Kitchen Renovation Planning Guidelines

When purchasing a new home or wanting to improve your current home, the kitchen is one of the top rooms for home improvements that can have a dramatic impact. So when planning to renovate a kitchen, it’s important to know some guidelines and rules of thumb; not only can it simplify the approach but it can add to your home’s appeal and value.

Before you start your kitchen renovation project there are a number of important factors to consider. These include kitchen design & layout, cabinet size, plumbing, electrical fixtures, colours and materials and flooring to name a few.  It also helps if you hire an expert kitchen designer. When considering your own kitchen renovation, you should adhere to the following guidelines:

Measure Up

Start by measuring up the overall size of the room and/ or space you have for the renovation. Measure the position of your current plumbing, gas & electrical fixtures. Cabinet depths and heights, ceiling heights, and positions of windows. Keep in mind that it can be a cheaper option if major fixtures such as the oven, cook top and sink don’t change position as there is less work for trades.

Door Entry

Your doorway should be at least 820mm wide. No entry door should inhibit the safe operation of appliances, nor should appliance doors restrict one another.

Working Triangles Distance

The kitchen working triangle consists of 3 main work areas in the kitchen — the sink, the cooktop, and the refrigerator. As a general rule, the distance between these areas should be no less than 1200mm and no larger than 2700mm. The sum of all 3 sides of the triangle must be between 3900mm and 7900mm. If the distance is cramped, it can make a kitchen feel overcrowded and obstructed. If it’s over sized, it can make cooking a hassle.

Kitchen Walkway

The width of a work walkway should be at least 1000mm for one cook and no less than 1200mm for multiple cooks. Try to measure between bench top to bench top (or walls/ appliances)

Sink Area

If you have only one sink in your kitchen, place the sink between the refrigerator and the cooker, that way you won’t have to walk past one to get to the other.

Cooking Area

Make sure you can achieve a clearance of 600mm between your cooking area and a protected non-combustible surface. Allow 600 – 800mm between the cooktop and the underside of your overhead cabinets.

Splashbacks

An interesting tile pattern, coloured glass, mirror or graphic can significantly impact the look of your kitchen. Measure up and installation of splashbacks should always take place once the bench tops have been installed.

Renovating a kitchen can be an exciting experience if planned well. If you’re renovating your kitchen, odds are you’ll need to take entertaining, eating and doing homework into consideration. By keeping your main cooking areas to one part of the kitchen, you’ll be able to take advantage of other spaces without any conflict. With a combination of creativity, flexibility and efficiency, you can plan your way to a modern kitchen design.