The Home Improvements Thread (2)

[martin]

For those that have done kitchens - where is the expense mainly ? Labour ?

I have a small kitchen (4m x 3m wall to wall) and my neighbour redid hers 5 years back at R70k (!) - I know a few others with small kitchen that have also paid R50k+ for a refurbishment. On a non-expensive cluster like mine, that's really overcapitalizing ... but thought just new cupboards and/or counter tops may be 'cheap' and a decent refresh ?

Your choice of material and fittings can add up real quick. Depending on your kitchen size you could save thousands by opting for something like Formica counter-tops as opposed to quartz or granite (that alone would have added at least 25K to our bill). The more expensive taps and basins also add up really quickly - we bought all those things on sale but we saved up for two years before starting our kitchen remodel so we had plenty of time to shop around for bargains. We even bought out tiles on an end-of-line sale. Your choice on something as simple as hinges also adds up real quick - someone mentioned that a page or two ago. There's a lot of these smaller choices that end up making a huge difference on the final total. This is apart from things like labour costs which of course could also be a factor.

 

[WAslayer]

Ah yeah okay wall tiling is different as that is basically another floor x 4 :-(

Yup.. think total squares for tile was 25 or 26sqm, can't remember.. thought that 6k was a decent enough price at the time and we were in a rush to get done, with our first baby due in a month at the time..

 

[SAguy]

For those that have done kitchens - where is the expense mainly ? Labour ?

I have a small kitchen (4m x 3m wall to wall) and my neighbour redid hers 5 years back at R70k (!) - I know a few others with small kitchen that have also paid R50k+ for a refurbishment. On a non-expensive cluster like mine, that's really overcapitalizing ... but thought just new cupboards and/or counter tops may be 'cheap' and a decent refresh ?

When we did our kitchen in our previous place it wasn't any specific line item that stood out as expensive, it's the little bits on everything.

A door handle may be R100, but you go for the R150 because it's nicer.
A tap, R400 but you decide to go for the fancy R2k one.

 

[alqassam]

My kitchen about 50sqm

Probably cost in the region of 300k to 400k

Still missing 2 oven which will set me back about 30k

Tiles sinks taps appliances etc bought on sale

Upper Mid range fittings, so not all the super fancy stuff

1 of those Blum automatic wall hung cupboards can cost 30k each, fracking insane

 

[SAguy]

My kitchen about 50sqm

Probably cost in the region of 300k to 400k

Still missing 2 oven which will set me back about 30k

Tiles sinks taps appliances etc bought on sale

Upper Mid range fittings, so not all the super fancy stuff

1 of those Blum automatic wall hung cupboards can cost 30k each, fracking insane

Link to what this is?

 

[WAslayer]

Link to what this is?

Probably this: https://www.blum.com/aa/en/products/liftsystems/aventos/overview/

Auto wall hung cabinet door opener..

 

[alqassam]

Probably this: https://www.blum.com/aa/en/products/liftsystems/aventos/overview/

Auto wall hung cabinet door opener..

Link to what this is?

This one.

And if you go for the fancy drawer with inserts adds on like crazy.

We went Blum but basic Blum draws are melamine but soft close.

And if you start doing integrated fridges etc that adds on quickly.

I could have easily specced a R1.5m kitchen

 

[Lupus]

This one.

And if you go for the fancy drawer with inserts adds on like crazy.

We went Blum but basic Blum draws are melamine but soft close.

And if you start doing integrated fridges etc that adds on quickly.

I could have easily specced a R1.5m kitchen

Sheesh why and how could you afford it?

 

[alqassam]

Sheesh why and how could you afford it?

1 fridge can cost 200 000 plus freezer so 400 000 job 90 000 oven 75 000, italian quart at 5000 sqm, which you can use as 5he door material and countertops. Fancy self opening closing cupboards.

I could never afford it but crazy to see how quickly it can add up. Mine was between 300 to 400 and I was stingy to pay

 

[Lupus]

1 fridge can cost 200 000 plus freezer so 400 000 job 90 000 oven 75 000, italian quart at 5000 sqm, which you can use as 5he door material and countertops. Fancy self opening closing cupboards.

I could never afford it but crazy to see how quickly it can add up. Mine was between 300 to 400 and I was stingy to pay

300 too 400k wow

 

[rodga]

My kitchen is about the same size as yours.. I did everything myself, other than tile work.. got someone in to strip old tile and do the new ones.. this was 6k total for labor, including adding an additional plug on the other side of the kitchen..

In total, I spent 25k to redo the kitchen.. could have maybe saved another 2k if I did the giant corner pantry cupboard and two other corner cupboards myself but, wasn't in the mood to figure that out, so just bought those flat pack..

Post some pics there man

 

[Quey_Quick]

50m2 kitchen? bigger than my first flat.

 

[CamiKaze]

I actually bought some tiles for my bathroom two months ago.
Been struggling to find a good tiler in the Winelands ever since.
Anyone have any contacts?

I have the tiles, the waterproof concrete for the shower. Some tile pegs or something as well.
So... How much should the labour be per sqm for thi kind of job?

 

[theratman]

I actually bought some tiles for my bathroom two months ago.
Been struggling to find a good tiler in the Winelands ever since.
Anyone have any contacts?

I have the tiles, the waterproof concrete for the shower. Some tile pegs or something as well.
So... How much should the labour be per sqm for thi kind of job?

I had my laminate ripped out and tiles out in just before lockdown at R100pm labour. Used a builder who had a tiler, other quotes I got were generally in that range or a bit cheaper.

 

[RandomGeek]

This one.

And if you go for the fancy drawer with inserts adds on like crazy.

We went Blum but basic Blum draws are melamine but soft close.

And if you start doing integrated fridges etc that adds on quickly.

I could have easily specced a R1.5m kitchen

the team that installs the R1.5m kitchen should consist of topless supermodels at the very least

 

[alqassam]

the team that installs the R1.5m kitchen should consist of topless supermodels at the very least

Let them quote you for shits and giggles

home

Discover compelling kitchen architecture that offer ultimate functionality while still having an aesthetic quality. we design spaces that interact seamlessly with the needs of every person in the home while at the same time serving as the architectural anchor to the surrounding environments.

blu-line.co.za

 

[AlmightyBender]

the team that installs the R1.5m kitchen should consist of topless supermodels at the very least

Oh but they do...

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it

 

[RandomGeek]

Let them quote you for shits and giggles

home

Discover compelling kitchen architecture that offer ultimate functionality while still having an aesthetic quality. we design spaces that interact seamlessly with the needs of every person in the home while at the same time serving as the architectural anchor to the surrounding environments.

blu-line.co.za

Looks gorgeous, but ever so slightly out of my price range

 

[RandomGeek]

Oh but they do...
View attachment 831276
Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it

LOL not my style (won't get my wife's opinion, she may have a different one!)

 

[CamiKaze]

Would it be a good idea to laminate or LVT over Oregon Pine floors/ceiling?
In other words, my ceiling is Oregon pine, and it is the floor of my attic as well.