Kitchen Renovation Checklist

Fixed before demolitionLayout, appliance models, benchtop material, door finish

Everything below is a decision that costs little on paper and a great deal once cabinetry is cut. Work through it before the first trade arrives.

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Scope of this checklist

MeasureSix dimensions taken before designAppliancesChosen by model, not by categoryApprovalsPermissions checked while drawings are liveHouseholdTemporary kitchen, access, protection

Reference photoProtective sheeting and sealed trim — the state a kitchen should be in before week one begins

A kitchen renovation is decided on paper. By the time the old cabinetry is out, the sheet metal is ordered, the stone is booked and the appliance cavities are cut to the millimetre. Delays almost never come from the trades — they come from a selection made two weeks late. This checklist is the order those decisions want to be made in.

What to measure before design starts

Take these yourself and keep them on one page. They are the dimensions that change a layout rather than decorate it, and they are the first thing asked for in a design consultation.

Custom Kitchen Design →

01Ceiling height, and where any bulkhead dropsDecides whether overheads run to the ceiling or stop short.02Window and door reveals, from the floor upSets the splashback height and whether a window sill blocks a run.03Existing service positionsWaste, water, gas and the switchboard. Moving them is the single most common budget shift.

04Access from the street to the kitchenStone slabs and tall panels arrive in one piece. Narrow halls, stairs and tight corners change how a benchtop is jointed.05Floor level across the full runOlder Bentleigh floors move. Packing is planned, not improvised.06Clear floor width between opposite runsThe number that decides if an island fits. See Kitchen Layout Ideas.

Appliance decisions that lock the drawing

Cabinetry is built around specific models, not categories. A 900 mm cooktop and an 890 mm cooktop are different jobs. Choose the actual units early, keep the specification sheets, and hand them over with the design.

Kitchen Installation & Trade Coordination →

CooktopInduction or gas — decides the power circuit and the drawer depth beneathOvenUnder-bench or in a tall bank — a tall bank removes a metre of benchtopRangehoodDucted or recirculating — ducting needs a route agreed before the ceiling closesSink & tapUndermount, flush or top-mount — the fabricator cuts to the sink templateRefrigeratorCavity width, depth, door swing and ventilation gap, taken from the model sheetDishwasherFreestanding or integrated — integrated needs a matching door in the schedule

Approvals and selection deadlines

If you are in an apartment or a strata-titled unit, ask your owners corporation what is required before works start — waterproofing, noise hours and waste removal are usually covered. If a wall is coming out, if you are adding a window, or if plumbing moves outside the existing wet area, ask your building surveyor or council whether a permit applies before the design is finalised. These answers take days, not minutes, and they sit comfortably alongside the drawing stage.

Selections have their own clock. Cabinetry finishes and hardware are needed before manufacture; benchtop material before template; splashback before the stone is fixed; tapware before plumbing rough-in. Each one attaches to a specific stage of the build rather than to a date on a calendar.

Where each item lands in the build01 Consultation · 02 Measure · 03 Design · 04 Quote · 05 Material Selection · 06 Demolition · 07 Cabinetry · 08 Plumbing & Electrical · 09 Benchtops & Splashback · 10 Installation · 11 Finishing · 12 Handover

Read the 12-step renovation process →

Setting up the house for demolition week

Empty every cupboard and drawer the week before, not the morning of. Sort as you go: what returns to the new kitchen, what is stored, what leaves the house. The volume you keep is also the honest brief for drawer and pantry planning.

Then build the temporary kitchen somewhere with a power point and a door you can close — a trestle or laundry bench with the kettle, toaster, microwave and a crate of everyday plates. Move the refrigerator there if it is staying in the job; check the cord reaches. Agree with your builder which room is off-limits, how protection is laid across floors and stairs, and where waste goes.

Worth doing the same weekPhotograph the existing kitchen from four corners before anything moves — it settles later questions about what was there

Pantry & Kitchen Storage Solutions →

Reference photographDrawer of everyday plates and cups — the volume that has to be emptied, sorted and stored before demolition week

Bring the checklist to the consultation

Measurements on one page, appliance models listed, approval questions asked, and a rough idea of what the new kitchen has to hold. With that in hand, a design conversation moves straight to layout and materials.

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