Before beginning construction work, take time to consider your overall goals, devise an efficient layout for your kitchen work zone, and determine a budget for your project.
Whether you’ll be hiring a pro for your kitchen renovation or doing the work yourself, this handy checklist can help you keep track of all the details. Answer as many questions as you can before meeting with a designer or architect, then take this checklist with you. Thinking about your needs and goals in advance can help you make the best use of your meeting time and set up your remodeling project for success.
Take time to think about what works in your current kitchen—and what doesn’t—to help you design a space that suits your lifestyle.
What do you love about your current kitchen?
What would you most like to change?
Describe your dream kitchen:
What type of feeling would you like your new kitchen to have?
What colors do you like?
How do you describe your decorating style?
Do you want to include multiple workstations?
Do you want your kitchen to be open to the family room or other living spaces?
Number and age of household members:
Number and age of cooks:
Does anyone using the kitchen have any physical limitations? Please explain.
How many times per month do you entertain?
Do you host large events or small gatherings?
How long do you intend to live in your current home?
Determine what activities you’ll do in your kitchen and where these activities will take place. Take an inventory of everything you want to store in your new space, and consider where these items will be used.
Cooking |
Yes |
No |
Light cooking (fast meals, easy preparation) |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Family cooking (large meals, partially from scratch) |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Gourmet cooking |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Baking |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Entertaining (serving outside the kitchen) |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Cooking parties as entertaining |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Dining |
Yes |
No |
Informal dining for fewer than six |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Informal dining for six or more |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Formal dining |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Other Kitchen Activites |
Yes |
No |
Office/computer work |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Crafts |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Sewing |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Homework |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Games |
⬜ |
⬜ |
TV viewing (in kitchen or from kitchen area) |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Laundry: machine-wash, hand-wash, air-dry, sort/fold |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Talking on the phone |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Listening to music |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Displaying collections |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Growing herbs/plants |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Food/Beverages |
Yes |
No |
Staples, canned goods |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Fruits, vegetables |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Spices, oils, vinegars |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Coffee, espresso, tea |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Wine |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Other:
Cookware |
Yes |
No |
Bakeware |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Pots and pans |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Measuring cups, spoons |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Specialty utensils, such as funnels |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Cookbooks, recipes |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Small appliances |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Other:
Dishes/Serving |
Yes |
No |
Everyday dinnerware, glassware |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Table linens, napkins |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Special-occasion dinnerware, glassware |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Flatware |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Serving pieces (platters, tureens, pitchers) |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Other:
Other |
Yes |
No |
Paper goods |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Food storage containers/wraps |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Pet food and supplies |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Cleaning products |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Base Cabinets |
Yes |
No |
Full-extension sliding shelves |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Hinged swing-out wire shelf units (for blind corners) |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Lazy Susan systems (for corner cabinets) |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Door-mount racks for food pantry |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Slide-out racks/bins for trash and recycling |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Dedicated racks for pots and pans, with lid dividers |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Controlled-close drawer systems |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Deep drawers with pegs |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Wall Cabinets |
Yes |
No |
Pull-down overhead shelf systems |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Flip-down cookbook shelf, mounted to underside |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Miscellaneous |
Yes |
No |
Backsplash rack system for utensils and spices |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Ceiling-mount pot rack |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Cabinet for TV |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Other:
Now that you’ve thought about how you’ll use your new kitchen,consider its physical properties. Go through the following checklists and think about the elements you want to change and/or include. Your designer can help you assess what elements will fit into your space.
