The kitchen decisions in the order you'll meet them, from what stays to the countertop template, with the questions to ask and what a useful answer includes.
By Clamp ResearchReviewed by Emmanuel ForgePublished Oct 17, 2026Updated Oct 17, 2026
Ask before the work is ordered or covered. A kitchen is decided in four moments: before demo, before rough-in, before the cabinet order and before install. Each question below names its moment. “We'll figure that out later” is the answer that should make you ask again; “we can't know until the wall is open” is often an honest one.
Does the layout put each appliance where it works, for the people who cook here?
Layout: check it with real appliances and real cooks
Ask to review the layout with the actual appliance doors, drawers, seating and walking space, and with how the household cooks. Check where each appliance lands: counter space beside the range and refrigerator, the dishwasher by the sink, the hood over the range. Planning guidelines are a useful reference, but the local code and the appliance specifications decide what is required.
Show a dimensioned layout with the selected appliances' doors and drawers open, the seating and the walkways, and ask how the household cooks. Settle it before rough-in and the cabinet order, whichever comes first.
Before rough-inBefore the cabinet orderGoes on a customer decision
Ask
Be ready to answer
Can we check the layout with the real appliance doors open?
Is there landing space beside the range, refrigerator and oven?
Can people pass through the kitchen while the refrigerator, dishwasher or island drawers are open?
Which clearances are code and which are recommendations?
What does the layout look like with seating in use?
Where does the pantry go: a cabinet, a walk-in or a butler's?
A useful answer includes
A dimensioned plan
Landing areas beside each appliance
The selected appliance specifications
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“The drawing shows enough room.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: The working clearances with real doors and people.
Ask for: A dimensioned plan with the appliances drawn open.
Give instead: The plan with appliance doors, seating and walkways drawn in.
Do the cabinet boxes stay: paint, reface or replace?
Paint, reface or replace: decide the boxes first
Decide whether the cabinet boxes stay before anything is priced: refinish them, reface them with new doors and veneer, modify or replace some boxes, or replace the kitchen outright. The options differ by a lot of money and they lock different things: kept boxes mostly keep the layout. Ask what the boxes are made of and what each option covers: doors, boxes, panels, interiors, hardware.
Open a door and tell the client what the boxes are and whether they are worth keeping. Price refinishing, refacing, selective modification and replacement honestly, say what each covers: doors, boxes, end panels, interiors, hardware, and which keeps the layout. Put the chosen mode in the proposal.
Before signingGoes on the proposal
Ask
Be ready to answer
Are the boxes worth keeping, and what are they made of?
What would refinishing, refacing, selective changes and replacement each cost?
What does each option cover: doors, boxes, panels, interiors, hardware?
What does keeping the boxes lock in?
If we're painting the cabinets, what prep and cabinet coating are specified for doors, boxes and edges?
What are the cabinet bases and toe kicks at the sink and dishwasher made of, and how do they handle a leak?
A useful answer includes
A look inside the boxes
The three options priced
What each option locks
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“Your cabinets have good bones.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: What the boxes are made of and what keeping them rules out.
Ask for: The box assessment and the three options priced.
Give instead: The box material, the three prices, and what keeping the boxes locks in.
What does the island need run to it, and what sits in it?
The island: freeze it before rough-in and the cabinet order
Settle the island before rough-in and the cabinet order: its size, what runs to it, and what sits in it. A sink or cooktop in an island needs plumbing, venting and power routed through the floor or the structure below, outlet requirements for islands depend on the rules adopted where you live, and pendants need boxes placed from the final island position.
Freeze the island early: dimensions, what runs to it and what sits in it. Put the island's plumbing, venting, power and lighting on one plan, set the outlet locations per the adopted code, and get it signed before rough-in and the cabinet release.
Before rough-inBefore the cabinet orderGoes on the design agreement
Ask
Be ready to answer
What size is the island, and what runs to it?
Is there a sink, cooktop or disposal in it?
What outlet provisions do the adopted rules require for this island?
Are the pendants placed from the final island position?
Does an island cooktop need its own venting?
Is the overhang deep enough for comfortable seating, and can someone pass behind occupied stools while others cook?
A useful answer includes
A dimensioned island plan
Its plumbing, venting and power
Outlet and pendant locations
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“The island is pretty standard.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: What runs to it and where the outlets and pendants land.
Ask for: The island's services, outlets and lighting on the plan.
Give instead: A dimensioned island plan with its plumbing, venting, power and lighting.
Where do trash, recycling and the everyday kitchen things live?
Working storage: give the everyday things a home
Decide where the working kitchen lives before the cabinet order: trash and recycling you can reach from the sink, the dishes a step from the dishwasher, cookware by the range, and the cleanup supplies somewhere real. Unload groceries and empty the dishwasher mentally in the new plan. Storage that follows the work beats storage that fills the leftover cabinets.
Place the working storage with the client before the cabinet release: trash and recycling within reach of where the work happens, dishes by the dishwasher, cookware at the range, a cleanup spot. Record the chosen arrangement and any bin sizes and clearances on the cabinet plan; a freestanding bin can serve as well as a pull-out.
Before the cabinet orderGoes on a customer decision
Ask
Be ready to answer
Where do trash and recycling go, and can you reach them from the sink?
Where do dishes land coming out of the dishwasher?
Where do cookware and small appliances live?
Where do cleaning supplies and towels go?
