Design and layout
Kitchen design and planning
Kitchen design and planning is the work of turning a measured room into a layout that works: choosing the shape of the kitchen, placing the sink, hob, fridge and storage, and fixing where sockets, lights, plumbing and extraction need to go. It ends with a plan and specification you can order and fit from. Design is included when we supply the kitchen, and priced separately otherwise.
When do you need kitchen design and planning?
Many kitchen problems start at the planning stage: a dishwasher door that blocks a drawer, a hob with no landing space beside it, a fridge door hinged the wrong way or a socket hidden behind a tall unit. These are cheap to fix on paper and costly once units are fixed and tiled. A careful plan also shows early on whether the room can take an island, whether the sink needs to move and what that will involve.
Design starts with a measured survey of the room, including wall lengths, ceiling height, window and door positions, radiators and the location of water, waste, gas and power. We then draw a layout, talk it through with you and adjust it until it suits the way you cook and live. For a kitchen we supply, design is included in the price. For a kitchen bought elsewhere, the measured plan is a priced service.
What is included?
- Measured survey of walls, windows, doors, ceiling height and floor levels
- Positions of water, waste, gas, power and radiators recorded on the plan
- Layout options such as galley, L-shaped, U-shaped, island or peninsula
- Working zones planned for preparation, cooking, washing and storage
- Appliance positions, housings and ventilation gaps checked against real sizes
- Socket, switch, lighting and extraction positions marked for the electrician
- Elevations and 3D views for larger or open-plan kitchens where chosen
- A final plan and specification to order from and fit to
How much does kitchen design and planning cost?
These are national guide prices including VAT at 20%. Prices are higher in London and the South East and lower in much of the North, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Choose your area below for a local range.
| Typical project | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Design for a kitchen we supplyMeasured survey, layout plan and specification are part of the supply-and-fit price | Included |
| Measured drawings and layout plan for a kitchen bought elsewhereMeasured drawing, layout and service positions for your fitter and supplier | £300–£900 |
| Detailed design with 3D views and elevationsFor larger or open-plan kitchens | £600–£1,500 |
Design is included in the supply-and-fit price; for kitchens bought elsewhere, the guide prices cover the measured survey, layout drawing and service positions, with 3D views and elevations in the detailed option. The survey visit to quote is free; the fee covers the measured drawings and layout plan you can take to any supplier. Your price is confirmed after a free survey visit.
How long does it take?
Typical timescale: 1 to 3 weeks from survey to final plan. The programme for your kitchen is set out in the quote, and depends on the size of the room, what is moving, lead times for units and worktops and, after plastering, drying time.
Do you need permission or building regulations approval?
The rules differ across the UK. Choose your nation:
Designing and fitting a kitchen needs no planning permission in England, but a good plan allows for the rules that follow. New circuits are notifiable under Part P, a cooker hood extracting outside should achieve about 30 litres per second under Approved Document F, and removing a load-bearing wall needs a structural engineer and building control approval. Listed buildings and flats may need consent before a new outside vent is cut.
In Wales, a new kitchen layout needs no planning permission (a listed building may need listed building consent), but the electrical layout matters: extending an existing circuit within a kitchen is notifiable under Part P, as are new circuits, so new socket positions are certified through a competent person scheme or building control. Extraction should meet Approved Document F, and structural openings need building control approval.
In Scotland, designing and fitting a kitchen does not normally need a building warrant, but removing a load-bearing wall or altering drainage needs one before work starts. Electrical positions must meet the building standards and BS 7671, and extract ventilation should meet standard 3.14 of the domestic Technical Handbook. Listed buildings may need listed building consent, so check with your local authority if your home is listed.
In Northern Ireland, a new kitchen layout needs no planning permission, but structural changes and new drainage connections go to council building control. Domestic electrics have no notification scheme, though socket and circuit positions should be designed, installed and tested to BS 7671. Technical Booklet K covers ventilation, and moving a gas hob means new pipework by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
What should you think about before starting?
- Leave clear walkways; common guidance is around a metre between facing runs or around an island, and more if two people cook together.
- Keep the sink, hob and fridge reasonably close; the classic work triangle is a useful check, not a rule every kitchen must follow.
- Plan landing space either side of the hob and next to the oven and fridge, so hot pans and shopping always have somewhere to go.
- Mark radiators, the boiler, stopcock and meters on the plan early, as moving them adds cost and changes what can go where.
- Work out the route for cooker hood ducting to an outside wall before fixing the hob position, as long or bent runs reduce extraction.
- Base units are typically 600 mm deep with a worktop height of around 900 mm; taller or shorter cooks may want this adjusted.
How does the project run?
- Guide price. Use the online guide-price tool or call us for a realistic range for your area
- Free survey visit. We measure the room, check walls, floors and service positions, and look at the plan or delivery
- Itemised written quote. Broken down by stage and trade, with any worktop templating, engineer or approval costs listed
- Fitting in the right order. Strip-out, first fix, units, worktops, second fix and finishing, with the trades booked in sequence
- Final check and handover. A walk-round together, certificates for electrics and gas, and the manufacturers' documents
Questions about kitchen design and planning
How much does kitchen design cost?
Design is included when we supply and fit the kitchen. If you are buying the kitchen elsewhere, a measured survey and layout plan is typically £300 to £900 including VAT, and a detailed design with 3D views and elevations for a larger or open-plan kitchen £600 to £1,500. Each gives your supplier and fitter accurate measurements and service positions to work from.
Which kitchen layout suits my room?
It depends mainly on the shape of the room, where the doors and windows sit and how many people cook. Narrow rooms suit a galley, rooms with a corner suit an L-shape, and wider rooms can take a U-shape. An island needs space for walkways of around a metre on each side, and a peninsula gives similar worktop space where an island will not fit.
What is the kitchen work triangle?
The work triangle is a planning idea that links the sink, hob and fridge, keeping each within a short, unobstructed walk of the others so cooking takes fewer steps. It is still a useful check, but many kitchens are now planned in zones for preparation, cooking, washing and storage, which suits larger and open-plan rooms where more than one person uses the space.
What are the standard sizes of kitchen units and worktops?
Base units are typically 600 mm deep, with worktops around 900 mm from the floor, though the plinth height can raise or lower this slightly. Unit widths come in standard steps, commonly from 150 mm up to 1,000 mm, and wall units are shallower, often around 300 to 350 mm deep. A plan built on real measurements uses filler panels to take up any leftover space.
Can you design a kitchen I will buy from someone else?
Yes. We carry out a measured survey and produce a layout plan with service positions, which you can take to any supplier and fitter. It is a priced service, typically £300 to £900 including VAT, because the plan is drawn from accurate measurements rather than estimates. If you later ask us to supply and fit the kitchen, the plan can be the starting point for that design.
How long does kitchen design take?
Usually one to three weeks from the survey to a final plan, depending on how many layout options you want to compare and how quickly choices about doors, worktops and appliances are made. A replacement in the same layout can be settled quickly, while an open-plan room with an island or moved services often takes a few rounds of changes.
Related guides
- How much does a new kitchen cost in the UK?
- How do you plan a kitchen layout that works?
- How much space and planning does a kitchen island need?
- Buying a kitchen yourself: what should you check before ordering?
Related kitchen services
Where do we carry out kitchen design and planning?
We take on kitchen design and planning across England, Wales, mainland Scotland and Northern Ireland. Choose your area for local guide prices and the rules that apply there.
England
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- County Durham
- the East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- the Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- the West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire