The kitchen cabinet planning service that is best will be from an independent supplier. Many staff in large retail outlets are only interested in planning your kitchen if they believe you are ready to purchase straight away. Primarily, this is because they are under substantial pressure to sell and have large sales targets to achieve. As a result they want to plan your kitchen as quickly as possible so they can then move on to the next waiting customer.

If you have only architects plans its best to say the project has been started, and you will need the kitchen in around 6 to 8 weeks time even if you are waiting for planning permission, and the project is not due for some time.

Planning your kitchen properly should involve more than a conversation where you are asked if you have your measurements, and straight away you are taken to a computer to have a plan produced. The proper process involves discussing what you need and how you want to live in your kitchen.

Most people get a new kitchen when they move home. The boxes are emptied into the kitchen cabinets very quickly (after a good clean) and then the contents stay there, in the same place,until the kitchen is refurbished or they move. In this instance the kitchen trains you as to where things are. If you stop and think about the design of your ow kitchen you might well ask are the cups and kettle near each other and the tea? Are the saucepans tinned food and pasta near the cooker? Is everything honestly in the best place? The answer more often than not is no.

You should split a ktchen into various zones to make it work properly, then you have a cooking zone, preperation zone, cleaning zone storage zone for consumables and a family area for eating, entertaining or just chatting.

To help you with the zones you need to think about how you are going to use your kitchen.Is it a space where children play and do homework, or is it a social area where you entertain? Do you love cooking? Are there things in your kitchen that you love? Are there things there that you hate? Have you got a utility room?

Appliances - what cooking space do you need? How much fridge space would be best for you? Do you need a dishwasher?

Drawers are great cabinet space that pull out without the need to bend into a cupboard . Have many do you have? is that enough?

You should do this homework before you go looking at kitchen styles so that you and the designer can understand how this will all fit together to create a safe practical and attractive kitchen. The designer should understand what you want and need as well as the rules for gas, part P (Electrical rules) and plumbing. He should also understand the working triangle (the distance between the fridge, sink and cooker) and be able to adjust his designs so that it is attractive, practical, on budget and most importantly a kitchen design you are happy with.

Always insist on a company measuring your kitchen as the measurement will then become the companies responsibility rather than yours. They are usually more than willing to do this as a high proportion of mistakes are generated from incorrect measurements. Installing kitchen furniture causes problems that often start with poor planning.

You should visit at least two companies requesting a plan inthe hope you get new ideas and also you get a benchmark on price. Do not let the designer do all the work; remember it is your kitchen so the design should be a partnership.

At the planning stage never get carried away and place an order. Check the design very carefully, look at every component and check that you understand what it is for. Any mistakes now are very easy to solve but can become giant problems when the kitchen cabinets are installed. If things are going to go wrong, normally this is where it starts. See our plan checking service in Problems Resolved.