7 min readThe New Jersey kitchen above was designed by Lucy O’Brien of Tartan & Toile.
A kitchen renovation brings plenty of highs (hello, new oven!) and lows (unexpected wiring issues). But you can avoid the stress—and the shock of costly setbacks—by creating a thorough checklist before any demolition begins. After all, a kitchen remodel is a major investment and deserves careful planning.
Before diving in, Kerrie Kelly, NKBA national vice chair and creative director at Kerrie Kelly Studio, suggests defining your goals and priorities. Are you aiming for improved function, increased storage, or a fresh new look? Once you’ve established your objectives, you can build a mood board to shape a clear, cohesive design direction that will inform your material and appliance choices. It’s also essential to assemble the right team—whether that includes an architect, interior designer, or contractor—to evaluate what’s possible and map out the budget and timeline.
Once you’ve outlined your vision, move through the following steps to ensure every detail is accounted for. Treat each one as a practical gut check, confirming everything is in order before construction starts. This is your chance to spot flaws in the plan and correct mistakes early—because no one wants to be shouting “Serenity now!” when the new refrigerator can’t make it through the front door.
Ahead, here are the 16 most important things to check before you schedule your kitchen renovation.
Vet Your Vision Board
Mood boards are an excellent way to piece together all your inspiration in one place and ensure the design elements are harmonious. But however pretty that vision may be, it has to make sense from a renovation perspective. “Once the mood board is created, have your contractor and engineer ensure your vision can be achieved structurally and soundly,” says Amanda Leigh, principal of House of Rolison. If you’re working with a designer, they should do this; if you’re guiding the design yourself, you need to. Potential issues, such as not correctly pre-wiring for a specific electrical feature, could end up costing you.
Inspect Your Space
A thorough inspection before demolition helps identify potential challenges. “If you’re working with an older home, assume that something unexpected will arise—building in a contingency budget of 10 to 20 percent can save you stress when surprises pop up,” Kelly says.
Homes built before the 1980s can have asbestos in the walls, popcorn ceilings, pipe insulation, and around the HVAC, and it may be present in the flooring, “especially if there are vinyl tiles,” Leigh says. This is one surprise you don’t want to learn about on demo day. “Best to hire a professional to remove the issue, especially if you are only working with a contracted finish crew,” she adds.
Count the Cooks
Before you order kitchen countertops, consider how many people will be using the space. Then discuss the optimal way to navigate it. Nearly half of the respondents in the NKBA | KBIS 2025 Kitchen Trends Report agree that dream kitchens are defined by layout. “Kitchen designers have evolved beyond the traditional ‘triangle’ layout, which assumes one cook operating at a time,” says Ivana Molzen, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer at NKBA | KBIS. “The modern kitchen has introduced workstations and prioritized workflow, solving for busy households and the kitchen being both a gathering place and a work zone.”
Verify Delivery Timing
Living without a kitchen is no fun, and you don’t want to delay the reno process because you’re waiting on a fridge. Look at all the estimated delivery times for appliances and get a sense of when the cabinets will be completed and ready for installation, advises Cathy Cherry, architect and designer at Purple Cherry Architecture.
Make a Backup Kitchen
A kitchen renovation can take several months, Cherry says. Unless you want to be eating air fryer chicken nuggets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you’ll need a temporary kitchen space with a small fridge, microwave, and perhaps even an electric range. Preparing this nook can save you hundreds of dollars because you won’t have to eat out as often.
Compare Finishes
Unless you’re all about mixing and matching fixture finishes, do the legwork ahead of time. Antique brass and rose gold can vary from brand to brand. “You cannot trust your screen to provide accurate coloration and details,” says Jacksonville, Florida–based designer Troy Spurlin, noting that there are often noticeable differences in tone and texture. To minimize the stress, compare cabinet hardware to plumbing fixtures in person by taking your knobs and pulls to a brand showroom or going to a hardware or construction supply store.
Price Everything Out
As you work on a budget, be honest about how much you will want to spend. Let’s say that a contractor has a line item in the estimate for kitchen island pendants at $300 (at $100 per fixture). But you envision a certain light fixture that costs $350 per fixture. This alone will alter your estimate from your contractor by over $950 for just one line item, Spurlin explains.
No matter how carefully you plan your budget, there is still a very good chance you’ll go over it once construction is underway. The entire project—from the contractor costs to the finishes—should be written out in an Excel spreadsheet so you can stay on track and organized, says Jackie Kosnett, cofounder of Galerie Design + Build.
