Whether you’re updating your existing kitchen or adding an extension, there are 10 key steps you will need to follow. Proper planning and preparation will help make sure you the final outcome fulfils your needs. A good kitchen companies Sydney will provide you with a kitchen designer. Our window replacement near me service is environmental friendly and we can assure you a quality turn around after the job is done.

Always use the skills of an architect, architectural technician or kitchen designer – they have a wealth of design knowledge and know how to create a room that works perfectly with the rest of your house.

1. Understand the space you have

Before you start choosing units and tiles, you need to understand the space you’re working with. Ask a kitchen company, an architect or architectural technologist for scale drawings. This will enable you to see exactly how much room you have to work with, and you can start planning how to make the most of it.

Think about the location of internal and external doors and windows, so you have the best flow possible between your kitchen, outside space and the rest of your house. Have a clear idea of how much you want to spend before contacting a designer, as this will ensure you end up with a scheme you can afford.

2. Consider the best layout

You need to design the kitchen layout to fit your lifestyle. If you want an open-plan kitchen-living-diner, think about where each zone will work best. It usually makes sense to have the kitchen in the darkest part of the space, with the dining and living areas – where you will spend more time relaxing – closest to windows overlooking the garden.

There’s a growing trend for ‘broken-plan’ living, where the spaces are only partly separated –you may want to include a half wall between the kitchen and living space, or a pocket sliding door that allows you to divide off the dining room for more formal entertaining.

Breakfast bars or islands are a key component of most kitchens these days, so work with your designer to decide the best location for yours. You don’t want it to interrupt the flow of the room, and may want to integrate your sink or hob into the island to allow the chef to interact with people using the rest of the space.

You’ll also need to consider your glazing choices carefully, as this can make or break a design – do you want bi-fold or sliding doors? Would rooflights help bring natural light into the depths of the room? Now is the time to make these major decisions.

Here are some of the items you may want to include in your new kitchen:

• Wall units
• Base units
• Glazed display units
• Larder units
• Island
• Breakfast bar
• Ovens
• Hob
• Sink
• Tap or boiling water tap
• Ceiling or downdraught extractor
• Dining area
• Living area
• Underfloor heating
• Pantry
• Utility room
• Rooflights
• Bi-fold/sliding doors3

3. Decide on the style you want

Once you’ve decided on the best layout, you can start finalising the details. Do your research to find out exactly what style of kitchen suits your taste and lifestyle. For instance, if you have young children, smooth, wipe-clean units will be easier to keep clean than painted Shaker-style ones.

You’ll have to live with the design for years, so it’s worth spending time getting it right. Use homes magazines, architectural websites, kitchen company catalogues, design books and Pinterest to pull together a mood board of what you like. Allow yourself a few months to do this and you’ll soon see key themes emerging.

You’ll also need to finalise your budget at this stage to make sure you’re not looking at options out of your price range. Remember that just because you can’t afford high-end design choices like marble work surfaces, it doesn’t mean you can’t get the look with a cheaper alternative, such as a quality laminate. The huge range of kitchens on the market means, if you are willing to shop around, you can get a kitchen you love at a price you can afford.

Follow these tips to manage the cost of your new kitchen:

• Remodelling costs less than extending, but as the kitchen is the most important room in the house for most people, it’s worth investing in the space to get it right
• If your budget is tight, keep the design simple
• A good-quality painted kitchen can be good value, as instead of replacing it, you can change the colour and look when you decide to redecorate
• If you have to prioritise, invest in high-quality worktops and taps. High-fashion kitchens can look great, but may date quickly

4. Get the permission you need

If you’re planning to make internal structural changes to your kitchen, such as knocking down the wall between your kitchen and dining room, you won’t usually need planning permission, as this is covered by permitted development.

The majority of single-storey extensions are also covered by permitted development; however, certain exclusions and criteria apply, so always check with your local authority’s planning department before starting work.

Even if you don’t need planning permission, it may be worth applying to your local planning authority for a lawful development certificate, which proves that the work is lawful, and can be useful when you come to sell. If you are planning structural changes, make sure you use the services of an approved structural engineer.

Try our handy quiz, which will tell you instantly whether you’ll need planning permission for your kitchen extension.

5. Find the right team

Once you’ve had your plans drawn up and permissions granted, you’ll need to find tradespeople you trust to carry out any structural work and install your kitchen. This could include a builder, joiner, plumber, electrician and decorator.

For each of the different trades, you should get at least three detailed written quotes. Recommendations are always the best way to find people to work with, so ask friends and family before searching online.

Bear in mind that the cheapest quote may not be the best if it does not meet all your requirements, and you need to feel comfortable with the people you choose to work with.

