What has to be decided before the demolition starts.

Most lost days on a kitchen job are not caused by trades. They are caused by a decision that was still open when it needed to be closed — an oven swapped for a wider model after the cabinets were cut, a tap whose spout fouls the window sill, a light point nobody marked before the plasterer arrived. Run through the items below and the job starts with nothing outstanding.

No obligation

Reference photograph — the finished kitchen every pre-demolition decision is locked against: cabinetry, ovens, sink position and island

01 — Appliances and fixtures

Appliances set the joinery, not the other way around. Cabinet openings are cut to published cut-out dimensions, so a model swapped late is a cabinet remade. Have the actual model numbers — not categories — locked before drawings are signed off.

Cut-out01 Oven and cooktop — model numbers, fuel type, and whether the cooktop is induction, gas or electric.

Venting02 Rangehood — undermount, canopy or integrated, and where the duct can physically run.

Door front03 Dishwasher — freestanding or fully integrated behind a matching door.

Cavity04 Fridge — height, width, hinge side and the ventilation gap the manufacturer requires.

Bowl05 Sink — single or double bowl, undermount or top-mount, and the cabinet width beneath it.

Clearance06 Tap — spout height and reach checked against any window above the bench.

Niche07 Microwave, coffee, bins — anything that needs its own opening, power or pull-out.

02 — Finishes and surfaces

Four surfaces carry the look of the room, and each one needs a named product rather than a mood: the cabinet door finish and colour, the benchtop slab with its edge profile, the splashback material and height, and the floor. Order samples, put them together on the bench in daylight, and decide there — not on a screen.

Joinery01 Door profile, finish and colour

Stone02 Benchtop slab, thickness and edge

Tile03 Splashback material, height and grout

Hardware04 Handles, knobs or shadow-line rail

Compare surfaces in Benchtop Materials Compared and door styles in Kitchen Cabinet Ideas, then see how they are quoted under Kitchen Benchtops, Kitchen Splashbacks and Kitchen Tiling.

Benchtop edge, door finish and handle meet in one line — decide the three together

03 — Services and positions, marked on the wall

Power, water and light are cheap to move while the walls are open and expensive to move afterwards. Walk the room with the drawings and mark the positions physically, at the heights they will sit.

Power01 Bench power points — count them against the appliances that actually live on the bench, and keep them clear of the tile setout.

Island02 Island services — power, and any waste or water if a sink is going into it, need a floor penetration set before the slab is templated.

Light03 Ceiling and pendant points — centred on the island, not the room, with switching decided at the same time. See Kitchen Lighting.

Strip04 Under-cabinet lighting — decided before cabinetry is made, because the driver has to live somewhere.

Water05 Sink and dishwasher rough-in — confirm whether the plan keeps the existing position or moves it, since relocation changes both cost and sequence.

Gas06 Gas point or induction circuit — switching a gas cooktop to induction is an electrical decision, made early.

04 — Access, and living around the work

A kitchen is delivered in large, heavy, awkward pieces. Cabinets come in on a truck, stone comes in on a trolley, and both need a clear path from the kerb to the room. In the older streets around Murrumbeena, Carnegie and Hughesdale that path is often a narrow side gate or a tight hallway corner — worth checking before delivery day rather than on it.

Plan for the gap in the middle, too. Benchtops are templated only once the cabinetry is installed and standing true, which means there is a period with cabinets but no stone, and no sink. Set up a temporary bench somewhere else in the house — kettle, microwave, a tub for washing up — and the disruption stops being a daily argument. The full sequence is set out in the 12-step renovation process.

Arrange before day one

Kerbside01 Parking and unloading space

Path02 Gate width and hallway turns

Waste03 Where the skip or bin sits

Empty04 Cupboards cleared and boxed

Safety05 Pets and children kept clear

Interim06 Temporary kitchen set up

05 — What to have ready before you enquire

A first conversation moves much faster when three things exist: rough dimensions of the room, a clear written description of the kitchen as it stands, and a budget range you are comfortable naming. The dimensions can be a sketch on paper — wall lengths, ceiling height, window and door positions. In the message field of the enquiry, write the room dimensions, which appliances are being kept and which are being replaced, your suburb and the timeframe you have in mind, plus anything awkward about the room: a window sitting low over the bench, a meter box on the kitchen wall, a floor that steps down. Photographs are useful later and can follow by reply once we are in touch.

A budget range is not a commitment. It tells us whether the sensible answer is a makeover keeping the existing layout or a complete kitchen renovation — and stops you being shown a specification that was never going to fit. Everything else is settled at the measure and design stage.

Checklist done? The next item is a measure.

Send through the room, the rough dimensions and what you want changed, and we will take it from there — through design, cabinetry, benchtops and splashbacks to handover. Prefer to ask a question first? Use the contact form.