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Kitchen Remodel Planning: Budget, Order of Work and Install Order

A kitchen goes together in a fixed order. Decide whether the plumbing and wiring move, pick cabinets first, finish walls and floors before the cabinets go in, and leave the sink, appliances and handles for last.

Published 5 min read

Plan a kitchen about as long as you expect it to take to build. The decisions that save money are made before the first cabinet comes off: what moves, what stays, and what you buy first. This guide uses what the videos on this site say about the budget, the order of work and the sink and dishwasher hookups. We have no video yet on cabinet installation itself or on a backsplash, so those steps are covered only where the planning video places them.

Safety and permits

  • Remodel or renovation? The planning video separates the two. A remodel keeps the layout (new cabinets, counters, backsplash, paint, with plumbing and electrical staying where they are) and in most cases needs no building permit, he says. A renovation moves an appliance, adds electrical, installs wall ovens or removes a wall, and does. Rules differ by place, so ask your building office. See Do You Need a Permit?.
  • Structural. He says a structural engineer should design the removal of a load-bearing wall or lifting a floor.
  • Electrical. A microwave needs dedicated power so it does not trip breakers. New circuits are a job for a licensed electrician; see When to Call a Licensed Electrician, Plumber or Gas Fitter.
  • Gas. Appliances should be on site before a gas line is run, he says, and gas work belongs to a licensed gas fitter.
  • Venting. Never compromise a firewall between townhouse units when venting a range.
  • Water and power off. Shut off water at the angle stop and unplug or switch off the appliance before you start. See How to Shut Off Your Water, Power and Gas in an Emergency.

Step 1: Set the budget

The planning video’s rule of thumb is 15 percent of a home’s value for a kitchen, pushed to 20 percent when a wall comes down and the space opens up. His example for a $300,000 home:

ItemHis guide
Cabinets$10,000
Appliances$8,000
Countertops, natural stone$4,000
Flooring$2,000
Lightingabout $1,000, which he says is easy to overspend
Labour when a wall is removed$15,000 to $20,000

He says doing the work yourself on a $60,000 material-and-labour kitchen saves about $30,000. These are one contractor’s figures, currency not stated beyond the dollar sign; get your own quotes.

Step 2: Choose in this order

  1. Cabinets
  2. Appliances
  3. Countertops
  4. Flooring
  5. Backsplash tile
  6. Wall colour
  7. Hardware

Lighting fixtures can wait until the walls are open and surprises such as termites have shown up. He recommends wood cabinets over thermofoil, which he says peels and blisters at joints, and drawers over doors for storage.

Step 3: Install in this order

  1. Check the room for square.
  2. Electrical, plumbing and drywall.
  3. Prime and paint the first coat before the cabinets go in.
  4. Flooring that is stapled, glued or set in thinset, and vinyl, goes in before the cabinets, so the island matches cabinet height and no quarter round is needed. Laminate goes in after, with a gap and quarter round.
  5. Cabinets.
  6. Countertops and backsplash tile (see Tiling Basics and Caulking and Sealing).
  7. Appliances, sinks, faucets and handles last.

Tile needs 1 1/4 in. of subfloor structure, or Schluter Ditra membrane over 5/8 in. subfloor on 2×10 joists at 16 in. centres, he says. Check your tile and membrane instructions.

Step 4: The sink and faucet

From the Ask This Old House sink swap:

  • Stainless sinks come in 22, 20 and 18 gauge; the lower the number, the heavier the metal. A standard 33 by 22 in. double bowl fits the standard opening.
  • Run a putty knife around the rim of a laminate countertop before lifting the old sink, in case adhesive holds it.
  • Install the faucet on the sink before you set the sink in place.
  • Disposer: roll putty into a snake around the throat, and knock out the dishwasher plug in the disposer inlet first.
  • Compression fittings connect the hot and cold supplies to the shutoff valves.
  • Leave the old two-trap standpipe set-up only if your code requires it; he removed one in Colorado, where it was no longer code.

Step 5: The dishwasher

  • Put a shutoff valve under every fixture, so the faucet or dishwasher can be repaired later.
  • Use a stainless steel braided supply hose. A tailpiece with a top gasket serves when there is no disposal branch.
  • Polarised plug: the smooth side is hot and goes to black, white is neutral, green is ground (This Old House). The Wakefield video: green to green; the other two on the black and light wires in either order, depending on the unit. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • If the dishwasher drains into a disposal, the knockout plug in the disposal inlet must be removed, or it will not drain.
  • Secure the drain hose as high as possible in the cabinet so sink backups don’t flow into the dishwasher, and don’t leave it in a bind.
  • Test the water line before sliding the unit in. After install, run a full cycle and check under the unit for leaks.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Choosing lighting and hardware first.
  • Putting flooring in after cabinets when it needs to run underneath.
  • Running a gas line before the appliances are on site.
  • Skipping the shutoff valve at each fixture.

Put it on the calendar

Keep appliance manuals and the wiring and plumbing sketches you made. We have no sourced maintenance interval for a kitchen as a whole; see the individual videos for each appliance.

See it in the topic pages

Sources

  1. Shown on this site, source of the budget rule, selection order and installation order. Kitchen Renovation Planning: Budget, Buying Order and Install (video, Home RenoVision DIY) Source
  2. Shown on this site, source of the sink and disposer steps. Kitchen Sink and Faucet Swap: Removal, Disposer and Drain Hookup (video, Ask This Old House) Source
  3. Shown on this site, source of the dishwasher hookup. Adding a Dishwasher: Two-Branch Valve, Tailpiece and Plug Wiring (video, Ask This Old House) Source
  4. Shown on this site, source of the dishwasher swap and disposal knockout plug. Replace a Dishwasher: Water, Power, Drain and Leak Test (video, Roger Wakefield Plumbing Education) Source

Watch

The videos and projects this guide mentions.

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