Letter from the Editor: Kitchen refit may be project too far

When we made the decision to take advantage of the January sales and invest in a new kitchen, I was adamant I was going to fit it myself.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Feb 2018, 11:00 BST

Fast forward a few weeks to the day of delivery and I’m really beginning to wonder if I’ve done the right thing.

The one big plus is that the units are all pre-assembled - that’s where my last experience of fitting a kitchen started to go wrong - so the basics of laying things out shouldn’t be too difficult.

However, it’s all the other ‘wee jobs’ that worry me.

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I’ve already had to employ a plumber and an electrician to make sure all the services are in the right place and I fear I may have to secure the services of a joiner to avoid a mishap with the worktops as sawing in a straight line has never been one of my strengths.

With the electrician due to return to connect the cooker and the likelihood that I’ll have to engage the services of a gas man to fit the hob, suddenly the DIY option doesn’t seem so thrifty after all.

Then there’s the little extras that go with it. A trip to B&Q to buy some screws inevitably ends with me spending upwards of £50 while the ‘investment’ I’ve made in some power tools to make the job that bit easier will probably see them used once then relegated to the back of the garage to gather dust.

I never learn the lesson either. The electrician we had in had this nifty wee power saw that cuts sideways and I’ve now got my eye on one of these while I’m already on my second tile-cutter after spilling a tin of paint over the first one.

Still, it’s all good fun ...