We have recently been watching the new series of Sun, Sea and Selling Houses on Channel 4. The shows format is straight forward, it follows two estate agent families; one here on the Costa Blanca and another in Almeria.
In watching, I am reminded about Spanish Kitchens....
Its not like the UK, where life will revolve around the Kitchen, maybe have a small table and a couple of chairs in the Kitchen for breakfast. Elevenses might be around the kettle and maybe a snack before dinner, will all be in a UK kitchen.
In this case size does not matter :-)
We eat outside, even Breakfast is taken outdoors - remember it's a different way of living.
A property here will probably have a small Kitchen; probably open-plan to the Lounge and will more than likely have an extra small room (Galeria), which will contain the water heater and washing machine.
The chances are, your UK kitchen, will be huge by comparison! Don't be put off, that's just the way it is.
Have a look on-line at a new large brick built BBQ for the terrace - eat outdoors, its great!
Note: It's not necessary for all BBQ food to be charred to an inch of its life! Practice really does make perfect.
It's dated / I don't like the units:
Look beyond that, its not an issue!
Before:
The marble counter top at the bottom right of the photo above was only a small ledge on the top of the dividing dwarf wall between the Kitchen and Lounge.
New Design:
Have a look on-line at the IKEA catalogue, where you can also design a new Kitchen and the planner will then give you a shopping list and a total bill.
Alternatively, IKEA have a small unit at the Habaneras Shopping centre, where they will design the Kitchen for you. Or of course you could go to the main store at Murcia.
You just need to get a builder to fit it for you.
After:
The new worktop on the right is above the integrated Fridge and Freezer.
The footprint of the Kitchen is still the same, but the space has been better utilised.
Marble tops are not expensive here in Spain they are (relatively) cheap. Its very unusual to get a rolled top MDF worktop here.
When you look at your new property, I would suggest you take the view, what can be done differently with the Kitchen in terms of the types of units and how they are placed.
A quick-fix revamp could just see new doors added to the cupboards.
Note: I am sure other DIY stores also offer Kitchen ranges, its just that we used IKEA and have been very pleased with the final result.
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