Exciting times

A DIY kitchen flatpack project is exciting. It offers you a wealth of possibilities, creating a space that suits your home or investment property to a tee and there can be lots of money saved too. However, it can save you time and angst to be aware of various dos and don’ts of a DIY flatpack kitchen project as you start on your journey.

Demands & challenges

Every DIY flatpack kitchen will have its own set of demands and challenges, there may be unforeseen issues and demands you weren’t expecting. To try and keep these to an absolute minimum, consider these dos and don’ts as you develop and plan your project.

DO

• Plan carefully. The last thing you want is to rush into a DIY kitchen project.
• Think about every kitchen you have ever owned or stayed in and write down everything you’ve liked (and wanted for yourself) in them. Be clear about what you have not liked and want to avoid.
• Know what you want the kitchen for – cooking, entertaining, socialising, lounging, combined with another living space – and determine your must-have needs.
• Carefully work out measurements in areas involving benchtops, cabinets, island and appliances. Get a second opinion if you’re uncertain.
• Remember that flooring, colour schemes, wall finishes and lighting will be integral to the finished look.

DON’TS

• Avoid putting your fridge and cooking appliances near or next to one another.
• Think of cutting corners by doing the electrical and plumbing work yourself. This must be done by qualified and licensed tradespeople.
• Position your rangehood any closer than 600mm from the top of your hob stove.
• Forget to think about the “kitchen triangle”. This is the space involving food preparation, cooking and cleaning up. Give or take, the space between these areas ought to be no less than one metre and no more than three metres.
• Completely avoid talking to experts or kitchen professionals such as us. We are here to help and it’s more than okay to ask for advice, ask questions and seek guidance. This can be particularly important when determining where to place items when looking at our online templates for an l-shaped kitchen, u-shaped, galley kitchen or straight/studio kitchen.

If you are inspired to create your own DIY flatpack kitchen and want to know how it’s done by the experts, read more at smartpackkit.com.au.