Some kitchen companies offer a complete design, build and installation package, meaning you won’t need to find individual tradespeople, although this is often more expensive. If you choose this option, again always get quotes from at least three different kitchen companies. Even if you’ve fallen in love with a kitchen offered by one specific company, chances are others will offer something very similar.

6. Finalise the details

Once work starts, making changes can be costly. Agree on all of the final details, including the handles, appliances and other details, and stick to them.

It’s especially important to confirm the location of appliances, lighting and sockets, making sure sockets are in places that will be convenient, such as by the fridge and kettle. You should also consider where to put charging points and whether you’d like USB sockets.

And think carefully about extraction. Will you have a traditional overhead extractor, or could you install a downdraft model, which slots into your kitchen worktop and can pop up at the touch of a button?

When it comes to artificial lighting, make sure you include a combination of task, ambient and accent lighting. By finalising the details and ordering materials now, you’ll help the project run smoothly.

7. Start the building work

Now you have the team you want to work with and quotes agreed, it’s time for construction work to start. If you’re having walls demolished or an extension built, you may want to consider moving out while the work is complete. Alternatively, you could set up a makeshift kitchen – perhaps using your old cooker, sink and couple of units – in a different room. If you decide to stay, be prepared for dust, noise and disruption. If you decide to move out, make sure you visit the site regularly and are available to answer questions.

While knocking down internal walls and stripping out an old kitchen should take a few weeks, building an extension is likely to take three months or more. During this time, walls, floors and ceilings will be constructed, cables inserted for electrics and pipes for water.

8. Decorate the space

Once the walls plastered, you should be able to get a feel for how your new kitchen will look when it’s finished.

Now is the time to decorate the walls and ceiling. By painting before the units are installed, you’ll minimise the risk of drips and spills ruining your new kitchen. Opt for a wall colour that either complements or contrasts with your units. Although a plain white kitchen is timeless as it can easily be updated with accessories, consider going for a bolder wall colour, such as dark grey or petrol blue, for more of a style statement.

9. Install your new kitchen

Now it’s time for the most exciting part of the project – the installation of your new kitchen. Many kitchen companies offer an installation service for around £2,000, although most units can be fitted by a competent DIYer if you’re looking to cut costs. If you do choose this option, your extractor and cooker will need to be installed by an accredited electrician, and you may need a plumber to fit your sink and water-based appliances. Due to the cost of most worktops, it’s always best to ask a professional to fit these for you – mistakes can prove expensive.

10. Complete the tiling and flooring

You could tile, add a splashback to your walls or install your chosen flooring before fitting your units, but you’ll be paying for extra materials that won’t be seen once the kitchen is in place, so it makes sense to complete these tasks afterwards, instead.

Most competent DIYers will be able to tile or fit flooring themselves. Once the walls and floors are complete, it’s time to introduce the furniture, accessories and lighting, and start enjoying your brand-new kitchen.

Natural light

• Introduce daylight from as many directions as possible — including rooflights and high-level or obscure glazed windows where privacy may be an issue.
• Prioritise the best quality space – with the best daylight and nicest views – to the functions that are most important to you, usually living and dining.

For complete kitchen designs and costs, click here!

How to design a kitchen? With the kitchen being such a high activity area of the house it’s worth finding out how to design a kitchen – even if you’re using a kitchen designer or architect. Knowing what’s involved in the process will help you design your own kitchen or give a detailed brief to your designer. Kitchen renovation cost depends on the design of your kitchen. A glass replacement near me in case glass in also included in your kitchen renovation.

This page makes up part of the kitchen design layout series.

Step 1 – Pick Your Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturer

Now usually I’m always encouraging my site visitors to think in terms of how you want a space to function before making interior design or furniture choices but for kitchens it helps to know where you plan to get your kitchen cabinets from.

Most manufacturers have units in various standard sizes but always work with the kitchen cabinet dimensions that the manufacturer provides.

Even if you’re getting a bespoke kitchen made, getting in touch with a maker and finding out if they work in any standard sizes (eg using whole pieces of wood to avoid cutting which reduces waste, need less labor and therefore cost a bit less).

Step 2 – Create a Floor and Wall Plan

The second step of how to design a kitchen is to create a plan of your kitchen ‘space’ – the floor space and the wall space.

First decide if you’re working in feet and inches or m, cm and mm. For example in the United States and Canada kitchens are designed and sold in inches, in the UK and Australia it’s millimetres. Take the lead from the main measurement that your cabinet manufacturer uses.

Time to measure up! Take your time and be accurate and measure using the right measurement for your country. Measure floor dimensions, niches, windows, doors, where the water pipes (and gas supply if applicable) come up from the floor.

Now it’s time to draw up the plan.

You can do this on paper by following the instructions on draw floor plans but just for your kitchen rather than the whole house. Or you can use one of the online kitchen planners or software available (a bit more about that at the bottom of this page).

