Hi Sarah DIY can be a great option to stay within your budget and find an agreeable solution to your current dilemma. Window furnishings are generally one of the last jobs required after going through the process of building your house, which means the budget is always tight at this point after all the other 'extra expenses' Therefore you are now potentially starting to look at compromising on the quality that you originally wanted to finish your off your house. Window furnishing can have a fairly visual impact, as well as influencing how the room 'feels', on both the inside and outside of you rooms and home. In the first instance we need to define the difference between a DIY 'Ready Made / Ready to Hang Product' which is what you would purchase from somewhere such as Spotlight vs DIY "Custom Made" products. The difference in quality is significant, however the price points don't have to be. At iseekblinds, we offer genuine custom made blinds, made in Australia. If you visit our website, you can get an instant price online - It would be interesting to see the difference between what you have been quoted and what we can offer. We can turn Roller Blinds around within 3 weeks or sooner if requested and deliver nationally. Everything you need to know regarding measure and installation is on our website and we teach and guide you through the process to ensure you get it right. Please see some of our reviews to hear how our other customers have been surprised at just how easy the installation process has been and are over the moon in regards to the product quality they received. Get Your DIY On! I say. And please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance Cheers, Sally

Hi everyone, thanks for your amazing feedback so far! I had a builder come look at my cupboards last night, and he advised that they're actually chipboard with laminate front, although when he first looked at them and felt them he said they are wood but that's what he found upon further inspection. The cupboards are in excellent condition still - there is no peeling on the edges or and chips or anything like that. They must be a high quality material when originally installed. The kitchen is a stand-alone room. There is a door that goes outside to the backyard, and another sliding door that opens to the dining/living room. The kitchen window frame matches the rest of the window, door frames and architraves in the house (the top picture has the door frame visible). If I was to paint the window frame, I would imagine the door frames in the kitchen would be painted to match, correct? I prefer to keep the bench top as it is about 5 years old and in prefect nic. Perhaps I might go down the path to replace the cupboard doors as personally, I'm not a fan of the routing.

Hi again. Finally took the plunge and had the kitchen resprayed. So much lighter and a great job by the professionals. Hard to remember the mustard kitchen now, except the photos remind me.

A good idea would be to write down a list of everything you will be putting In those cupboards and seperate them into items that need to go into the overhead(bulkhead) and into the standard overhead cupboards. Write the minimal space/dimensions that these items will occupy. Ask a designer to do an elevation layout and position glasses/appliances and their minimal spaces on this elevation. That way you can ensure your bulkhead/cupboards/internal shelving is constructed so that no space is wasted. Also you can get feasible installations in overhead cabinets so these items can be accessed without a ladder. They are commonly used for ergonomic design for elderly people. But it could be an option for you if it’s in your budget.