The finer details - how it works …
When it comes to creating the perfect kitchen or bathroom there are always many questions that our customers need answering - and we are always happy to answer them, because the finer details are just as important as the colour or style of your room!
Measuring the space
When providing measurements for a kitchen plan there are important details that a lot of people don’t realize are needed to help prevent frustration and make the process easier. Ways to help collect all the needed information for a plan:
- Start in one corner and measure the length of the wall
- When measuring a wall with windows/doors
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- Measure the wall space up to window/door before trim
- Measure window/door including the trim. This will help to prevent the cabinets from overlapping the trim.
- Measure the remaining or next section of wall until you reach the end
- The measurements for all sections should add up to your overall measurement of the entire wall.
- Note which way the door swings open. This will help to prevent obstruction when opening or closing the door.
- Move onto the next wall and repeat the above steps until you have completed the space that you would like to have planned.
- Make note of any outlets or light switches so that cabinets/vanities are not planned over them.
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- Note how far along the wall they are.
- Note how far from the floor they sit.
- Make note where the plumbing is located for sinks or appliances.
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- Is it coming up from the floor or wall? This can affect which bathroom vanities will work for your space.
- How far from the end of the wall is it?
- Make note where any gas lines are located for appliances.
- Make note of the following regarding ceilings
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- How high are they? Important if you want cabinets to go to the ceiling and require room for trim?
- Is there a bulkhead?
- Are they vaulted and where do you want your cabinets placed with the vaulted ceiling?
- Make sure your plan is drawn and written clearly. It doesn’t need to be fancy just legible.
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- Make sure we can read the numbers clearly – you don’t want a 6 to be mistaken for an 8 because 2 inches can make a big difference when assembling your kitchen.
- Keep the plan neat – scribbling out something and trying to rewrite new information can cause confusion when trying to determine measurements or information into a plan.
- Include photos of the space – This helps because sometimes when quick drawings of measurements are given the pictures can help to give a clearer understanding of the space that is being worked with.
Check out our guide located on our FAQs for further details on how to ‘How to Measure Your Space’
What about windowsills and door frames
As mentioned in the measuring the space, it is important to include the windowsills and trim in your measurements with the windows or doors. When you install the cabinets, you want to make sure that the plans allow enough space to prevent overlapping the cabinets with the trim. By preventing the overlap of the cabinets, you could save yourself time, money or unnecessary frustrations from having to find solutions, having purchased unused product, or delays being able to have a useable space to make dinner.
How appliances fit in
When you are planning a kitchen, it is a good idea to know what appliances will be in the plan. Are you using the existing appliances? Perhaps you want to buy new ones? Are there plans to change appliances in the future? One of the biggest assumptions customers have when starting a kitchen plan is that appliances come in standard sizes. This may have been the case back in the 1950’s but in 2022, depending on the appliance, our customers find out that is not always the case so it is important to make sure that you have an idea of what the measurements are so that they will fit into your kitchen plan or space.
Items to remember when picking some appliances:
Stove
Is it gas or electric? Gas stoves require more clearance if you have something above them.
Microwave/Hood Fan
If you have a gas stove you will require a minimum of 100 cfm per 10,000 BTU.
Refrigerators
There are many different styles of refrigerators. The space that the fridge is going to be placed is an important factor when deciding on what to purchase. A couple of options are:
Counter-depth refrigerator
- Great for small kitchens
- Flush with cabinets
- Easy to put next to a wall
- No gap between door and fridge
- Won’t damage surrounding walls
- Works well for small spaces
No matter what appliances you choose, we recommend including the appliance make, model and measurements. From our experience of creating hundreds of kitchen plans, we have been able to prevent any future challenges such as fridge doors hitting walls or cabinets, making sure there is enough room to allow the fridge door to open fully so inside trays can be pulled out for better access/cleaning, and ensuring that the proper clearance for a rangehood or microwave over a stove is met.
Putting the cabinets together
We offer cabinets that are ready to assemble. Not everyone is comfortable or experienced enough to put together their own cabinets. Making sure you have the proper space, tools and that the cabinets are square will not only make it easier to build the cabinets but help your doors and drawers to open and close smoothly. To see if assembling the cabinets is something you might want to do but are unsure about then it is recommended that you check out our video to see first-hand what is required.
No time to assemble your cabinets? We offer the solutions for assembling cabinets that fit our customers need.
Links:
Sunridge Supply FAQs – How to Measure Guide
Kelowna Cabinets – How to Assemble Cabinets Videos
