So, you are planning a brand new kitchen, and you’re starting from scratch. It’s a scary mountain in front of you, waiting to be climbed, but provided you take the time you need, you plan it carefully, and you seek advice from reputable sources, it’s a mountain with a wonderful view from the top
Obviously, you can do a lot of it yourself, but you also need to hire professionals for certain parts of your design work, such as anything relating to gas or electric, as well as plumping. Unless you are certified yourself for your job in these areas, stick to the professionals.
Obviously, another tip is to plan extremely carefully, and that is going to mean writing lists and drawing up plans! First things first, you should always measure everything, from windows, doors, cabinet spaces, walls, floor to ceilings, and also check that the floor is straight, using a spirit level. Once all of that is done, you then need to think about what you want your space to look like, how you want it to function, and you need to think about your current lifestyle and the ergonomics of the space that you’re trying to achieve.
Next step? Draw up a plan!
- Draw your layout – You need two plans for each person who is going to do any work in your kitchen, and one of them needs to be a birds-eye view of the space, and another needs to be at floor level. Give one of each to each contractor you work with, so one for the plumper, one for the gas fitter, one for the kitchen fitter etc. Into this plan you need to mark clearly where the window is, where the doors are, and where you want your light fittings to be. You also need to mark where your skin is going to be, and where any other appliances are going to which require plumbing, e.g. the dishwasher.
- Organise who comes when – Okay, next up you need to make sure you schedule everyone to come in the right order, to avoid clashes and problems Yes, you can probably have two people working in there at once, but if you have a small kitchen, that’s not going to be a possibility. As a general rule, you should work it in this order:
- Electrician
- Plasterer
- Plumber
- Gas fitter
- Kitchen installer
- Cabinet or worktop installer
After that, it’s up to you to make the room pretty with the painting and placing of objects!
It’s important to be sensible when it comes to the colour scheme and layout of your new kitchen space. You don’t want to be redecorating in a short space of time, so go for something timeless and classic, and try and avoid anything too ‘faddy’.
You also need to put a lot of thought into the material you’re going to choose for your worktop. If you want a long lasting solution, one which is going to stand up to the test of time as well as anything else you want to throw at it, go for a natural stone option from Inovastone. You can choose between quartz, marble, or granite, and if you shop around, you can find a great deal. You can also choose between countless different colours and patterns. Obviously it’s a good idea to get this professionally installed also, because if you do it and you don’t do it properly, you’re going to have to replace it much sooner than you had hoped, which is a waste of time and money.
The Importance of Planning
You need to plan, it’s that simple. If you don’t plan everything out very carefully, shopping around for everything, and giving it all plenty of thought, then you’re going to run into many problems along the way. You might not want to spend the time doing this planning process, and you might be keen to just get stuck in, but this is simply the fast track to disaster.
Take your time, think carefully, measure very accurately, and get help from the professionals wherever you need it. If you do this, you’re sure to have a final result you’re extremely proud of.
January 17, 2017