Doing it on the level � Week One of the kitchen renovation

Although originally only targeted for a superficial makeover, Matt and Rowena�s kitchen had become something of a comedy of errors. Conversations with one of the previous owners revealed how leveling issues had been a massive headache for them, and with the house being re-piled first, the same issues had flared up again.

The previous owner had experienced difficulty leveling the cabinetry and benches to an uneven floor. It had cost them plenty in both time and labour. Now, since the re-piling was carried out, cracks had appeared in the floor and instead of a freshening up exercise in the kitchen, Matt and Rowena were looking at starting again from scratch.

Which brings us to a useful tip: How do you know if your house needs re-piling? Warning signs are doors and windows not shutting properly. Bouncy floorboards when you�re walking through the house and things may rattle on the shelves. Also check out the piles � if they are cracked or shake without too much effort, it�s probably time for a re-pile.

The kitchen

The first problem they ran into was when Matt and Rowena wanted to put an engineered stone countertop in. The manufacturer came in and said he wouldn�t put a countertop on cabinets that were so uneven. So it was time for a rethink � but in the meantime, Rowena wanted to do something about the design of the kitchen. Rowena is not the tallest woman in the world, and so she finds herself unable to reach many of the high shelves in her old kitchen. Smith and Sons and Sonya from Insitu Design came to her rescue and helped come up with a design that would put shelving at a more manageable height. They also leveled off the ceiling heights and opened up the space so she can keep an eye on her kids while they�re playing.

Once again, the theme was very much �waste not, want not.� The old kitchen went on TradeMe with a $1 reserve and their neighbour Bill was over every 5 minutes (or at least once a week) to make sure nothing he could salvage was getting thrown out!

Drawing Board tip: When planning a new kitchen, the most important thing to consider is your working triangle, i.e. the relationship between the hobs, the sink and the fridge. Ideally make sure they are close enough to each other, but separated by enough surface room for you to prepare food and place pots etc.