User:Doug/Kitchen renovation
The plan to swap the main Kitchen and Snack kitchen is already underway: the recent (late 2025) window exchange put a window-door in the current kitchen, with the aim to eventually put a balcony there. This is an excellent opportunity to improve the kitchen.
Aims
To create a kitchen that will:
- enable preparing food for bigger numbers of people
- be more enjoyable to use
- be easier to clean and maintain
- allow for a higher level of hygiene
Scope
- k20-1-1 (currently Snack kitchen)
- not the Snack kitchen cupboard
Questions
Many questions are in the plan below marked with ❓ This section is mostly for bigger/more complex questions.
- who do we know that got a comparable kitchen renovation? How much did it cost, time did it take? Advice?
- ✅ Lebenstraum Gemeinschaft Janishausen contacted
- sewage pipe - remove it or keep it? Removing it permanently gains a little space for the kitchen, simplifies the room shape and infrastructural complexity. Removing also requires work... Options in my order of preference
- remove pipe, relocate bathroom toilet to cupboard
- significant work
- move storage into the main room
- connect sewage though the wall to the staircase toilets sewage pipe (~50 cm)
- connect rain & tap water also from upper staircase toilet
- since replacing toilet anyway, get one that doesn't block
- keep pipe, box it off (drywall)
- moderate work
- long-term missed opportunity
- remove pipe, remove bathroom toilet with no replacement
- the toilet seems useful and used!
- keep pipe, no boxing
- least work
- looks ugly, dirt-trap...
- (I would not be motivated to help with renovation if this option were chosen)
- remove pipe, reroute sewage through wall to staircase toilets
- most work
- this would require over 2 meters of horizontal sewage routing and a major reorganizing of pipes in upper staircase toilet
- (I would not be motivated to help with renovation if this option were chosen)
- Kabuff separation wall - removing part/all of it?
- options:
- removing the "small" side towards the entrance would allow a/the shelf to extend all the way to the door, making better use of the space
- as above, but extending all the way up: would allow a/the shelf to extend vertically to roof
- all: unclear... my imagination overflows
- any removal would brings significant costs and would only make sense to do during main action
- would require architectural considerations, most likely building in supports
- dusty breakage
- significant plastering required
- permanent damage to original and pretty door-frame
- options:
- remove pipe, relocate bathroom toilet to cupboard
Plan
Rerouting
Currently some plumbing runs through the room which is in active use in the Main bathroom and lower staircase toilet. This work should be done before starting actual kitchen renovation at all.
- ☐ move toilet in main bathroom to "Kabuff" ❓
- ☐ acquire "good" toilet (i.e. one that doesn't block, preferably with urine separation) (or all-bodies-urinal?)
- ☐ free up left side of Kabuff
- ☐ drill necessary holes to upper-staircase toilet
- ☐ water off!
- ☐ install toilet, cistern, bidet hose & connect everything up (!)
- ☐ reinstall the old door or a curtain
- ☐ supply water to lower staircase toilet from upper staircase toilet (or wash kitchen)
- ☐ drill hole
- ☐ water off!
- ☐ switch connections
Temporary Snack kitchen reorganization ❓
The Snack kitchen (i.e. k20-1-1) will be unusable for the duration of works. It is possible the work will be done in a month, but maybe longer, so the "temporary" rearrangement should be good for at least 2 months. Options:
- if weather allows, set up a a temporary outdoor "main" kitchen and set up new Snack kitchen "permanently" in current Kitchen (i.e. k20-1-2)
- more work to begin, less at end, food preparation more distributed
- set up temporary Snack kitchen in Elephant room
- less work to begin, more at end, food preparation more concentrated
Stripping down
This phase of the work is about getting rid of unwanted things and getting the room to a stage where positive construction can begin.
- ☐ hang protective sheet in Kabuff
- ☐ remove all unmounted items
- ☐ water off!
- ☐ power off!
- ☐ remove all mounted items (cupboards, shelf, sink, tap, etc)
- ☐ remove fake-wall
- ℹ️ unknown tasks may hide behind wall!
- ☐ remove unnecessary plumbing
- ☐ remove sewage pipe
- ☐ remove water pipe leading to "back-right" corner
- ☐ strip walls & ceiling
- ☐ remove all tiles
- ☐ remove all wallpaper (including ceiling)
- ℹ️ needs to be done thoroughly, no pieces of paper left (likely requires spiky roller/water spray)
- ☐ remove all hooks, plugs, clips, etc.
- ☐ break out any loose plaster
- ☐ sand walls, if necessary
- celebrate 🎉
Building up
This phase of the work is about positively constructing towards the desired end state. A lot of open questions still!
- ☐ prepare walls & ceiling (i.e. smooth, flat, stable)
- ☐ plaster any holes
- ☐ if necessary plastering or complete dry-walling (hopefully not! 🙏)
- ☐ electrics
- aim: no exposed wires, good number of sockets where useful
- ☐ main light switch
- ☐ ovens/stoves ❓
- ☐ lights ❓
- ☐ parapet trunking (power strip) along both sides ❓
- ☐ plumbing
- ☐ radiator or wall heating ❓
- ☐ reroute that pipe that sticks out on the "left" side
- ☐ prepare sink inlets & outlet ❓
- (preference: wall-mounted hose-tap)
- ℹ️ outlet location has a degree of flexibility, wall-mounted tap not
- ☐ windowsill
- which material ❓
- installation/plastering
- ☐ Kabuff wall ❓
- ☐ dry-walling
- ☐ "left" side (half-wall or whole❓)
- ☐ ceiling and upper walls
- which kind of paint ❓
- colour/style ❓
- ☐ lower walls
- panels or tiles ❓
- (preference: tiles)
- colour/style ❓
- panels or tiles ❓
- ☐ flooring
- tiles or lino ❓
- (preference: tiles)
- colour/style ❓
- tiles or lino ❓
- ... unknown unknowns 👻💀👹 ...
- Celebrate! 🎉🎉
Installation
Note that the specifics of most of these items need to be decided on before commencing the work at all
- ☐ sink
- ☐ tap
- ☐ tables
- ☐ overhead storage
- ☐ fridge ❓
- CelEbRat3!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