If you stick to the paper option, it’s a good idea to adjust the scale so that you fit the kitchen onto a sheet of paper rather than the whole house. The scale you can use depends on how big your kitchen is and how big your paper is.

Step 3 – Plan the Outline of Your Kitchen

It might be really obvious what shape your kitchen is going to be. If so, go ahead and have a look at the relevant page below. If not you can take a look at these for inspiration

Also take a look at the kitchen dimensions page that goes through some important kitchen planning guidelines.

Using your paper drawing, online kitchen planner or software plan in the outline of where you will place the base cabinets, wall cabinets, islands and tables in your kitchen in plan view (looking down from above). Don’t worry about where the appliances and fixtures will be placed just yet.

Other Considerations on Kitchen Shape

As well as the shapes above you could also consider incorporating curves in to the kitchen. This introduces challenges of being able to open adjacent cupboards and drawers at the same time without the doors or drawers banging into each other – but leaving a bit of space in between each set of units mitigates this.

If you have a bigger room to work with one of the main things to decide is whether the kitchen will occupy the whole room with an eating area open to the kitchen, or whether you want to try and maintain a bit of privacy to the cooking area – make it a bit like a bar or a coffee shop counter. If you have an accident with dinner you might want to be able to put it right without everyone looking at you!

Step 4 – Place the Appliances and Fixtures

Head on over to the kitchen triangle page.

Then come back here and draw in the the appliances and fixtures onto your plan

Step 5 – Plan Detailed Storage

Head on over to the kitchen storage ideas and kitchen storage solutions pages. Storage is a big part of how to design a kitchen.

You’re back? Phew – that’s kitchen storage done. At this stage you should have the wall plans filled out with all the fixtures you’re planning.

Step 6 – Lighting

At some stage I’ll be writing up a page on kitchen lighting design.

Your cabinet manufacturer may have some integrated lighting options.

Step 7 – Electrical

Plan the electrical points (outlets and switches for appliances) for your kitchen.

There are several options for general outlets.

If you have an appliance garage, a cupboard mounted microwave or want a TV in your kitchen think carefully about the best position for outlets.

Step 8 – Plan for other activities in the kitchen and surrounding spaces

What other activities will happen in your kitchen apart from those related to food? How about a sitting area with a TV or games console? Office type activities such as computer time and paying the bills are also popular in kitchen spaces.

Have a think about how your kitchen will relate to the spaces surrounding it. If it’s open plan to a dining space or living space what kind of view does the people in these areas get of the kitchen?

How to design a kitchen? Click here on how to design your main living space.

Master electricians require some formal education and extensive hands-on training. Learn about the education, job duties and licensure requirements to see if this is the right career for you. There are services that emergency 24 hour electricians Melbourne that are not available on others.

They’re not called ‘master’ electricians for nothing: achieving this rank involves years of work experience and continuing education. You can begin on-the-job training without formal education in some states, while others do require a degree or certificate. No matter where you start, you’ll need to work for several years before you can become licensed as a master electrician.

Essential Information

Master electricians are often in charge of the installation and maintenance of electrical systems in homes, businesses and institutions. Most states license master electricians based on examinations, accrued experience and on-the-job training as a journeyman or apprentice electrician; some states lower the required years of experience for master electrician candidates who have vocational school training, an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

Educational Requirements for Master Electricians

Colleges and vocational schools offer certificate, degree and continuing education programs for those seeking a career as a master electrician. Maine mandates a 576-hour vocational training program for electricians, while postsecondary education is optional in other jurisdictions. Some states accept a trade school diploma, associate’s degree or engineering bachelor’s degree in lieu of some of the required practical experience. Most states require electricians to pass the same licensure exam, regardless of their educational background.

Classroom study in an electrical engineering bachelor’s degree program usually consists of applied mathematics, fundamentals of electricity, project management and architectural wiring. Vocational programs cover the National Electrical Code, cabling, OSHA regulations and local building codes.

Most master electricians take continuing education classes throughout their careers to keep their skills up-to-date and maintain licensure. Courses are typically offered by state-approved schools or vocational programs and may be held either online or on-campus.

Training Requirements

Training requirements for master electricians vary according to state and union regulations. In most areas, training begins in an approved apprenticeship program following graduation from a degree program. Some apprenticeship programs specialize in residential, commercial or new construction, while others may cover various general contracting jobs.

Apprenticeship programs usually run 3-7 years and typically divide hours between classroom and on-the-job training. Classroom study can include applied circuitry, electronic drafting, digital electronics and electrical instrumentation. Outside training is done under the supervision of a master electrician or journeyman at job sites and projects.

Following completion of an apprenticeship program, most states require that electricians spend time as journeymen before moving up to become master electricians. After earning a state journeyman license, electricians usually spend at least two years acquiring work hours before they can apply for a master electrician license.

