Having a kitchen fitted: the order, the connections and who does what

When you buy a new kitchen, you mainly think about the doors, the worktop and the appliances. But the fitting itself is a small renovation in which three or four trades come together: the carpenter or kitchen fitter for the cabinets, the plumber for water, waste and possibly gas, and the electrician for the circuits and connection points. Often a plasterer and a tiler are added to that. The result stands or falls with the order of the work: a connection point that is ten centimetres out of place no longer fits behind the cabinet. This article goes through the steps, explains what you need for induction and the cooker hood, and who is responsible for what.

The order in brief

Although every kitchen is different, in practice the work almost always follows this order:

1. Design and measuring. The kitchen supplier or kitchen maker measures the room and produces the design. Based on that, you should receive an installation drawing showing where the water, waste, electrics and any extraction need to go, with the heights and dimensions.
2. Stripping out the old kitchen. Cabinets, worktop and appliances come out, and often the old tiling too. In an older home an asbestos check belongs at this stage; see further on.
3. Pipework. The plumber lays the pipes for cold and hot water and the waste to the positions on the drawing, and caps off or reroutes any gas pipe.
4. Electrics. The electrician installs the circuits and sockets for the hob, the oven, the dishwasher and the other appliances.
5. Walls and floor. Chases are filled in, the walls are plastered or made flat, and the floor is laid if it needs to run under the kitchen.
6. Fitting. The base units are levelled, the wall units and tall units are hung and the appliances are built in.
7. Worktop. A wooden or composite worktop is often fitted straight away. A stone worktop is as a rule only templated once the base units are in place, and is then made to measure and delivered.
8. Connecting and finishing. The tap, sink, dishwasher and hob are connected, the tiling or splashback is fitted and the joints are sealed.

The rest of this article works through the steps that most often go wrong.

Measuring and the installation drawing

A good kitchen starts with accurate measurements. The supplier often measures twice: once for the design and a second time before the kitchen goes into production, when the room is final. If anything about the room changes in the meantime, such as a wall being moved or a new floor that is thicker than the old one, pass that on. The height of the floor determines the height of the worktop and the space under the plinth.

The installation drawing is the working document for the plumber and the electrician. Check that it shows the exact position of the water connections and the waste, the sockets above the worktop, the connections for the hob, the oven, the dishwasher, the fridge and any extras such as a boiling-water tap, and the position of the cooker hood's ductwork. Make sure the tradespeople work from the latest version of the drawing and keep it at handover.

Water, waste and gas

The plumber runs the pipes to the positions on the drawing. Pay attention to a few points:

• Waste with sufficient fall. A sink or dishwasher that ends up far from the existing waste pipe, such as in a kitchen island, requires a waste pipe with sufficient fall along its entire length. Sometimes the floor has to be opened up for this.
• Connections with isolation valves. Have each water connection fitted with its own isolation valve, so you don't have to shut off the water to the whole house when there is a leak or a tap needs replacing.
• Lead pipes. If an old lead water pipe turns up during the strip-out, have it replaced straight away.

Gas. If you choose electric cooking, the gas pipe to the cooker must be shut off and capped. Have this done by a plumber or installer who works with gas. In the usual interpretation, a gas cooking appliance does not fall under the mandatory CO-vrij certification scheme (carbon-monoxide safety certification), which targets boilers, water heaters and gas fires among other things, but gas pipes must meet the standards and be pressure-tested for leaks. What you may and may not do yourself is explained in May I install a gas pipe or boiler myself?; that article also explains how to have the whole gas connection removed if you are going completely off gas.

In new builds the choice has often already been made. Since 1 July 2018, new-build homes for which an omgevingsvergunning (environmental permit) was applied for from that date onwards in principle no longer get a gas connection; since then, the grid operator in principle no longer has the legal duty to connect new builds to the gas network. Only the municipality can make an exception for compelling reasons of public interest. For a new kitchen, Milieu Centraal (the Dutch independent information centre on energy and the environment) recommends an induction hob, the most economical way of cooking electrically. If you do keep the gas cooker for a while, Milieu Centraal says it is wise to lay an empty conduit straight away for a future induction hob.

