polished and now looks pristine
• We fortunately had enough, new hob, compatible pans to avoid purchasing any new ones
• Finally the cooker hood and extractor were removed, cleaned, polished and returned to their original positions.

All in all we are pretty pleased with the result of our first upcycling/recycling project. It feels like we have a brand new kitchen, which has been achieved on quite a small budget. It was quite time consuming, but good fun and we can now proudly and comfortably have friends and family round for dinner.

With the walls repainted, the final major project in the house is now completed, but we can’t put our smug little feet up for too long and will soon have to get back to our continuous list of repairs and redecoration. It sometimes feels like painting the Forth Road Bridge but it keeps us busy on long cold winter days.