Kitchen cabinetry is more than placing boxes to a drawing. Base units are levelled across an uneven floor, wall cabinets are fixed into adequate structure, and doors, drawers, and the hood are adjusted so they operate without collision. Service openings and appliance spaces must also agree with the plumbing, electrical, gas, and ventilation already on site.
When this work is needed
Use it for a new sink run, wall cabinets, tall appliance units, or an island. Compare the final cabinet drawing with actual water, waste, socket, gas, and hood-duct positions before manufacture. A mismatch can force rough holes through new cabinets or require a unit to be remade.
Decide before manufacture
Set every appliance and service position alongside the storage layout.
- Layout and finished height of base, wall, tall, and island units
- Actual sink, hob, hood, dishwasher, refrigerator, and other built-in appliance models
- Water, waste, sockets, gas, and hood-duct positions and the cabinet openings they require
- Wall-cabinet fixing, support beneath island overhangs, and door and drawer directions
Check in the quote
Confirm site adjustment and service preparation, not only the number of cabinets.
- Are final measurement, drawing sign-off, and the limits of site cutting included?
- Are structural grounds or anchors for wall cabinets and base-unit levelling included?
- Are door and drawer adjustment and hood body and duct connection included?
- Are wet-area sealing, internal cleanup, and protection before countertop work included?
If you have the kitchen drawing, appliance list, and installation quote, I can help check that cabinets and services agree and identify missing work.
What to check on site
Start with the exposed services and finish by operating every moving part.
- Base and Wall Cabinet Layout Complete
Compare the drawing with the actual wall and service points. Level the base run from the highest part of the floor, and fix wall cabinets into structure capable of carrying a fully loaded cabinet. - Doors, Drawers, and Hood Assembly Complete
Fit doors and drawers, align the gaps into continuous lines, and check that adjacent fronts do not strike each other. Secure the hood duct and run the hood to confirm that air is actually discharged rather than leaking into the cabinet. - Silicone, Finish, and Inspection Complete
Seal the wall junction against water and check support beneath any island overhang. Remove protective films, inspect for scratches and loose fixings, and vacuum sawdust and metal swarf from every cabinet.
Where problems usually start
- Wall cabinets with weak support Short fixings or anchors placed only in plasterboard may fail after plates and cookware load the cabinet.
- A stepped top and drifting drawers An unlevel base run transfers the same step into the countertop and lets drawers roll open or lean to one side.
- Cooking odours returning A loose or unsealed hood-duct joint spills exhaust into the upper cabinet and back into the kitchen.
- Water entering behind the counter A break in the wall-junction seal lets sink water reach the cabinet backs, where boards can swell and mould can develop.
Door gaps are easy to see, but wall fixings and hood joints are hidden inside the units. Open the cabinets and inspect those points before anything is stored.
Retain the final drawing and appliance models, service positions, wall fixings, base-level readings, hood connection, and completed door and drawer alignment.
Timing and records
Allow about 16 to 24 hours with two installers. Do not assume cabinetry, countertop, sink, and appliance connections can all be completed and inspected in one uninterrupted visit.
Keep the cabinet drawing, board and hardware details, service locations, fixing and level photographs, front alignment, and hood test record for later adjustment and parts replacement.
The cabinets receive plumbing and electrical positions, then provide the level support for the countertop and sink work that follows.