Home maintainance

[Unicorn]

Sounds like lots of fun Trout!

[trout]

Sounds like lots of fun Trout!

Yes we had a great time Spewing I never took any pickies though, I think the kids did so I may be able to get some of theirs.

[Nevol]

Nice Plump looking fruits, It's No wonder the plants are being pulled over with the weight of them

Once the trees are in full production, I reckon I'll be swamped, but in the meantime, I did my first batch of Jam yesty. With just 610g of fruit, I got a thumping 1¼ bottles of jam, about 625g.  I would have liked to have waited until I had a bucket of fruit, but I didn't want them to start to go slimy.  

I was going to freeze them but changed my mind, dunno how they'd stand up as they're not all that  robust.
Toast with Rosella Jam for brekkie. Just 'licious. :drooling::drooling:

[JeffH]

Kitchen refurbishment.
When our house was built nearly thirty years* ago I purchased flat pack cupboard and installed them myself. We were on a tight budget and that saved some money (as did doing all my electrical installation; I have an electrician's license).
The kitchen has now well and truly reached its 'use by' date and needs a complete rebuild. As it is designed for standard size cupboards the flat pack option looks worth doing again (still on a tight budget). Being semi-retired and prepared to "rough it" while the kitchen is in the throes, time is not a factor. So we can be methodical and careful and should end up with a good job.
We have looked at a Bunnings display and obtained all the brochures; also checked Ikea (online only as nearest store is 300km/4 hour drive away). I am impressed with the apparent quality of the cupboards compared with our existing ones.
Has anyone undertaken a similar exercise in recent times? Any hints, suggestions, recommendations or warnings would be appreciated.

*I just dug out my original plans to see I signed them 20/8/87. Seems like just a few years ago -how time flies.

[robbiegal]

we did our reno through a company so no do it yourself jobbie i am afraid
i hope it lasts 30 years!

the only thing i have been hearing is that the chinese made/imported flat packs can be downright dangerous - i.e. chemicals in the materials so you do have to be careful

there is some sort of new stuff like a plastic contact sheet but a laminate that you can put onto existing kitchen cupboards and apparently it can look really good

[JeffH]

This kitchen rebuild business is complicated; especially on a limited budget;
•I looked at a Bunnings display, grabbed the brochures and drew up a design (pretty much the same as existing -don't want to shift gas, water and electric connections if possible) using the sizes of cabinets available. Costed it and the price just for the cupboards was about as much as my son paid, all up for a comparable size kitchen recently, including new gas cooktop and built in oven. Add benchtops, splashbacks, oven and cooktop and the figure starts to look daunting.
•Ikea no go because they only have a limited range of sizes (but many, many options -they seem to love stuffing drawers in everything) so would end up with lots of filler panels to fill gaps (wasted space).
•Good Guys and Mitre 10 have lots of pretty pictures but want to get all your details before they will give you any details of their product. No thanks -I get enough junk email already.
•So did some googling and found many manufacturers of flat packs and some are all Australian made to measure. One that impressed me is DIY Australia. As they make to measure our desired layout was easy and would look better than Bunnings. Did a comparison on prices and they are cheaper than Bunnings with what looks to be a better product. They use blum hardware, which is, supposedly, the best available. Bunnings offer Hettich (the second best) at extra cost.

So I rang the supplier of my son's kitchen today. I met him when I was doing power points etc. in my son's new kitchen and my son says his price, installed, was about the same as flat pack. He is coming to have a look next week so all consideration of options is on hold until then.

[robbiegal]

gosh
complicated

I think that our kitchen cabinetry was pretty well made locally
ex the ceaser stone - i think that is made in India or somewhere and maybe cut interstate too ... can't quite remember now
the  glass splashbacks i think are made here or Melbourne but definitely Australian made

[Unicorn]

Good work Jeff! It certainly pays to do your homework! :good:

[trout]

