George Clarkes’ Remarkable Renovations: Adrian and Laura’s Coach House Kitchen
Look familiar? You might have spotted this home on George Clarke’s Remarkable Renovations (Channel 4) Let us fill you in…
In 2018, Adrian and Laura (along with Adrian’s parents Elinor and Andrew) sold their family homes and moved into two small caravans. The reason? They were about to embark on their dream renovation – the resurrection of a dilapidated 19th Century Coach House.
The extensive project included three key elements; the restoration of the original building, the extension, and a brand-new annexe.
Amid budget struggles and a three-year build time, they achieved an incredible multi-generational home with a show-stopping kitchen dining area as the hub. During the programme, many of you may have wondered how they solved their budget issue without compromising on the final result…….. That’s where Rehome came to the rescue.
Choosing an ex display kitchen
Adrian and Laura were introduced to the idea of buying an ex display through an article in a self-build magazine. It was a new concept to them, and soon they were trawling our website. A quote for a new kitchen from Wren was over £23,000 without appliances, so they began to realise that maybe they could achieve more, spend less and make a more sustainable choice by shopping ex-display.
As avid DIYer’s, they kept an open mind and were willing to make changes. A large Masterclass ex-display kitchen on our site soon caught their eye. Adrian and Laura told us:
“It had all the key pieces we wanted in a new kitchen…the shaker style and the corner pantry. We could tell from the pictures of the internal details that it was a quality build.”
Reconfiguring the kitchen
Many renovators use pen and paper to plan their layout, but tech-savvy Laura employed software to plan out where the units would go. Because the coach house extension was still being built, they incorporated the kitchen from the start. The couple changed around the layout and rejigged a leftover drawer pack to go over the fridge (see picture below). They also fitted the bulk of the kitchen themselves, using leftover cabinets for the utility, and ingenuously, Adrian repurposed a spare cabinet for the bathroom sink base by taking the legs off.
Picking a colour palette
The couple decided to make the most of the open space with a bold colour choice: They chose green because of the accents throughout the house, including the spectacular coloured ceiling in the living room. After pouring over paint swatches, they had two samples made up. “One sprayed better and looked better,” says Laura. The shade was a close match to Farrow and Ball’s ‘Studio Green’. After the units were professionally sprayed by a local company, hardware was swapped to a contemporary gold knurled handle with plate.
Our dream kitchen at an affordable price, and we saved a little bit of planet too!
As a recognisable leading UK brand, this Masterclass kitchen had a price tag of £32,000. This budget busting kitchen was out of reach without considering an ex display model. Ours was drastically reduced to £12,999. “We couldn’t have afforded a Masterclass kitchen otherwise,” says Laura. In repurposing this pre-installed ex display they saved thousands and drastically reduced their carbon footprint at the same time…. at least enough to off set heating their home for the next 12 months!
Fancy achieving your own luxury kitchen on a budget? Shop hundreds of ex display and approved used kitchens here at www.rehome.co.uk.
If you’re in need of some kitchen inspiration, catch this episode of George Clarke’s Remarkable Renovations on Channel 4’s web player now. https://www.channel4.com/programmes/george-clarkes-remarkable-renovations.
