You’ve spent hours planning and designing the kitchen of your dreams with the help of a great designer. You’ve seen real-life 3-D images of the kitchen. It’s perfect. The order has been placed. You can almost picture yourself and your family in your custom-designed kitchen.

There’s a bit to do before that really happens, though.

For a new build, it’s easy. If the builder is still on site, you can give him the final kitchen design.  He can then mark where the utilities like water, gas, and power points are meant to be, and organise the wiring and plumbing. He’s working on a clean slate and there’s unlikely to be any surprises.

For those renovating too, the hassle is minimal. Luckily, you’ve chosen a custom-designed kitchen so you will get a lot of support from the kitchen company that can guide you on the best way to get the space ready for a new install.

For instance, at Zesta Kitchens, we have ensured removing the old kitchen is not a hassle for the customer. Our approved installers are also kitchen removalists who will handle the entire job of removing and disposing of the old kitchen in an appropriate and safe way. They have highly trained and experience professionals for each task. So, all that our customers have to do is book in a date for the removal and our installer will take care of the rest.

But first it’s worth figuring out your options with the old kitchen. Two scenarios here:

One: It is a bit dated, but still very functional.

  • Donate it to a charity, community centre or needy family.
  • Sell it through classifieds, second-hand websites (e.g. Gumtree) or through social media. Some specialised websites (e.g. secondhandkitchens.com.au) will also organise removal of the old kitchen and transportation to the new buyer.

Two: it can only be junked. There are a couple of ways to do it based on your inclination and budget.

  • One, outsource it.
    • At Zesta Kitchens, our approved installers are also removalists for the old kitchen. They will remove and dispose the kitchen in an appropriate and safe manner, causing minimal disruption in the home. Here are some advantages:
    • They have licensed plumbers and electricians who will take care of disconnecting utilities and will provide you with a certificate of compliance.
    • Make sure you engage a specialist team that includes licenced plumbers and electricians to disconnect the utilities.
    • They will also have the right tradesperson to remove the old tiles.
    • They will use professional tools that won’t damage your walls and floor.
    • Our installers are fully insured that that gives our customers complete peace of mind.
    • They will take the rubbish with them and will even clean the area after!
    • A big advantage is that you can schedule the removal just before your new kitchen arrives so you don’t have to put up with the inconvenience of being without a kitchen for too long.
  • Two, when licenced professionals have disconnected the gas and water, turn off the power, organise a skip, some basic tools like crowbar, pry bar and hammer and have a go at it yourself. But remember you are not insured and may not have the experience to execute a removal safely. It’s a job best done by professionals.

planning a new kitchen

With the old kitchen out of the way, clean walls and floor, it is time to prepare the space for a new kitchen.

Organise any changes to power, gas and water points

Ideally, get this done before you prep the walls and floor. The kitchen designer will mark the points very precisely on the drawings. Use an experienced and licenced plumber and electrician to ensure that everything is exactly where it is meant to be. Your kitchen company should be able to recommend several tradespeople who have worked with them before.

Don’t forget the electrical points on the ceiling for your light fittings. Make sure you ask for a compliance certificate for the job.

painting kitchen walls

The walls:

  • It is important to align the walls to your new kitchen design.
  • If walls need to be removed, then your removalist or demolition company will organise that once it has been approved by a builder.
  • If new partitions/walls need to be added, this is a good time to organise a builder to install them.
  • If there is no change to existing walls, prep them for the new kitchen.
    • First measure them to make sure the right angles are indeed right angles. If they are not you may need to get a professional to look at it and fix it. Uneven angles will jeopardise the new install.
    • Organise a painter to fill and paint the walls as required by the new kitchen design. Paint the entire space – even what’s going behind the cabinetry. Organise him to come and do a quick touch-up post-installation if there is a need.

The flooring: Treat it the same as the walls

  • Check the levelling and if there’s a problem get a professional to fix it.
  • If a new flooring is to be installed, this is a good time to organise it.
  • If you are going with the old flooring, give it some TLC – polishing, replacing broken bits and making changes to suit the new design. For instance, if you have old floorboards, a professional restorer can make them look good as new.

We have installed thousands of kitchens in Melbourne over the last 50 years and we understand that getting the space ready for a new, custom-designed kitchen is more than just hiring professionals. It is about having the experience to do it safely, without damage to the property and adhering to regulations. Our customers who have used Zesta Kitchen’s installers know that it is well worth the expense and will ensure that the new installation goes off without a hitch.