Planning Your Kitchen Renovation

Our kitchens are the heart of our homes. Preparing meals and socialising or just relaxing, the kitchen sees the most of us. And due to our usage, it will need one or two makeovers in its lifetime.

A renovation offers a unique opportunity to set your kitchen up in its most practical form whilst still maintaining your unique personal style.

When going on this journey, planning is key. In this article we will go over the best order to get your project underway.

Deciding On the Extent of Works

Are you planning on getting an extension? Are you planning on remodelling? Or were you deciding to keep your layout the same and just replace the cabinets and appliances? 

If you are planning for any structural works, make sure you have all the relevant planning permissions before starting. 

Situations Where Planning Permission May Be Needed

- Extensions: If you are extending your kitchen you may not need planning permission if it qualifies as permitted development. Single-storey rear extensions are typically limited to a depth of 3 meters for semi-detached/terraced homes and 4 meters for detached homes. Any larger extensions will require planning permission.

- Conservation Area: If your property is in a conservation area, National Park, or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty your permitted development rights are reduced, you will likely need planning permission for extensions.

- Listed Buildings: All listed buildings will require permission from local authorities regarding any works including kitchen renovations.

If you are planning to remodel your kitchen (without an extension/structural works) or just change around the cabinetry and furniture, you won't require any planning permission as long as your property is not a listed building.

Budgeting and Timeline

Set your timeline and budget for the project. Having an accurate timeline allows you to coordinate your deliveries if you are using multiple different contractors. Overestimate the timeline to account for any delays that could take place.

Have a contingency of 10-20% for your budget in case of any unforeseen expenses. The more work required, the higher percentage the contingency should be.

Design, Colour Schemes and Appliances

Also decide what colour schemes and materials you want going into your kitchen. Use pinterest to collect images of styles and features you want in your kitchen.

Have a rough idea of which appliances you want. The earlier you decide your appliances, the better. This gives you enough time to try get the best pricing for appliances as you will have the ability to ask multiple companies for a quote. We offer to price beat any quote you have received from anywhere else.

For certain brands such as AGA rangemaster, Bora, Liebherr Monolith, and Sub-Zero/Wolf there could be waiting times of 8+ weeks. To avoid any disappointments, get your appliances paid for as soon as possible. We offer a discount for buying more than one of your appliances through us - which we refer to as the multibuy.

These aspects should be considered before ever going to a kitchen supplier.

Get Your Sizes Right

Kitchens are very precise and it is essential you get your measurements perfect. Otherwise, this can cause unnecessary delays on your project. Inaccuracies in the dimensions of your kitchen can throw off the sizing of cabinetry and furniture which will cause unnecessary delays.

Reduce chances of wrong measurements by measuring up twice (you can also ask for another person to also measure up the space) and record images of all your measurements to show to designers.

Do not overcomplicate this stage, becoming too design focused can be a barrier. Get the measurements and have a rough visualisation of where you want your appliances to go.  

Gutting Your Kitchen

The fun part of a kitchen project is stripping out the old kitchen cabinetry and flooring. If you are remodelling your kitchen, you may want to have a look at your existing connections.

For example, if you have a gas connection and wanted to cap that supply off, make sure to book in a gas safe engineer as soon as you have cleared out the kitchen.

Other things such as plumbing and electrical sockets/connections should be planned for at this stage. You may want to add handy extras like USB sockets, connections for a plumbed-in fridge freezer or an additional water connection for a dishwasher. This should be carried out by qualified tradesmen.

Flooring and First Layer of Paint

Once the kitchen has been cleared out and all of the connections have been sorted, you can set the first layer of paint. If any plastering needs to be done, it should be done at this stage. 

Once you have painted, you should then put the flooring down. The flooring should always be done before any kitchen cabinetries are installed. 

Installing The Kitchen Cabinetry and Appliances

After you have laid down the floor, now you can install your kitchen cabinets and furniture as well as your sinks and appliances. This will allow for your worktops to be templated and cut to size. Sometimes this is done by a specialist in cases where you are working with stone (surfaces like marble or granite). 

Final Touches

At this point, your kitchen has taken shape. Now all that is left is the final touches that make your kitchen truly unique and personal to you. The final layer of paint goes on 

You can add your tiles and splashbacks. Any plants that you want to add or any family photos. These design decisions can be made fairly late in the renovation. 

The key to a kitchen that you will love is in the preparation, so make sure you plan accordingly. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will my kitchen renovation take?

This is dependant on you. If your project is swapping out old cabinetry and appliances for new ones, this could take 3 - 8 weeks. If the project is more intricate and complex, it could take several months.

What are listed buildings and how do I get permission for renovations?

Listed buildings have special architectural or historical significance which are legally protected by the government. Listing protects the historic fabric of the building.

If you live in a listed building, check with your local authority conservation officer to see if consent will be needed for your works. For any works that require consent you will need to fill out an application form for Listed Building Consent. You can find this from your local authority's website.

Is it cheaper to buy appliances from a retailer compared to a kitchen supplier?

We have gone over this in a previous article. A quick breakdown is that we offer to price beat any quote you have received from an approved supplier. We also offer to hold your stock back once its paid for until you are ready to take your appliances. This is to cover you from any unforeseen delays in your kitchen renovation.