What Should You Renew in a Kitchen Renovation?

If the carcasses are sound, can only the doors be changed?

They can, and it is the most economical way to renew a kitchen visually. If the carcasses have not swollen with damp, the hinge fixings are sound and the sizes are standard, changing the doors and worktop makes the kitchen look rebuilt.

Where the carcasses show swelling, rot or sagging, new doors only postpone the problem. Fitted to a distorted carcass, they will not close properly and the fault returns quickly.

When should kitchen plumbing be renewed?

Plumbing becomes visible when the units come out, and that is exactly the right moment to deal with it. An aged water pipe or a worn waste connection cannot be changed after the units are installed without taking the new kitchen apart again.

So the plumbing should always be checked during a kitchen renewal. If it is sound, we leave it. If it looks doubtful, it is changed then and there. That avoids both the cost of a later leak and the damage it would do to a new kitchen.

What should you look at when choosing a worktop?

The worktop is the most punished surface in a kitchen, hot pans, knives, water and staining foods all meet there. Durability and ease of care deserve as much thought as appearance.

The position of the joints matters too. Planning worktop joints away from the sink and hob reduces problems caused by water and heat. It is a detail worth discussing before installation.

Open kitchen or closed kitchen?

This is a question of how you live rather than a matter of fashion. An open kitchen merges with the living room and opens the space up, which suits entertaining. In exchange, cooking smells and noise carry further into the living area.

A closed kitchen has the advantage on smell and noise, and most families who cook often and heavily find it more comfortable. If you are thinking of removing a wall, the first question to ask is whether that wall is load-bearing.

What is the kitchen work triangle?

The work triangle is the pattern of movement between the fridge, the sink and the hob. Cooking means going back and forth between those three points, so the distances between them decide how comfortable the kitchen actually is.

Open the triangle too far and every task costs more steps. Close it too tightly and two people cannot work at once. The right dimension varies with the size of the kitchen, but all three points reaching each other without obstruction is the common rule.

The most frequent mistake is placing a tall unit or a table in the middle of the triangle. Nothing looks wrong on the plan and you walk around it every time in use. That is why the layout is settled before the units go into manufacture.

How are unit materials chosen?

A kitchen unit has three separate parts and each is chosen separately. The carcass, the door and the hardware. The door is what you see, but what usually decides the life of the kitchen is the carcass and the hinges.

For the carcass, resistance to water is the deciding property. Under the sink and around the dishwasher is where a kitchen sees the most moisture, and choosing modules there in a material that does not swell extends the life of the run considerably.

Hardware is usually the last thing considered, yet it is what you feel most in daily use. Soft close hinges, full extension drawer runners and a well chosen handle make the same kitchen far easier to live with. It is worth asking about those items at the quotation stage.

What separates worktop materials?

The decision comes down to three things, resistance to heat, staining, and how visible the joints are. That is exactly where the materials part company.

Laminate worktops are light and come in a wide range of finishes, but they are vulnerable to a knife and to a hot pan. Compact surfaces are more durable and read thinner. Natural stone looks strong, though the more porous types need regular care against staining.

Joint position is about function rather than appearance. Planning the joint away from the sink and hob means not leaving a seam where water and heat are concentrated. Unless it is raised before installation, it cannot be changed afterwards.

How is extraction planned?

An extractor works in one of two ways. Ducted to the outside, or recirculating through a carbon filter. The first takes the smell out of the room, the second only reduces it.

If it is going to be ducted, the route the duct takes is decided before the unit layout. The duct runs through the wall cabinets and reduces the usable space inside them. A duct added later is either left visible or means cutting into a finished cabinet.

The more bends there are in the run, the weaker the extraction becomes. So a short route to the outside matters more than the rated power of the extractor. If you are thinking of moving the hob, that is the first question to ask.

How is kitchen lighting arranged?

Relying on a single ceiling fitting is the most common shortfall in a kitchen. Standing at the worktop your own body blocks the light and the surface you are chopping on sits in your shadow.

The answer is to separate the light into two layers. General lighting carries the room, and a linear fitting under the wall cabinets lights the working surface directly. Adding that second layer changes how the kitchen feels to use.

The wiring has to be prepared before the units are fitted. Under cabinet lighting can be added later, but then the cable stays visible or the units come off again.

How does the schedule work?

A kitchen renovation usually completes in 10 to 15 days. That is calendar time and it includes waiting.

The critical point in the schedule is when measurements are taken. Unit dimensions are taken after the wall and floor work is finished, because tile thickness changes the measurement directly. Manufacture starts after that and happens in the workshop rather than on site.

The period the kitchen is unusable is not the whole of that calendar. The hardest stretch is the interval when the units are out and there is no worktop. We plan the manufacturing and fitting dates in advance to keep that interval short.

What should you watch for in an older kitchen?

In an older kitchen the first place to look is under the sink. A small leak that has gone unnoticed for years rots the carcass from below, and it only becomes visible when the unit comes out.

The second point is the number of sockets. Kitchens built years ago were not planned for the number of small appliances used today. Without enough sockets at worktop level people live with extension leads, which puts water and electricity side by side.

The third is floor level. If the kitchen floor is being renewed, the thickness of the new covering affects where built in appliances sit. Without allowing for that difference, an appliance will not go into its housing or leaves a gap under the worktop.