There I have said it. I am an eBay tragic. A friend actually suggested that we have the eBay logo spray painted on the roof of our house so that flyers by could tell that a large proportion of this self built house has been sourced through eBay.
Our kitchen was found on the much loved site already dismantled and ready to be picked up from WAAAAAAY down south. So HH and I kitted up with a trailer AND a horse float went down in convoy and picked up this kitchen and ferried it back to our property.
It is a solid Tasmanian Blackwood kitchen whose only crime was one of not being trendy enough and was due to be replaced by something sexier and younger and more 2010. It had enough cabinetry to also install a cabinet for the bathroom (post to follow). With what we saved on this kitchen we splashed out and had granite benchtops and splashbacks installed. All up this solid timber and granite benchtops is still one third of what we have been quoted from several kitchen manufacturers. How can I possibly complain?
The range hood also came off of eBay, as did the oven and sink. The gorgeous tap I found when on holiday in Penang. Who goes on holiday and buys a kitchen tap? Apparently me. It was less than 1/3 of what I would have paid for it here. Can you tell I love a bargain?
The induction cooktop was purchased off of a friend at less than half RRP.
I love my kitchen. It may not be the trendiest thing out there. It may not be up to the minute January 2011, but I am not a trendsetter, or a trend follower. I am not sucked in by fashion. I will not be replacing this kitchen in 2 years time for something younger and funkier. I saved this kitchen from being cast off as landfill. I like that.
Good on you! It looks great. Eight years ago we did the same and purchased our 2nd hand kitchen from the trading post. Unfortunately I was one week off giving birth to our first son and couldn't have cared less what we got so long as there was a kitchen when I returned from hospital. Anyway, I reckon I made a bad choice. The doors are now falling off and my Monkey Man is having trouble repairing them. Wish I'd held out for something better quality like you have.
ReplyDeleteBravo! A bargain and it is beautiful and suits your strawbale house wonderfully.
ReplyDeleteHi VG. You do have to be really careful about what you buy. One of our friends looked at a kitchen in one of those ritzy high rise developments in Melbourne and the kitchen was already falling apart...and it would have only been 3 or 4 years old.
ReplyDeleteOur kitchen is about 10 years old and still as solid as a rock. I hope to get another 20 out of it!
Thanks Hazel. We love our second hand kitchen and it is such a lovely workspace. The next stage involves piecing together another couple of the cabinets and installing a bookcase to the back of it to house our cookbook collection and then topping it with another piece of granite that is currently resting against a wall in our living area.
ReplyDeleteAhh, the joys of living on a building site!
That is a very earth mother sexy kitchen Daffodil! It is earthy, understated yet elegant and appropriate for the style of the hay bail construction. Pictures have been saved to file for new house inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI like the corrugated iron ceiling too.
Most of the stuff for the house renno and out furniture came from ebay too. My parents and Joel started calling it Phoe-bay...
I wonder if there is an e-bay anonymous?
Hi Phoe-bay! (LOVE IT!!!!) We have marvelled over how much we have saved just through purchasing as much as we have through eBay AND building this little house ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAs for the corrugated ceiling...each piece is cut to size by hand and fitted in then the walls are hand-rendered to follow the corrugations. You can see some of the mis-cuts featuring as our raised garden beds!
I am sure there is an eBay users support group fully equipped with a 12 step program to help you break the addiction. LOL!
Wow Daffodil, your kitchen is simply fabulously spectacular. And that's coming from an eBay, op shop and hard rubbish connoisseur. What an effort, horse float and all.
ReplyDeleteGreat kitchen, I just love it!
And thanks so much for joining my blog, it's much appreciated :)
I loved ur posts and wat information that u issued is really very usefull for us .. thanks...............
ReplyDeleteSolid Timber
It's looking so beautiful dear. rubber wheels & heavy duty locking casters
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