Homeowner reference library
Hacking, plumbing, gas, tiling, electrics and carpentry, wet and dry kitchen both. Rebuilt around how your family cooks.
Discuss your kitchen renovation project →Quick answers for a single decision, practical guides for planning, and detailed references when you need the full picture.
Detailed reference · 8 min read
Choose the exact kitchen appliance models before the cabinets are made. Advertised width alone does not establish the opening, ventilation space or connections each appliance needs. Giving your cabinet maker the installation requirements early helps avoid a fridge that cannot fit, a blocked door or finished joinery that needs to be altered.
Practical guide · 9 min read
Quartz and mineral worktops suit households that want simple cleaning and accept using trivets. Porcelain and sintered surfaces offer options with greater tolerance of hot cookware, while solid surface is worth considering when repairability matters. Granite and marble need different treatment around acidic ingredients; laminate needs particular care at wet seams. Choose the material around the cooking and cleaning you actually do, then check the exact product and finish.
Detailed reference · 9 min read
Both arrangements can reduce cooking smells, but they do different things with the air. A ducted hood carries captured cooking air, odours and moisture outside. A recirculating hood uses an odour filter, usually activated carbon, then returns the air to the kitchen. For frequent frying and lingering steam, we recommend examining a suitable outdoor duct route first; where that route is impractical, choose recirculation with effective, maintainable odour filtration and room ventilation.