Electrics: induction and dedicated circuits

A kitchen is the place in the house with the most heavy-duty appliances. Large appliances such as the hob, the oven, the dishwasher, the washing machine and the tumble dryer should each have their own circuit in the consumer unit. An induction hob requires a lot of power. According to Milieu Centraal, an induction hob needs a special socket for the perilex plug and takes up two circuits in the meter cupboard; for very large hobs a three-phase connection may be needed. A smaller hob with power limiting can sometimes run on a single ordinary circuit.

In many older homes this means the consumer unit has to be extended or replaced, and sometimes that the connection with the grid operator has to be upgraded. That last step can take a long time, so start on it early. What is involved with the consumer unit, what the NEN 1010 standard (the Dutch wiring regulations) requires and how an upgrade works is explained in Replacing or extending the consumer unit. Leave the work in the consumer unit to an electrician; what you may do yourself in terms of electrics is set out in May I do electrical work myself?

Also plan enough sockets above the worktop for small appliances, and think about connections for lighting under the wall units and for the cooker hood.

The cooker hood: ducted outside or recirculation

There are two kinds of cooker hood. An extraction hood blows the air outside through a duct. A recirculation hood draws the air through a filter and blows it back into the kitchen. Milieu Centraal recommends, where possible, a hood that vents outside, because it is much more effective at keeping the air clean. A recirculation hood traps grease and odours, but does not remove moisture.

Which hood suits you depends on the ventilation in your home. Milieu Centraal preferably recommends a cooker hood with its own motor and its own duct to the outside; according to Milieu Centraal, a hood without a motor that is connected to the existing ventilation duct is less suitable, because such a duct usually doesn't extract enough air. In a flat with a central mechanical extraction system whose ducts are shared with other homes, however, Milieu Centraal says you usually need a motorless hood: a hood with a motor can disrupt such a system, leaving neighbours with each other's cooking smells. If in doubt, consult an installer. A powerful hood with a motor also needs a supply of fresh air, for example through a vent or a window left ajar. If there is an open-flued gas appliance in the same room, such as an old water heater, a powerful cooker hood can draw flue gases back in; have this assessed by an installer.

Venting outside usually means a hole in the facade or the roof. In a flat, the facade is as a rule a shared part and you need permission from the VvE (owners' association) for a wall penetration. For a listed building or in a protected townscape or village view, a vent in the front facade may also require a permit.

Walls, floor and the worktop

After the pipework and electrics, the walls are finished. A plasterer fills the chases and makes the walls flat; the kitchen cabinets need to go against a straight wall. The floor deserves a deliberate choice. If the floor runs under the kitchen, it will be easier to replace or change the floor later. With a floating floor, such as laminate or click vinyl, manufacturers often advise against placing heavy fixed cabinets on it, because the floor can then no longer expand and contract; in that case the floor is laid up to the kitchen and the plinth covers the joint. Discuss this with the kitchen fitter and the floor layer.

Wall tiling is usually only applied after the cabinets and the worktop have been fitted, so that it lines up exactly with the worktop. The tiler does need a flat substrate for that.

With a stone worktop, made of natural stone, composite or ceramic, the worktop is as a rule only templated once the base units are in place and levelled. It is then made to measure, including the cut-outs for the sink and hob. This means there is a period between templating and fitting during which you have no permanent worktop. Ask in advance how long that is and whether a temporary worktop will be provided, so that you can use the kitchen in the meantime.

Who does what, and who coordinates?

There are roughly two ways to have a kitchen fitted:

• Through the kitchen supplier. Many suppliers have their own fitting team or work with regular fitters. Often they only take on fitting and connecting to existing connection points, and rerouting pipes, installing new circuits and tiling are a separate order or extra work. Read carefully what is included in the fitting price.
• With separate tradespeople. You buy the kitchen and have a carpenter fit the cabinets, a plumber do the pipework and an electrician the electrics. That gives you more freedom, but then you are the coordinator yourself: you keep track of the order, the drawing and the schedule.

With a larger renovation, for example if a wall is coming out or the kitchen is moving to another room, a contractor can coordinate the whole job. How to plan such a renovation over time is explained in How long does a renovation take?

Pay attention to the warranty when several parties are working. If the waste under the sink leaks, a dispute may arise over whether it is down to the cabinet, the trap or the pipework. The more parties, the greater that chance. Record who carries out which part, take photos of the pipework before it is concealed and keep the installation drawing. What you can generally expect in terms of warranty is explained in Warranty after a renovation.

