The final cupboard

With the electricians booked in for the following week I decided to dedicate my last official day off work - Friday 15 July - as Cupboard Removal Day.

It didn't take anywhere near a day. What appeared to be a very substantial structure proved to be nothing more than a few bits of wood nailed together. Certainly no match for my trusty crowbar. Within a couple of hours the space was looking like a perfect match for the rest of the kitchen.

Behind the plywood carcase, several years of ancient damp wallpaper hung limply from the walls. Blown plaster fell off in chunks. And on the left of the space, the cupboard had offered sanctuary to a run of burglar alarm signal cable, which was the main reason for the demolition taking two hours rather than 45 minutes. I had to unpick it carefully from each shelf, saw it out of the bottom shelf, and avoid breaking any of its fragile core.

Demolition also revealed the strange light switch that had been sited inside the cupboard and for which we have never been able to discern a purpose. My decision to leave it dangling awaiting the services of a qualified electrician (read: someone with a multimeter) later turned out to be the right one, as the electrician discovered it was still live. It isolates the security light over the back door (whose bulb, long blown, has never been replaced).