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PREPARATION GUIDE · SELECTION ROOM · MALVERN
A renovation checklist, in the order decisions are actually made
Most kitchen renovations do not stall on the build. They stall on a selection that was never confirmed, an appliance specification that arrived after the cabinets were cut, or a rear lane nobody checked before a delivery truck turned into it. Preparation is simply doing those small things in the right order.
Work through the list below before the first visit, then keep it beside you through selection. Each item is tied to the stage where it becomes unchangeable.
The checklist, in five parts
Reference photograph · a mosaic panel offered up to the existing splashback — the sort of check that belongs on the checklist before manufacture, not on installation day
01
Before the first visit
Gather, measure, photograph
None of this needs to be precise — precision comes at the measure stage. It needs to be honest about how the room is used and what is already there.
Rough dimensions. Wall lengths, ceiling height, window and door positions, and the distance from the bench face to whatever it opens onto.
Photographs from four corners. Wide shots, plus close ones of the meter box, the sink cupboard plumbing, the switchboard and any hob or rangehood you intend to keep.
What already fails. Bench you run out of, doors that collide, a bin in the wrong place, light that falls behind you. This shapes the design more than any inspiration image.
A short scope sentence. Whether you are after a complete renovation, a layout change, or a refresh of sound carcasses.
02
Left too late
Three things left too late
None of these three are difficult decisions. They simply arrive after the point where they were needed, and each one holds up the stage behind it.
Before manufacture
Appliance specifications
Cabinetry is built around appliances, not the other way round. Model numbers, cut-out sizes, hinge sides, clearance above a cooktop and the ventilation duct route all need confirming before joinery goes into manufacture.
Before delivery day
Access and parking
Stone arrives in one piece. Walk the route a slab must travel: gate widths, corridor turns, stairs, a rear lane, permit zones and where a skip can legally stand. Many inner-south-east streets need this settled early.
Before strip-out
The temporary kitchen
Decide where the fridge, kettle and a washing-up point will live once the room is stripped. A laundry tub, a trestle and one powered bench cover most of it. Pack and label the cupboards you will actually need.
03
Locked before manufacture
The selections that stop being reversible
Once cutting lists are issued, changing a selection means changing the drawing behind it. Confirm these in writing at material selection.
Door profile, finish and colour · carcass and edge detail
Handle type and position — or the decision to go handleless
Benchtop material, thickness, edge profile and sink type
Splashback material, height and where the run stops
Internal storage — drawer sizes, corner systems, bin and pantry fit-out
Lighting layers, switch positions and power outlets
Reference photograph · samples laid out together — surfaces are confirmed as a set, not one at a time
04
Where each item sits
The checklist against the twelve stages
1 Consultation — photographs, rough sizes, scope sentence
2 Measure — clear benches, note services locations
3 Design — how the room is used, storage by zone
4 Quote — scope confirmed against the drawing
5 Material selection — every item in the list above
6 Removal — temporary kitchen set up, skip position agreed
7 Services preparation — outlets, switches, lighting positions
8 Cabinetry — access route cleared for delivery
9 Benchtops — templated on installed cabinets, then fabricated
10 Splashback — set out after the bench is fitted
11 Appliances and finishing — manuals and warranties kept together
12 Handover — walk the room, note anything to adjust
Each stage is set out in full on our 12-step renovation process.
05
Take the list to a quote
Bring your notes, photographs and shortlist to a quote
A half-finished checklist is still useful — the gaps tell us what to look at first in Malvern, Armadale, Toorak, Glen Iris and the surrounding suburbs. Send what you have through the quote request, or ask a question through contact.