Deposit, warranty and disputes

With a kitchen you often pay part of the price up front. If you buy a kitchen as a consumer, the seller can require you to pay in advance no more than half of the purchase price (Article 7:26(2) of the Burgerlijk Wetboek, BW, the Dutch Civil Code). How to arrange a deposit safely is explained in Deposits to the contractor.

A kitchen must also conform to the contract: it must have the properties you were entitled to expect on the basis of what was agreed (Article 7:17 BW). That applies regardless of any manufacturer's warranty. If you buy a kitchen as a consumer where installation forms part of the purchase and it is fitted by or under the responsibility of the seller, a defect caused by incorrect installation also counts as a defect of the kitchen itself (Article 7:18a(1) BW).

Many home furnishing shops, including kitchen showrooms, are CBW-erkend (CBW-accredited). That quality mark is only available to shops that are members of the trade association INretail. Subject to conditions, an accredited shop gives at least two years' warranty on what it supplies, has a deposit protection scheme in case of bankruptcy for purchases made in a physical shop, and is affiliated with an independent dispute resolution scheme. For purchases before 2020 that was the Geschillencommissie Wonen (Housing Disputes Committee); for later purchases CBW refers you to the dispute resolution scheme of the UitgesprokenZaak.nl foundation. Not every kitchen shop is accredited; check this in advance on the CBW website.

VAT, asbestos, VvE and renting

VAT. Fitting a kitchen falls under the standard VAT rate of 21%, as does the work of the plumber and the electrician. The reduced rate of 9% only applies, for work on homes, to insulating, painting, plastering and wallpapering homes more than two years old, and to cleaning. So if the plasterer works in the kitchen, their work should be listed separately on the invoice. See 9% or 21% VAT on renovations.

Asbestos. Homes built or renovated before 1994 may contain asbestos in places you come across during a kitchen renovation, such as old sheet flooring or vinyl tiles with an asbestos-containing backing, adhesive under tiles, or board material behind tiling or around an old water heater. Don't demolish anything until it is clear whether asbestos is present. What you need to do is explained in Recognising asbestos when renovating.

VvE. In a flat, the vertical stack pipes for water and waste and any ventilation ducts often run through shared parts. Connecting to those pipes or rerouting them usually requires permission from the VvE; check the splitsingsakte (deed of division) and the regulations. Also think about noise: heavy cabinets against a party wall and demolition work can cause a nuisance, and many regulations set rules on working hours. More in Renovating in a VvE flat.

Renting. If, as a tenant, you want to have a new kitchen fitted yourself, first ask the landlord for permission in writing; this is as a rule required for changes that you cannot easily undo at the end of the tenancy (Article 7:215 BW). If the landlord replaces an old kitchen with a better one as an improvement, they may propose a reasonable rent increase (Article 7:255 BW); that does not apply to repairing a defect. Make sure you are properly informed about this in advance.

Planning and the quote

The lead time for a kitchen consists of two parts: the delivery time of the kitchen and the work in the house. Delivery times vary greatly by supplier and type of kitchen; ask about it when you order and have the delivery date recorded. Schedule the pipework and electrics so that they are finished before the kitchen is delivered, and allow for the period between templating and fitting a stone worktop. In the meantime, set up a makeshift kitchen, for example with a portable hob and a temporary tap.

A good quote, from the supplier or from the separate tradespeople, states:

• what is being supplied: cabinets, doors, worktop, sink, tap and appliances, with brand and model;
• what is included in the fitting, and what is not: strip-out, disposal of the old kitchen, pipework, electrics, plastering, tiling and sealing;
• the installation drawing and who installs the connection points;
• how extra work is charged, for example if an extra circuit or a longer waste pipe turns out to be needed;
• the worktop: material, the moment of templating and the delivery time;
• the payment arrangements, the deposit and the warranty conditions;
• the delivery date and the fitting schedule.

How to compare quotes side by side is explained in Comparing quotes: how to read a building quote, and how to deal with extra work in Extra work during a renovation.

In short: start with an installation drawing, let the plumber and the electrician do their work first, arrange a circuit for induction in good time, choose a cooker hood that vents outside where possible, and agree clearly who does what and who carries the warranty. On VerbouwPro you can post your job free of charge, and carpenters, plumbers and electricians from your area will respond.