How to plan a kitchen renovation step by step.

Step 1: Set an honest budget (and add 15%)

Before you look at a single tile sample or Pinterest board, decide what you can actually spend. Write the number down. Then add 15% as a contingency. Kitchen renovations almost always cost more than the initial estimate because hidden problems (bad plumbing, damp, wiring that does not meet current regulations) only appear once the old kitchen has been stripped out.

If your budget is £20,000, plan the kitchen to cost £17,000 and keep £3,000 in reserve. If nothing goes wrong, you will have £3,000 left to spend on finishing touches. If something does go wrong (and in older houses it usually does), you will not have to make panicked compromises mid-project.

Our cost guide has a detailed breakdown of where the money goes in a kitchen renovation, but as a rough rule: cabinetry and worktops take 45-55% of the budget, appliances take 15-25%, and installation labour and trades (plumbing, electrics, tiling) take the rest.

Step 2: Live with the current kitchen for a week with a notebook

Before designing anything, spend a week paying attention to how you use your current kitchen. Write down what annoys you. Where do you run out of worktop space? Which cupboards do you never open? Where do you collide with another person? Where do you wish there was a socket? Which appliances live on the worktop because they are used daily?

This notebook becomes the brief for the new kitchen. A good designer will ask you these questions anyway, but having the answers ready speeds up the design process and results in a kitchen that is tailored to how you actually live rather than how a showroom imagines you might.

Step 3: The design phase

A bespoke kitchen design typically takes two to four weeks. The process usually goes like this:

1. Site visit and survey: The designer comes to the house, measures the room, notes the position of windows, doors, pipes, and electrics, and discusses the brief. This takes about an hour.
2. Initial layout options: The designer produces two or three layout options, usually as plan-view drawings. You discuss these, pick a direction, and the designer refines it.
3. Detailed design and materials: Once the layout is agreed, the designer specifies materials (cabinetry finish, worktop material, handles, hinges) and produces a full quote. Some firms produce 3D renders at this stage; we prefer detailed plan and elevation drawings because they are more accurate for manufacture.
4. Sign-off: You review the final drawings and quote, confirm the specification, and agree a start date.

Do not rush this phase. Changes on paper cost nothing. Changes once the workshop has started building cost time and money.

Step 4: Finding the right fitter or firm

There are three routes to a new kitchen, and each has trade-offs:

• Big-box retailer (Howdens, Wren, IKEA) plus a local fitter: You buy the kitchen from the retailer and hire an independent fitter to install it. Cheapest option. Quality depends entirely on the fitter. Ask for three references and visit at least one finished kitchen before committing.
• Independent kitchen showroom: You buy the design and the units from a showroom, and they arrange installation. Mid-range. The showroom typically uses subcontracted fitters, so ask who will actually be in your house and what their experience is.
• Bespoke kitchen firm (like us): The same firm designs, builds in a workshop, and installs. Most expensive per unit, but the fit is exact and there is a single point of responsibility. If something is wrong, there is no finger-pointing between the manufacturer and the fitter.

Whichever route you choose, get a written quote (not an estimate) before committing, with a payment schedule tied to project milestones rather than dates. Never pay the full amount upfront.

Step 5: The timeline (and why it always takes longer than you think)

A realistic timeline for a mid-range kitchen renovation:

• Weeks 1-4: Design and specification
• Weeks 4-6: Order appliances, worktops, and any long-lead items (some stone worktops and specialist fittings take 4-6 weeks to arrive)
• Weeks 6-10: Workshop build (for bespoke) or delivery scheduling (for flat-pack)
• Week 10-11: Strip-out of old kitchen. First-fix electrics and plumbing
• Week 11-13: Installation of new cabinetry, worktops, and appliances
• Week 13-14: Tiling, painting, finishing, snagging

Total: roughly 12-14 weeks from sign-off to finished kitchen. For a simple refit using off-the-shelf units, this can be compressed to 4-6 weeks. For a large project with structural work, allow 16-20 weeks.

The most common cause of delays is appliances arriving late. Order them early, confirm delivery dates, and have a backup plan if something is out of stock.

Step 6: Living without a kitchen

The strip-out and installation phase typically means 2-3 weeks without a functioning kitchen. Here is how our clients handle it:

• Set up a temporary kitchen: Move the microwave, kettle, toaster, and a small fridge to another room. A fold-out table and a washing-up bowl get you through most meals.
• Meal prep in advance: Batch-cook and freeze meals the week before the strip-out starts. Label everything.
• Budget for eating out: Accept that you will spend more on takeaway and restaurant meals during the build. Factor £200-£400 into the contingency budget for this.
• Protect the rest of the house: Dust from demolition work gets everywhere. Ask the fitters to hang dust sheets across doorways and keep doors closed.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Choosing style before function. A beautiful kitchen that does not work for your cooking style will frustrate you for years. Get the layout right first, then choose the finishes.
• Not enough sockets. You will always need more sockets than you think. Budget for at least one double socket per metre of worktop, plus dedicated circuits for the oven and hob.
• Skipping the extractor. Good ventilation is not optional, especially in an open-plan layout. A proper extractor fan prevents grease and moisture damage to the cabinetry and the rest of the room.
• Under-specifying lighting. Task lighting over the worktop, ambient lighting for the room, and possibly accent lighting for display shelves. Plan the lighting before the electrician does the first fix, not after.
• Trying to project-manage multiple trades yourself. If you are coordinating a plumber, an electrician, a tiler, and a kitchen fitter, they need to work in sequence. Getting that sequence wrong causes expensive delays. Using a single firm that manages all the trades is worth the premium.

Ready to start planning?

The initial site visit and quote from Designer Creations are free and come with no obligation. We will measure your room, talk through your requirements, and produce a written quote within about two weeks. If the numbers work, we agree a timeline and begin.

Email us to arrange a site visit →