Planning a Kitchen Renovation: A Checklist Before You Commit

The layout of a kitchen determines everything else — appliance positions, plumbing runs, electrical requirements, lighting, ventilation, and the relationship of the kitchen to adjacent rooms. Getting the layout wrong and trying to fix it after units are installed is expensive and often impossible without major re-work.

**The kitchen work triangle**: The classic ergonomic principle for kitchen design is the work triangle — the distance between the sink, hob, and refrigerator should form a triangle with each side between 1.2m and 2.7m. Layouts where the triangle is too small (congested) or too large (exhausting to work in) are uncomfortable daily.

• **Common London kitchen layout types**:
• •**Galley (parallel runs)**: two parallel banks of units, typically in a narrow terrace kitchen. Efficient if the corridor width is 1.0–1.2m; cramped if less. Works well with a connection to a dining area at one or both ends.
• •**L-shape**: units on two adjacent walls — the most common layout for a rear kitchen in a London terrace. Allows a good work triangle; the corner is often used for a carousel or larder unit.
• •**U-shape**: units on three walls — works well in a square kitchen; provides maximum storage and worktop but can feel enclosed if the room is small.
• •**Open-plan island**: a central island separates the kitchen from the dining or living area — requires a minimum kitchen width of 4m to allow 1.0m clear on both sides of the island. Most commonly specified in rear extensions or kitchen-diners.

**Deciding layout before engaging structural or M&E trades**: The kitchen layout determines where the sink is (and therefore where the soil pipe or waste runs need to exit), where the hob is (and therefore where the structural opening for the ceiling void must be for the extract duct), and where the extractor hood goes (which may require a structural penetration through an external wall or roof). These structural and M&E decisions must be confirmed before other trades begin their first-fix work.

If the kitchen renovation involves removing a wall (to create an open-plan kitchen-diner), raising a ceiling (exposing the roof structure above a kitchen outrigger), or creating a new opening to a conservatory or extension, these structural decisions must be finalised — and Building Control approval obtained — before the kitchen units are designed or ordered.

**Common structural decisions in London kitchen renovations**:

**Removing the wall between kitchen and dining room**: This is the most common structural alteration in London terrace kitchen renovations — opening the ground floor into a single open-plan space. The wall is likely load-bearing (supporting floor joists above). Removal requires: structural engineer's beam design (RSJ or engineered timber), temporary propping, Building Control approval, and Building Control stage inspections.

**Raising the ceiling in a kitchen outrigger (Victorian terrace back addition)**: Many London Victorian terraces have a single-storey back addition (the original Victorian kitchen, scullery, or coal store) with a low, flat or lean-to ceiling at approximately 2.2–2.4m. Where planning and PD rights permit, this ceiling can be removed and the space opened to the underside of the existing roof structure, creating a dramatic vaulted or exposed roof space. This requires structural input (the ceiling may be structural), planning input (if the roof structure changes externally), and a ventilation strategy (the kitchen extract must still work).

• **Kitchen extract duct routing**:
• The building regulations Part F requires the kitchen extract (cooker hood) to discharge to outside — it cannot be recirculated unless a carbon filter is used. The extract duct must be routed from the hood position to an external wall or roof. In terrace houses, the most practical route is:
• •Through the external rear wall behind the hob (if the hob is on the rear wall)
• •Through the ceiling void and out through the roof (if the hob is on an internal wall)
• •Through a fascia or soffit panel
• The duct route must be agreed before first-fix begins.

Kitchen renovations touch all the main mechanical and electrical (M&E) systems in the house — and the sequence in which these are resolved determines whether the first fix can proceed efficiently.

• **Plumbing**:
• •Sink position — fixed by layout; the soil pipe must exit from a position close to the sink (waste drops must not exceed 3m horizontal run without adequate fall)
• •Dishwasher and washing machine positions — hot and cold feeds and waste runs must be in the first-fix specification
• •Boiler / unvented cylinder position — if the boiler is currently in the kitchen and is being relocated as part of the renovation, this must be designed before first-fix begins
• •Underfloor heating — if UFH is to be installed under the kitchen floor, the manifold, pipe loops, and thermostat positions must be in the first-fix spec

• **Electrics**:
• •Double sockets below the counter — at 150mm above worktop height, typically every 600mm of worktop run; above the counter — one behind the microwave, one for the kettle station
• •Appliance spurs — separate switched fused spurs for dishwasher, washing machine, fridge/freezer (if integrated), oven (hardwired, 45A circuit)
• •Under-cabinet lighting — low-voltage LED strip at first-fix stage (cables in)
• •Island pendant positions — if an island is planned, ceiling pendants must be positioned at first-fix stage
• •Consumer unit capacity — if the kitchen renovation adds significant load (induction hob, electric oven, UFH, dishwasher, washing machine), the existing consumer unit may need an upgrade

• **Ventilation**:
• •Extract fan position — must discharge outside; route and external termination agreed at first-fix
• •Boiler flue position — if boiler is being repositioned, the flue route and external termination require Gas Safe approval

One of the most common causes of programme overrun in kitchen renovations is procurement — ordering items too late, or in the wrong sequence, causing trades to wait on site.

• **Items with long lead times (order early)**:
• •Kitchen units — standard IKEA or Howdens ranges: 2–4 weeks. Bespoke or semi-bespoke: 8–16 weeks. Shaker or in-frame units from specialist manufacturers: 10–20 weeks. Order immediately after layout is confirmed and before construction begins.
• •Worktops — solid wood: 2–3 weeks. Quartz or granite: templating must be done after units are fitted (usually within 2 days of units in); supply after templating: 5–10 working days. Do not order worktops until units are fitted and templated.
• •Appliances with long lead times — Aga, Lacanche range cooker, integrated appliances from European manufacturers: 4–16 weeks.
• •Rooflights and glazing — if the kitchen renovation includes a new extension or rooflight: 8–12 weeks for aluminium bifolds or custom flat rooflights.

• **Items to order later**:
• •Worktops — after units are templated (2–3 days after units are fitted)
• •Flooring — measure accurately after units are fitted if the floor is to run under plinths; measure before if floating flooring goes in before units
• •Taps, sinks, and appliances — 2–4 weeks from reputable suppliers; confirm delivery date with contractor's programme

**Client-supply principle (RCB standard terms)**: All second-fix materials (kitchen units, appliances, worktops, taps, flooring, tiles) are client-supplied unless specifically agreed otherwise. The contractor is responsible for installation of client-supplied materials. Clients must ensure materials are on site before the relevant trade is due — a delivery that arrives after the plumber or tiler has mobilised causes costly downtime.