Room Size |
Existing Kitchen |
New Kitchen |
|---|---|---|
North wall |
|
|
East wall |
|
|
South wall |
|
|
West wall |
|
|
Total square feet |
|
|
Ceiling height |
|
|
⬜ Traditional
⬜ Contemporary
⬜ Transitional
⬜ Cottage
⬜ Period look (specify)
⬜ Wood Species Finish
⬜ Laminate or vinyl thermal overlay
⬜ Metal
Full overlay Partial overlay Inset
Yes |
No |
|
Multiple finishes |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Cabinet hardware |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Island |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Matching range hood |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Matching appliance panels |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Surfaces |
Backsplash |
Countertop |
Ceramic tile |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Concrete |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Laminate |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Quartz-surfacing (engineered stone) |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Solid-surfacing |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Stainless steel |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Stone |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Wood |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Other:
Flooring |
Yes |
No |
Where? |
Bamboo |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Carpet |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Ceramic tile |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Concrete |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Cork |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Laminate |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Linoleum |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Porcelain tile |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Vinyl sheet |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Vinyl tile |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Wood (solid) |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Wood (engineered) |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Stone |
⬜ |
⬜ |
|
Other:
Sink 1 |
Sink 2 |
|---|---|
Material |
Material |
⬜ Acrylic |
⬜ Acrylic |
⬜ Cast iron |
⬜ Cast iron |
⬜ Composite |
⬜ Composite |
⬜ Enameled steel |
⬜ Enameled steel |
⬜ Solid-surfacing |
⬜ Solid-surfacing |
⬜ Stainless steel |
⬜ Stainless steel |
⬜ Stone |
⬜ Stone |
Configuration: |
Configuration: |
⬜ Single-basin |
⬜ Single-basin |
⬜ Double-basin |
⬜ Double-basin |
⬜ Triple-basin |
⬜ Triple-basin |
⬜ Apron-front |
⬜ Apron-front |
⬜ Prep sink |
⬜ Prep sink |
Other: |
Other: |
Fixtures: |
Fixtures: |
⬜ Single-handle faucet |
⬜ Single-handle faucet |
⬜ Bridge faucet |
⬜ Bridge faucet |
⬜ High-arc faucet |
⬜ High-arc faucet |
⬜ Pullout faucet |
⬜ Pullout faucet |
⬜ Pot-filler faucet |
⬜ Pot-filler faucet |
⬜ Wall-mount faucet |
⬜ Wall-mount faucet |
⬜ Built-in water filter |
⬜ Built-in water filter |
⬜ Built-in soap/lotion dispenser |
⬜ Built-in soap/lotion dispenser |
⬜ Food waste disposer |
⬜ Food waste disposer |
Ventilation and Lighting |
Yes |
No |
Chimney hood |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Custom insert |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Downdraft |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Island hood |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Microwave/hood combination |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Undercabinet hood |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Pendant lights |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Recessed lighting |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Skylight |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Task lighting |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Accent lighting |
⬜ |
⬜ |
Other:
⬜ Conventional oven |
Qty: |
⬜ Convection oven |
Qty: |
⬜ Microwave oven |
Qty: |
⬜ Steam oven |
|
⬜ Cooktop |
|
⬜ Freestanding range |
|
⬜ Slide-in range |
|
⬜ Warming drawer |
|
⬜ Refrigerator |
Qty: |
⬜ Freezer |
Qty: |
⬜ Refrigerator drawer |
Qty: |
⬜ Wine cooler |
|
⬜ Under-counter refrigerator |
|
⬜ Dishwasher |
Qty: |
⬜ Dishwasher drawers |
Qty: |
⬜ Clothes washer |
|
⬜ Clothes dryer |
|
⬜ Washer-dryer combination |
⬜ Blender
⬜ Bread machine
⬜ Coffee grinder
⬜ Coffeemaker
⬜ Electric frying pan
⬜ Electric griddle
⬜ Electric toaster
⬜ Electric wok
⬜ Espresso/cappuccino machine
⬜ Food dehydrator
⬜ Food processor
⬜ Hand mixer
⬜ Ice cream/sorbet maker
⬜ Indoor grill
⬜ Juicer
⬜ Pasta machine
⬜ Popcorn popper
⬜ Rice cooker
⬜ Slow cooker
⬜ Stand mixer
⬜ Toaster
⬜ Toaster oven
Set up a budget for your remodeling project before any work begins, and take time to carefully consider how best to pay for the work.
Budget Planning |
Yes |
No |
I plan to hire a contractor for all the work. |
⬜ |
⬜ |
I plan to do some of the work myself. |
⬜ |
⬜ |
I plan to do the decor, paint, etc. myself. |
⬜ |
⬜ |
I plan to do all the work at once. |
⬜ |
⬜ |
I plan to do the work and replace items in stages. |
⬜ |
⬜ |
This is the realistic total I hope to spend: $
This is the absolute most I can spend: $
⬜ All cash/savings $
⬜ Home-equity loan/line of credit $
⬜ Pay cash %, Borrow %