We went to a caravan and boat show here in Geraldton today.
It was only a small show in comparison to the big shindigs they have in the cities But there was a good selection of different types and configurations to have a look at.
There was on van in particular that made all the rest look pretty much "meh" and it ticked 99% of the boxes as far as we were concerned.
Great Off road capability airbag independent suspension with all the tech for off the grid camping (12v-240v solar etc.), 2 double beds, great storage capacity, great internal layout and design,  fiberglass/polly composite body, WiFi and multimedia including satellite TV.
Inside and outside kitchens and also a dunny, shower and a washing machine.
All this packed into a van that is just under 6m with a drawbar weight of 120-140kg So it will be rather easy to tow.
The only downside I could come up with was the awning, Although dead easy to put up it is a bit small 3m x 2.5m But I can overcome this problem with a couple of the awning extensions that I carry for the awnings that I have on my Disco if we decide that we need more room outside.
The only other thing is it aint "Pretty", it has an odd aero dynamic shape.

Mrs Trout Loves it But I won't be rushing into it just yet until I have looked at many other vans to see what is available.
I also looked at a few boats as my little 12' tinny with its low sides is a pretty dangerous option for fishing in the North of Aus, Talk about Crock Bait :angel:

[JeffH]

It certainly pays to do your homework! :good:

When you are spending a 5 digit sum (that is a serious hit from my superannuation fund) it pays to do some due diligence.

An example;
My wife has her heart set on a large (read very large) inbuilt oven and, after some research decide a Westinghouse WVE914SB would be the "bees knees". [She sells cakes and biscuits at the markets so a big oven will substantially reduce her cooking time as it will take more per batch.]
Recommended retail price is $2249.
•The Good guys quote $2249
•Betta Home living quote $1899
•Bing Lee quotes $1799
All of those would require picking up from a store away from here but they all have stores close to where I will be traveling in the near future and I have a ute, so no problem.
•Harvey Norman does not list that model but they do sell Westinghouse ovens and would surely get one in -they are also good at matching prices- and a store is not far (30km/20m drive) from here at Mudgee. I was thinking of giving them a call tomorrow.
Then, when I was searching for owners manual to peruse, I came across appliancesonline. They do not deliver to Gulgong, where we live, but they will deliver to Mudgee for $80.
Guess who's freecall number I will be dialing tomorrow.
P.S. I have just checked them out on review sites and they have good reviews. That is unusual because most people who post reviews have had an issue and most people who are happy never even think of posting a review.
      Has anyone here used them before?

[trout]

Tomorrow will be the second anniversary of the head on collision that badly injured Me and Killed a good Mate of mine.
My Boss is flying up from Perth and we will head down to the crash site where Epelli died and go to the graveyard so that we can pay our respects.
Every time I go to or drive past the crash site I get "flashbacks" and I feel very uncomfortable when I am at that site But Epelli was a good Mate and a decent Human being and he would do the same for Me if the tables were turned and I had been the one that perished instead of Him.
It has only been 2 years since the Crash But to Me it feels like it was years ago that it happened.

[Unicorn]

Have a safe trip Trout. Very sad indeed.

Jeff, that's a nice saving!

[Ozcoins]

Trout,
Have a safe trip.
Jeff,
We just refurbished a kitchen.
New doors, side panels, new quartz bench tops and splashbacks, new sink and tap.
Everything you see is new.
If the structures are ok, maybe think about doing that?

[JeffH]

Unfortunately some of the cabinet carcasses are not in good condition and upgrading from free standing stove to bigger, built in oven and cooktop will require some different cabinets anyway.

[Basil]

Tomorrow will be the second anniversary of the head on collision that badly injured Me and Killed a good Mate of mine.
My Boss is flying up from Perth and we will head down to the crash site where Epelli died and go to the graveyard so that we can pay our respects.
Every time I go to or drive past the crash site I get "flashbacks" and I feel very uncomfortable when I am at that site But Epelli was a good Mate and a decent Human being and he would do the same for Me if the tables were turned and I had been the one that perished instead of Him.
It has only been 2 years since the Crash But to Me it feels like it was years ago that it happened.

+1,have a safe trip,i did a Counselling course many years ago and whilst i've forgotten most of what i was taught "flashbacks" will come and go for years,its amazing what might trigger them,something simple like seeing a similar car on the road or on TV.
Accidents like yours are life changing so AtB for the future.