Yet another reno I didn't want to do

Well, I sort of did want to do it, just not now - tax season.
The tenant in a flat I bought early last year vacated and I said to the property manager, 'Fernando, we'd better go and see how bad that kitchen is.'
It was bad.
It was the first time I had really looked at the flat. The previous owner had sprayed the old vermiculite ceiling, which was good.
They had also sprayed the walls - in white undercoat. Sort of good.
And they sprayed the light switches and power power points. They did a particularly diligent spray job on the intercom.
For the kitchen, they picked yellow. They used a brush there, but managed to get a fair bit of paint on the taps, sink and stove. It was all going to be tossed, so that didn't matter.
The owner then turned his attention to the parquetry floor. He clearly thought that parquetry is a bit dated so he would paint the floor. He chose mission brown. Did he think that was a bit more contemporary? Was there any thought involved at all? Luckily, it was just paint over the varnish so it could be removed - more about that later.
Here are the before pics:

 

Oh...

 

The kitchen was 60s chipboard, so it came out easily. I think it was relieved. Once I started hitting things with a hammer it sort of let go. The hot water heater was new, so it stayed. Not much scope to change stuff in a small flat, so I just replaced it with another U shaped kitchen. I put cupboards over the bench again, but made the bench 900mm wide so a tenant could put stools on the other side.

 

Stripping paint is still a pain. I loved smashing my old PPOR kitchen.

 

Stripping that floor was a pain - not mine, thankfully. I didn't want to sand it because I could tell it had already been sanded at least once and I didn't want to lose more depth. And I didn't want a new looking floor - I like the deep honey colour of old parquetry (especially in a 60s flat).
So I loaded up a tub with every solvent I had in my shed at home. I took turps, metho, acetone, a jug for boiling water, nail polish remover and three different types of thinners. And the winner was.......... metho. So I then got two uni students and gave them the bad news. They spent three days with metho and razor blades getting the brown paint off that floor. I told them it was a good exercise because it would confirm their decision to have a crack at uni and getting a better job than scraping a floor.

 

Some people have no idea.

we purchased a house in Glenelg a few years ago, it was newly renovated with gold wallpaper and brand new bright red carpet. Absolutely gross and all got tossed out.

 

Okay, here are the 'after' photos.
Same green for the cupboard doors and benchtops as the 70s flat I did a reno on last year - I had some green leftover. Same black ceramic knobs - I had some of those left over, too.
Like the last flat, I wanted this kitchen to sort of look like a piece of joinery because it's part of the living room.
This time I have incorporated some plywood - goes with the era. On the living room side, there is a recessed mirror on the back of the overhead cupboard. It's a place to display stuff.
The orange panels (c'mon guys, I had to add a bit of brightness) have a couple of shelves behind them for glasses etc. They are angled so they're not as visible from the living room.
Above the bench, is a recessed Hafele LED strip light. It's a nice system - 25mm wide and can be cut to any length.
The appliances are new Westinghouse.
I also did stuff like getting rid of the 90s door handles and going back to 60s ones. And I installed timber venetians.
I think that's about it.

 

I like the previous owners efforts, well done! .... Can we sign him up?

Great work! Love a good depreciator reno! Nifty little shelves and lighting. Outside the box scores bonus points! and the color palette!

 

Personally the green and orange don't work for me...it causes me anxiety. LOL!

Is it art deco building?

 

I can't stop thinking of Oompa Loompas when i see those colours together.

 

1960s building - long after art deco. It's a nice pad. That flat was a very good buy. Great position, nice outlook.
Re: The colours. People here would have been disappointed if I did a beige kitchen like every other rental property. I would be disappointed if I did a beige kitchen.

 

You obviously love this building heaps! any more reno coming up?

 

The building is okay. The location is great. The pressure is on to do a few things at home now. The dining room is next - storage. It will be pretty interesting.

 

Got some tenants, too. They moved in before the paint was dry. It's a couple (English and German) who were staying in my AirBNB pad. They were there for two months. He's an IT guy and has a long term contract over here. Toward the end of their stay, I asked them where they were going after my place. They weren't sure. I said, 'Hey, I've got a great idea....'
So they collected a bunch of furniture and started storing it in the bedroom (I finished that room first). Then when the kitchen was done and I was finished, they moved in. It was cheaper for them to furnish the flat than rent furnished accommodation. When they leave, they'll either sell it or leave it. Jo has great taste. She's a designer and got some good stuff from Ebay and auctions. She loves the colour scheme.

 

great timing isn't it? awesome!

 

Yes, great timing. Made me hurry and finish the reno, too - I tend to get distracted and things drag out. Rent is $400pw. It was $330. Property manager reckons I could have got $440. Next time.

 

I would have been very disappointed if the kitchen had NOT been green

 

Yes, that is green kitchen # 3, though the last two have been sort of an olive green as opposed to the lime one at home.
I might go orange next time.

 

It looks good. As always, the colour scheme isn't to my taste, but it's a good quality reno.

 

Noooooo!

I've come to believe that green is the only colour you know how to do in a kitchen.