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Empty every cupboard, drawer and wall shelf
It sounds obvious, yet it is the task people underestimate most. A family kitchen holds far more than anyone remembers, from the tins at the back of the corner unit to the paperwork on top of the wall cabinets. Start boxing things up a week ahead and label each box by what you will need first, second and not at all until the new room is finished.
Use the clear out as a chance to decide what earns a place in the new layout. Customers who arrive at handover with fewer boxes find it much easier to settle into the new storage.
Set up a temporary cooking corner
During a full installation there will be days without a sink, a hob or an oven. Your day by day plan from us shows exactly which days those are, so you can prepare. Most households set up a table in the dining room or utility with a kettle, a microwave, a toaster and a washing up bowl.
If the old fridge is staying in use until the new one arrives, tell us at the survey and we will agree where it can live and stay plugged in while the room is stripped.
- Kettle, microwave and toaster on a sturdy table near a socket
- Plastic tubs for washing up, emptied in the bathroom or utility sink
- Paper plates and a small box of everyday cutlery
- A cool box for the days the fridge is disconnected
Plan where deliveries will go
Flat pack units, doors, panels and appliances arrive in a lot of boxes. They need a dry, secure spot close to the kitchen, such as a garage, a spare room or a cleared section of the dining room. Units left in a damp garage or out in the drive can swell, so dry storage really does matter.
Check every delivery against the order when it lands. It is far better to find a missing end panel or a damaged door in the first week than on the morning we need to fit it.
Kitchen fitting
- Strip out, plastering and making good
- First and second fix electrics and plumbing
- Units fitted level, worktops templated and scribed
Settle the decisions that hold jobs up
A kitchen programme runs in a fixed order: strip out, trade first fix, plastering, units, worktop templating, worktop fitting, tiling and decoration. Any choice that is still open when its stage arrives pauses everything behind it.
Before we start, try to have the sink and tap chosen, the socket and lighting positions agreed, the splashback tile picked and the wall colour decided. The worktop templater can only measure once the base units are fitted and the sink model is known, so that choice in particular needs to be made early.
Think about the rest of the house
We put dust sheets down, protect floors along the route to the kitchen and clear waste as we go, but a strip out still makes noise and some dust. Moving ornaments, pictures and anything fragile away from the walls either side of the kitchen is sensible, as vibration from removing old tiles carries further than you expect.
Let us know about pets, working from home arrangements and school runs. Knowing when the driveway needs to be clear or when a video call is happening lets us plan the noisier jobs around your household.
Want a professional to handle it?
Send us the room details and we will come back with a written quote, or call us for a chat first.
Common questions
- Do I need to remove the old kitchen myself?
- No. Strip out and safe disposal of the old kitchen is part of our installation service, so you only need to empty the cupboards.
- Can I stay at home while the kitchen is fitted?
- Yes, nearly everyone does. The day by day plan tells you which days you will be without water or cooking so you can prepare a temporary setup.
- When do I need to choose my worktop?
- Before work starts. Worktops are templated once the base units are in, and the templater needs to know the sink and hob models at that point.
- Should I buy appliances before the fit starts?
- Have the models confirmed before the survey where possible, because housing sizes and electrical supplies depend on them. Delivery can be timed for when the units are going in.
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Covering Hertfordshire and Essex.