Time for another upgrade - of the coffee machine type

[struth]

you get induction ovens as well, and samsung have the flame version which although a gimmick is cool

[Marco]

Yes, very cool. That's exactly the type of "warm glow" I want for my man cave. Must have a look around and see what's out there.

They're readily available now John, in all good lighting shops, unfortunately as a result of becoming 'trendy'!

I *so* hate it when things I like become 'fashionable', as I seek the complete opposite!! My pet hate-term is 'Trending Now', as you so often see on websites now, which all the sheep will follow...

Btw, this is how the 'kitchen' started out:








Same area, as shown in the last picture above, 10 months on...




I think it's safe to say that reasonable progress has been made

Marco.

[JohnJo]

old houses are the best....and the worst.

Renovated an old house and done a lot of the work myself so I know where you're coming from. What's most annoying is that 90% of the work, all the stuff that was dirty hard graft, isn't seen *but* the standard of the final finish is completely determined by the preparation work. You've obviously done this properly with a full gut-out which should mean a top quality fit and finish that should look good and be hassle free for the next 30 years.

Great job

[Marco]

old houses are the best....and the worst.

Renovated an old house and done a lot of the work myself so I know where you're coming from. What's most annoying is that 90% of the work, all the stuff that was dirty hard graft, isn't seen *but* the standard of the final finish is completely determined by the preparation work.

Absolutely, mate. Any job is only as good as the prep you're willing to put in. When we embark on these projects, our goal is always to do things *right*, by cutting no corners. As you'll appreciate, a huge amount of (unseen) building work went into providing the platform (base), from which the 'sexy stuff' later gets to shine

Fortunately, DarrenHW, a member here, is a builder and a good friend of mine, so he did most of the hard graft! He's a top-notch bloke, btw, and so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his services to anyone.

If you look at the exposed brick section in the 'now' picture, as a small example, and compare it to what was there before, you'll see it looks entirely different. That alone took some doing, bringing it up to how it currently looks.

You've obviously done this properly with a full gut-out which should mean a top quality fit and finish that should look good and be hassle free for the next 30 years.

Great job

Cheers, mate. It was a veritable gut-out, as what was there before was (very BAD) brown '1970s chic' ('splash effect' tiles, etc, you know the score)! So that was all ripped out, and we simply started again from scratch.

I won't tell you how much it's all cost, but let's just say you could buy a small flat round here for less!!

Marco.

[JohnJo]

Really like the way you've left the exposed brickwork, especially the arch above the door.

Yes doing a proper job is expensive but what we found is if you sell at a later date, while you might not get *all* your money back, people recognize quality and will go that bit extra and it will also sell very quickly.

It's great if you can get a good tradesman, good work Darren!

[Marco]

Yes doing a proper job is expensive but what we found is if you sell at a later date, while you might not get *all* your money back, people recognize quality and will go that bit extra and it will also sell very quickly.

Ain't that the truth. Kitchens defo sell houses, however, we're planning on being here for a wee while yet!

Yup, Darren is da man

Marco.

[Marco]

Just got a couple of 'new' original Victorian doors with stained glass panels fitted for the kitchen door, leading into the bathroom, and for the bathroom itself:



We're really pleased with how they've turned out


How the first one integrates into the kitchen:





Helps add some colour and character I think!

Marco.

[JohnJo]

Very nice Marco, waxed finish?

The project's really coming together now, looks fantastic, it's a credit to you both.

You'll enjoy cooking this Christmas!

[Marco]

Yep, waxed... Can you tell?

Indeed, Christmas should be fun!

Marco.

[CageyH]

Steering this away from Marco's new kitchen and back on topic slightly, I have just ordered my grinder - A Mazzer Mini Electronic Model A like this.

I got a good deal on it, so it leaves me more money for the machine.

I have gone through various reviews and spoken to several people and I will be ordering an ECM Synchronika next month. That should last me a good few years, as it has top class build quality with stainless steel boilers etc.
Detail on the coffee machine can be found here if anybody is interested.


Yes it is expensive, more than I wanted to pay originally but this negates the need for future upgrades. I am buying it from my 20 year long service award from work, so I wanted something special.
If the grinder does not meet my expectations, I should be able to sell it with very little loss, and I will then go for something "better".

I will report back in about a month or so, after I have ordered and received the machine.
I do expect it to take a while for me to learn how to get the best out of it though, so it is going to be an interesting challenge.