Our Budget Bespoke Galley Kitchen

Carpentry by www.hickscustomfurniture.co.uk/ 

Before

The mess was optional but it illustrates how difficult we found it to make the kitchen work. The cabinets were going mouldy at the back and the kitchen was overwhelmed with too many units.

During

This is part way through stripping out the old units.

We tried to do everything we could ourselves but had a meltdown when the booked electrician stood us up and we had to get new quotes in the very vulnerable kitchenless scenario  shown above – needless to say this completely blew our budget as it cost much more than the estimate! Tip: a 10% contingency budget doesn’t work if your budget is really small and the most expensive work is over budget…

We also got a brilliant bespoke floor to ceiling cupboard and base unit made by carpenter Jonny of www.hickscustomfurniture.co.uk. He followed our brief exactly and talked us through different pricing options. We are very happy with the results:

After

We wanted floor to ceiling cupboards for lots of storage but realised that most things we stored were narrower than a plate. This larder unit is narrower than normal to give extra space in our small kitchen. Jonny made the ladder for us so we can reach the top.

We wanted random door knobs to give a more quirky feel: www.amazon.co.uk/

Our sink was £10 from Ebay because someone listed it as a ‘Bell Fast Sink’ to be used as a garden planter. I also managed to find the oak worktop on Ebay for £99.

Jonny used the off cut of the worktop to make us a chopping board that fits over the sink – perfect for serving roasts!

The next room to do is the bathroom which is likely to be very stressful… Any tips?