Planning a new kitchen can seem rather daunting; we hope the following advice assists you in making the right choices for your new kitchen.

Firstly you need to decide what you need from your kitchen. Is it purely a place to prepare food, or is it to be used for entertaining and eating food too? Think carefully about how you use your current kitchen and what expectations you have for your new kitchen. At this stage you need to think about the budget you wish to commit to this project, and consider that even with the best made plans, you should expect a few extra expenses along the way. It is not always possible to budget for every eventually; however, you should try to build a safety zone into your budget to cover any additional expenses.

Once you have set a budget and decided what you expect from your new kitchen it is time to consider the design and layout. Which aspects do you like about your current kitchen, or your friends and relatives kitchens? And which aspects don't you like?

The following pages are recommendations we suggest you follow when planning your kitchen. If you intend to employ skilled tradesmen to fit your kitchen it is advisable to discuss these recommendations with them before ordering your kitchen to ensure it is possible to fit your desired kitchen in the way you have planned it.

1. Always work in millimetres (mm) (To convert millimetres to inches multiply by 25.4)

2. Draw a rough sketch of the room as it is, indicating the location of everything in the room .

3. Ensure you include such things as:

4. Take measurements of any items in the room and when measuring doorways and windows take note of opening direction, architrave and sills

5. Measure the width, length and height of the room. Take measurements at several levels to check the room is 'square' (you can also do this by measuring diagonally)

6. Note the space required for appliances (guide dimensions are shown on appliances on this web site)

7. Make sure the measurements you put on your drawing are accurate, if in doubt check again, and again, until you are certain they are all correct. Spending time checking your accuracy at this stage will save you considerable time (and money) later.

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Kitchen Planning Guide     The Work Triangle     Do's and Dont's     Safety Regulations     Final Stages of Planning     Layout Plan

Peninsular Units & Corner Units     Design Features     Sample Kitchens & Price Guide