Education options vary for those who wish to become master electricians, so often you can combine classroom learning and on-the-job training in a way that works best for you. Apprenticeships overseen by senior members of the profession are a common way to build up the years of experience needed to meet licensing requirements for journeyman and master electricians.

Hiring a professional electrician Melbourne CBD can be very expensive and is often the reason why people try doing their own basic electric wiring themselves.

I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly results of these efforts and I have come to the conclusion that basic electrical wiring is not something anyone should do without proper guidance, tools and confidence.

It is so important that before attempting any of these basic electrical wiring projects that people are aware of how dangerous electricity is and how important safety is for you and for your family and family home.

90 percent of the time I recommend hiring a licensed electrician over doing your basic electrical wiring yourself. Not doing this will usually end up costing even more money than before and increase the risk of bringing your family into danger without even knowing your doing it.

But doing your own basic electric wiring really isn’t that hard to do if you “educate” yourself on the topic.

Licensed electricians had to learn the stuff themselves too. So as a ‘do it yourself person’ this isn’t different. There is no escape possible.

You will see that the more you read about it the easier it will become and the more confidence you will get.

Just to give you an idea, here are 3 questions I recently got from people just like you who tried doing their own electric wiring:

Question 1: I installed a grounding probe in your aquarium and every time anyone in the house turns on or off the lights, the fish jump. What’s going on?

A couple of suggestions:

1. (easiest) Pull out that grounding probe and return it from whence you purchased it.

2. Check the wiring on your outlet. You may actually have ‘Neutral’ instead of ‘Ground’.

3. Check the wiring throughout the rest of the house. There are some people out there that insist on doing their own home repairs, yet don’t understand basic electrical wiring.

Outlets are easy to check by getting a $7.95 outlet tester from the hardware store. Wired-in appliances, lights, heaters, etc. are tougher.

4. Check all your electrical fixtures to make sure they aren’t leaking some voltage to Ground.

Question 2: What is the NEC? Where can I get a copy?

The NEC is a model electrical code devised and published by the National Fire Protection Association, an insurance industry group. It’s revised every three years.

The 1993 version has been released. You can buy a copy at a decent bookstore, or by calling them directly at 800-344-3555.

The code exists in several versions. There’s the full text, which is fairly incomprehensible. There’s an abridged edition, which has only the sections likely to apply to most houses.

And there’s the NEC Handbook, which contains the “authorized commentary” on the code, as well as the full text. That’s the recommended version. Unfortunately, there’s no handbook for the abridged edition. And the full handbook is expensive — US$65 plus shipping and handling.

Question 3: Can I do my own wiring? Extra pointers?

In most places, homeowners are allowed to do their own wiring. In some, they’re not. Check with your local electrical inspector. Most places won’t permit you to do wiring on other’s homes for money without a license. Nor are you permitted to do wiring in “commercial” buildings.

Multiple dwellings (eg: duplexes)are usually considered “semi-commercial” or “commercial”. However, many jurisdictions will permit you to work on semi-commercial wiring if you’re supervised by a licensed electrician – if you can find one willing to supervise.

If you do your own wiring, an important point:

Do it NEAT and WELL! What you really want to aim for is a better job than an electrician will do. After all, it’s your own home, and it’s you or your family that might get killed if you make a mistake.

An electrician has time pressures, has the skills and knows the tricks of the trade to do a fast, safe job. In this FAQ we’ve consciously given a few recommendations that are in excess of code, because we feel that it’s reasonable, and will impress the inspector.

The inspector will know that you’re an amateur. You have to earn his trust. The best way of doing this is to spend your time doing as neat a job as possible. Don’t cut corners. Exceed specifications. Otherwise, the inspector may get extremely picky and fault you on the slightest transgressions.

Don’t try to hide anything from the inspector.

Use the proper tools. Ie: don’t use a bread knife to strip wires, or twist wires with your fingers. The inspector won’t like it, and the results won’t be that safe. And it takes longer. And you’re more likely to stick a hunk of 12ga wire through your hand that way.

Don’t handle house wire when it’s very cold (eg: below -10C or 16F). Thermoplastic house wire, particularly older types become very brittle.

As you can see, getting the right answers to your questions can make the work a lot easier.

You save time by doing it “the right way” from the first time and you save money because you won’t need to hire an electrician to either do the entire job or to fix your screw-ups.

In any case, no matter what you, be very careful when working on electricity! If needed cut down the entire power of your house just to be sure.

Keep It Safe,

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Nico De Baere is a licensed electrician with over 10 years of experience with home and industrial electric wiring. He is the author of the ebook Basic Electric Wiring which gives answers to 77 of the most ask questions on basic electric wiring. Visit his site now or click here [http://www.basicelectricwiring.com]

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