Think About Wiring
“Getting the lighting right in a kitchen is critical,” says personal tech expert Carley Knobloch. “Using a layered approach to create a warm atmosphere while having task lighting that’s bright enough to see what you’re chopping or sautéeing is crucial.” Plan this and think about whether LED strips under cabinets are an option. We’d also recommend checking that your electrician or contractor is onboard with LEDs and doesn’t put old-school fluorescent strips that buzz under your cabinets.
Homes, especially older homes, are full of surprises, especially when it comes to wiring. “You never know what you may find behind a wall, and the only way to get that knowledge is by exposing it,” Cherry says. “For that reason, when doing a small-scale renovation, it’s easier to work with decorative surface-applied lighting fixtures rather than recessed cans because you don’t have to move a pipe or other elements to install the fixtures.”
Decide on Appliances
Well before the design is finalized, think about what kind of appliances you want. “For instance, a double wall oven, beverage drawers, or an oversize range should be worked into the design on the front end,” says Chelsey Cox, cofounder and interior designer at Chinotto House. A cabinet maker will want all of the selections before they get started.
Knobloch also points out that for things like a dual-fuel range, you need to work out technical specs ASAP. Induction cooktop on your wishlist? Make sure you have enough wattage in your electrical panel to run it and the correct voltage outlet in your kitchen to plug it in.
Consider the Outlets
Unlike a bathroom that only needs one or two outlets, a kitchen is a utilitarian space. Think about strategic placement for outlets, because the ideal spot for phone chargers may be awful for running a blender or connecting a wine refrigerator. “A docking drawer so you can charge things safely out of sight is another product that would be impossible to install later without breaking apart the backs of cabinets to get power in the right spot,” Knobloch adds.
Edit Your Utensils
Do an inventory list of your kitchen supplies with a donations box at the ready. “Pare down duplicates and say goodbye to things you aren’t using so you only design for what you actually need and use,” Cox recommends. “No sense in building and paying for extra cabinets if you don’t need them.”
Anticipate Accidents
Expect some things to go wrong. “Many people have no way of knowing if their fridge or freezer is leaking until water starts flowing out into the kitchen, but by then the floors might be badly damaged,” Knobloch says. “Installing a leak sensor is ideal before they get pushed into place.” Many leak sensors connect to your home’s main water line, so they monitor the entire house for unusual activity. With smart planning, you might also be able to create an access point behind your refrigerator or dishwasher from another room or an adjacent storage cabinet, so if there is a problem, you can reach the waterline behind the units and turn them off quickly.
Designate an Entry Point
The kitchen is often referred to as the “heart of the home,” and this might mean it has many access points—the garage, laundry, pantry, and the yard. Select one entryway for the construction process. “We have found in most kitchen remodels that the clearest, most direct path is through the garage,” Spurlin says. “Take the opportunity to clean out your garage. Often this area becomes a staging area for the contractor, and it allows work to continue on days when the weather is not cooperating.”
Prepare for Dust
The best-case scenario is that you can go on a vacation or move out during a kitchen reno. Of course, that’s not always possible. So think through a plan to avoid all the dust. “Ensure that your contractor has completed all property-protection protocols, including zippered plastic openings for all areas that are not a part of the project,” Spurlin advises. Work on a plan to have the area vacuumed and mopped daily to control the spread. Air purifiers for bedrooms and other family gathering areas are strongly encouraged.
Locate Donation Spots
A complete kitchen overhaul will involve removing all the appliances, cabinets, and countertops, but if they are still functioning, it doesn’t mean you need to put them in the dump. Reach out to donation centers, salvage, and resale stores that take items less than 10 years old (dishwashers generally have to be less than five), Spurlin says. You may also be able to sell them on Facebook Marketplace or have them picked up by your local utility and get a rebate.
Build in Stress Relief
Because kitchens are such a central part of the home, not having one for multiple weeks (or even months) can be a lot. As you go into a kitchen renovation, anticipate that it’s not going to be all smooth sailing. You will need to implement some coping mechanisms—screaming into a pillow when the kitchen cabinets are delayed yet again isn’t going to help you much. “A kitchen reno is stressful,” Cox says. “Learn meditation and relaxation techniques.” The peace you feel in your new kitchen will be well worth it.
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Experienced writer, editor and content creator with a focus on lifestyle, design, travel and wellness, her published work includes The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, CNN Opinion, Real Simple, and Architectural Digest.
