There are plenty of decisions you need to make when tackling kitchen renovations. Before you make any of them, you need to have the proper information at hand though. When it comes to transforming your kitchen, it all starts with a few measurements.
Measurements
Before you begin any kitchen renovations, you need to know several measurements. For starters, you need to know the size of the room. This is helpful to gauge how much can go into the room; cabinets, appliances, peninsula/island, table and chairs, etc. Ultimately, that initial number limits the scope of work, but it also provides you with a great starting point to plan out what to tackle.
What else do you need to measure? Everything! Whatever you would like to include in your kitchen design plan needs to be measured.
What to Measure
Appliances – Measure height, width, and depth. Don’t forget to incorporate measurements that include the opening and closing of doors too. You don’t want to have a stove, but not be able to open the oven door all the way. Or a fridge door that doesn’t fully extend because of cabinet proximity.
Windows – You want to know the width and height of your windows, but also note where your windows fall on the wall. Do you have to worry about window height for counters, cabinets, or built-in seating areas? Grab your tape measure, so you know.
Doorways – Like windows, doorways affect what you put by them. If they have doors, you have to account for the swing of the door and whether they swing into or out of the room.
Cabinets – If you are undertaking refacing, you need to know the measurements of your existing kitchen cabinets, so that the new cabinets will fit on your current boxes.
Hardware – If you just want to replace hardware on cabinets, you need to measure the existing holes for the old hardware. Knobs are easy enough to replace, but handles that incorporate more than one hole, need to be measured to ensure your new hardware matches.
Countertops – It should go without saying that your countertops need to be measured as well. Don’t forget to include the depth of countertop, as well and note whether or not the existing counter extends up the wall. Older counters sometimes including a short backsplash. If your new counters don’t include that, you may have to do some repairs.
Kitchen Island – If you plan to include a kitchen island, your measurements need to include height, width, and depth, but also the distance from existing counters. You need a minimum distance of 42″ – 48″ around an island to ensure sufficient work space and walking room.
If you are using a kitchen contractor, most of these measurements will be done by them. They are the experts and know how much space is needed between a hood and your stove, to calculate exactly how much tile is needed for a backsplash, keeping in mind space for grout, and whether or not a shelf makes more sense than a cabinet in certain spaces. We always have a tape measure handy and live by the cardinal rule—measure twice, cut once. You just might see us measure once, twice, or a hundred times over before the job is complete. It is the first tool to come out and the last one put away.
Keep in mind though, that if space in your kitchen doesn’t add up, there’s always the option of tearing down walls to add numbers to your room. Keep that tape measure handy! Your refacing job could turn into a full scale remodel! Let’s measure to see if that would work…