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While you are waiting for the stone countertop, ask the contractor for a temporary plywood top so you can use the kitchen whle you wait.

Agree with tip number 4, great advice for the whole house and not just the kitchen. I see so many people design their home for the one day a year they might host 20 people instead of the remaining 364 when there's only 2-4 people regularly there.

Don't forget to think about future maintenance issues. Make sure shut-off valves are located conveniently and use levers instead of knobs for easier grip. If the fridge has a water connection, consider a separate shut-off for just that supply line. Deciding on your lighting and outlet plan is the perfect time to consider improvements to your existing circuit plan from the breaker box. Use outlet styles that also include USB connections for whatever charging devices you use frequently. Consider trash, recycling and compost receptacle placement, as well as pet feeding stations. If you're installing a dishwasher, consider including a catch pan under that appliance in the event of a leak (similar to a catch basin that can be added beneath a hot water heater or washing machine). Leak detector sensors are worth considering

Nice summary of your more detailed posts. Have taken lots of notes.

Wow, this is super useful, I'm going to make a list with all of this haha. I never usually keep most of it in mind

thank you very mutch for your help🥰

So helpful, thanks Michael.

Very valuable as I'm right at the definitive planning stages - some really good reminders - one thing you didn't cover is lighting (there's so much!) but that is something I've struggled with

Thanks again for your practical and sensible tips.

This is invaluable xx

Thank you. All good tips. We are on our 3rd kitchen in 5 years as we’ve moved a lot. Hopefully this will be our last for a long while, so we need to get it right. Each one, we thought was right but then you live with the must have larder etc., and realise what you really need and what you really don’t. I like the like and don’t like lists, very good. I think/hope we have it nailed for the next one!

❤

Stack two microwaves. How often do you have to line up plates or dishes to heat in the one microwave, then have to put the first one in again as it’s gone cold. A microwave is about the same price as a cupboard door so it doesn’t cost any extra .
Also, if your both tall then fit the base units a bit higher 🤷🏼

5:33 do you in the UK draw door and casement opening opposite to how we draw them in Australia? Because we draw the long side of the indication triangle on the hinge side of the door, and it comes to a point in the middle on the latch side. We even have an Australian Standard for it! So a classic paired casement window will look like it has an X drawn across it.
This drawing looks very strange to me.

I get that a deeper countertop is convenient with deeper wall cabinets, but if you don't have wall cabinets at all, is it still worth losing floorspace behind the drawers?

Something I'd like someone to cover in more depth is grease traps for range hoods. Particularly where there's a cooking appliance and a range hood not on an outside wall, the air pulled through the range hood has to travel through a duct to leave the house, and if the grease particles from that air aren't 100% captured by a grease trap, you're going to end up with a build-up of old rancid grease inside the duct. It's stinky, it can go mouldy, it can attract vermin, and it can be really nasty in a fire. So I need to know more about how to capture that grease before the air goes into the duct. I know commercial kitchens deal with this, so what are they doing and how can we apply their technology to domestic kitchens?

I won't be choosing a metal finish as the interface between my hand and 240vAC. I agree the dead white plastic power and switch plates are ugly, but there are paintable options, or if you're really going for class there are timber options.

I always suggest something like a surestop remote stopcock. Rather than struggling with an inconveniently located stopcock, you have a simple rocker switch conveniently located. Fitting while replacing the kitchen will be the easiest it will ever be.

Also, enure that you have access to the main stopcock, and don't have to smash anything to get to it because the kitchen fitter didn't bother.

Also, and this applies particularly to flats, pipework from other flats or common areas may run through your kitchen. With a little thought, units can be made so that removing a few screws between it and the adjoining cabinet and lowering the adjustable legs will allow it to be removed and refitted without damage. Just remember not to glue or caulk the worktop to the unit you  want to be removable.

Kitchen design for the handicapped or seniors that sit a lot on wheelchairs or walkers, please.