Top tips for fitting your own kitchen

When it comes to fitting your own kitchen, the devil is in the details. To have a well-designed kitchen, one needs to be very thorough with measurements and have a solid plan in place.

If you have a proclivity for DIY projects along with an eye for detail, you can end up saving a huge sum of money by fitting your own kitchen. Before you start dismantling your old kitchen, go through the following tips first.

Choose an efficient design plan

Once the old kitchen has been dismantled, look for any areas which might need repairs since this is the only time when certain areas of the kitchen will become visible. This is also the perfect time to apply the first layer of paint on the walls. The final coat can be applied after the cabinets and appliances have been installed properly.

It goes without saying that you need to have an efficient design plan, well before you start the renovation process. Visit a few places or look up popular kitchen designs and zero in on a particular plan.

Make sure that you consider factors like the shape and size of your kitchen, the number of appliances you plan to use, the position of the source of light, the placement of the sink etc.

Look out for these considerations

While formulating a plan, seemingly trivial details can make a world of difference.

For instance, make sure that slots for the dishwasher and washing machine are close to the sink. Under normal circumstances, people prefer to have the sink below a window. If you want to relocate large appliances like a refrigerator or add new appliance to your kitchen, factor these into the plan. Additionally, don’t forget to make space for electrical plug points adjacent to appliances slots.

Once you have taken care of these relatively low fuss details, it’s time to move on to more important issues.

Any well-designed kitchen needs to have a foolproof plumbing, piping and electrical system. For this part of the procedure, it is always a good idea to get professional help simply because you need to meet certain official safety guidelines. Contact a certified electrician and plumber and chalk out a scheme which ensures safe and efficient supply of gas, electricity and water.

Common mistakes to avoid

If you are fitting your own kitchen for the first time, you are bound to make a few mistakes here and there. The problem is that there isn’t much room for error in the entire procedure. To stay on the safe side, make sure that you avoid making these common mistakes.

First things first, keep things real while picking a design plan. In some cases, you might get carried away by fancy choices but consider ground realities before making any hasty decisions. Opt for a design that complements the architectural layout of your kitchen and try to stay within your budget.

Secondly, be super precise with measurements and dimensions. An error of a few centimetres can have a huge impact on the final layout of your kitchen.

Often enough, people envision their ideal kitchen plan with all cabinets and drawers closed. By doing so, they create the possibility of collision of obstruction when cabinet doors and drawers are opened. Avoid this mistake by keeping adequate clearance space for all shelves and drawers in the design plan.

See the service voids and corner posts articles for more information on space requirements.

The countertop is the area where a large part of cooking is done in any kitchen. However, if it is crowded with all forms of equipment including a toaster, coffee maker, food processor etc., there will hardly any space left for cooking and chopping. Look for alternative storage slots for these appliances to save space on the countertop.

Is it worth the effort?

Truth be told, fitting your own kitchen is no child’s play. To begin with, you will need tools like a drilling machine, a screwdriver, power tools, handsaw, hammer etc. Besides collecting the required equipment, you will also need to apply yourself mentally and physically and follow guidelines carefully.

Having said as much, it will definitely be worth the effort once your kitchen is ready to use. Not only will you save a decent amount of money, you will also have your very own custom made kitchen that you planned and fitted yourself.

What a sense of achievement you’ll get from doing that!

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