A useful answer includes
The storage homes on the cabinet sheet
The trash and recycling pull-out placed
The unload and cleanup routes walked
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“There's a cabinet for everything.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: Which cabinet, and whether it's where the work happens.
Ask for: Each everyday item's home, named on the plan.
Give instead: Trash, dishes, cookware and supplies each given a home where the work happens.
Which appliance types and sizes, and do their specs match the plan?
Appliance types, sizes and specs: lock them before the cabinet order
Decide the appliance types and sizes before the cabinet order: range width, wall oven or range, counter-depth or standard refrigerator, hood type, and the exact models. Ask whether their electrical, gas, water, ventilation and clearance requirements match the plan, the date the model numbers are needed, who is buying them, and who receives the deliveries.
Get the types and sizes committed before the cabinet order: range width, refrigerator depth, hood type, then the exact models. Check each installation sheet against the plan for power, gas, water, venting and clearances, set the date model numbers are due, and agree who buys, receives and inspects the deliveries.
Before rough-inBefore the cabinet orderGoes on a customer decision
Ask
Be ready to answer
Which appliance types and sizes are we committing to, and who is buying them?
Do their power, gas, water and venting needs match the plan?
When do you need the model numbers?
Who receives the deliveries, and who handles damage?
Are we changing fuel, like gas to induction, and what does that change?
A useful answer includes
Model numbers
Installation sheets
Delivery dates and a receiving plan
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“Any standard-size range will work.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: The model-specific requirements and who buys what.
Ask for: The model numbers and the date they are needed.
Give instead: The date you need models by, and a check of each one against the plan.
What goes in the sink zone besides the sink?
The sink zone: one decision, several trades
Choose the sink area as one decision before rough-in and orders: the sink style and size against its cabinet, the faucet, and which water accessories you want: a disposal, filtered water, instant hot. Each has its own power or water connection, so ask what gets run before the walls and cabinets close. A pot filler is its own supply line at the range, decided with it.
Sell the sink zone as one decision: sink, faucet, disposal, filtration, instant hot, pot filler. Rough each one's power and water before the walls close, confirm the sink against its base cabinet, and put owner-supplied fixtures on the receiving list.
Before rough-inBefore orders are placedGoes on a customer decision
Ask
Be ready to answer
Which sink style and size, and does the cabinet match it?
Disposal, filtered water or instant hot, and what does each connect to?
If you want a pot filler at the range, is its line decided now?
Which of these need power or water run before close?
A useful answer includes
The sink zone list
The base cabinet checked against the sink
Power and water roughed for each extra
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“We'll hook up whatever sink you pick.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: Whether the cabinet, power and water match what you pick.
Ask for: The sink zone decided before rough-in.
Give instead: The sink zone as one list, checked against the cabinet and roughed before close.
If a wall is coming out, what do we know about it first?
The wall: say what you can't know yet
If the layout removes a wall, ask what has been checked about whether it carries load and what runs inside it, and what gets opened or reviewed before anyone commits. A good answer often says a section has to be opened first. Price the layout after that check, not on the assumption that the wall can go.
Say what you have verified, what you are assuming, and what you will open before committing. If the wall may carry load, say what design or review it needs. Price the feasible layouts after the investigation, not an assumed removal.
Before framingGoes on the design agreement
Ask
Be ready to answer
What do we know about this wall's load and what runs inside it?
What has to be opened or checked before we commit?
Does it need an engineered design or temporary support?
What would the findings change, and how would that be priced?
A useful answer includes
The investigation plan
The design or review if the wall carries load
Photos and a release to proceed
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“That wall looks like it can come out.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: The load path, what runs inside it and any temporary support.
Ask for: What gets opened first, and when.
Give instead: What you will open, the date, and what the findings would change.
Can the sink and dishwasher move where we want them?
Moving the sink: say what the route needs
Ask whether the sink and dishwasher can move to the new locations with proper drainage and venting, what has to be opened to confirm the route, and where the shutoffs will be reachable afterward. An island sink is often possible; the drain and vent route decides how much work it is.
Say whether the drain and vent route works for the new location, what you need to open to confirm it, and what it adds. Note where the shutoffs land. If you can't know until the floor or wall is open, say so and price the investigation.
Before rough-inBefore the cabinet orderGoes on the design agreement
Ask
Be ready to answer
Can the sink and dishwasher move to these spots?
What drainage and venting does the new location need?
What has to be opened to confirm the route?
Where will the shutoffs be?
A useful answer includes
The plumbing route
What the investigation found
The relocation scope and price
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“We can move the sink anywhere.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: The drain and vent route and the structure in the way.
Ask for: The route and what must be opened to confirm it.
Give instead: The route, the opening needed to confirm it and the price.
Where will the hood vent, and is the route right for it?
The hood: show the duct route and termination
Ask where the hood exhausts to, whether the duct size and route suit the chosen model, and whether make-up air or combustion-safety work is needed where you live. Reusing an old duct may not work for a new hood. The rules depend on the hood, the house and the local code.
Show the termination, the duct size and route for the selected hood, and whether make-up air or combustion-safety work applies here. If the existing duct can't be inspected before demo, say so and price the check.
Before orders are placedBefore rough-inGoes on the design agreement
Ask
Be ready to answer
Where does the hood exhaust to?
Does the duct route and size suit this model?
Is make-up air or combustion-safety work needed here?
Can the existing duct be reused?
A useful answer includes
The hood's installation sheet
The duct route and termination
The make-up air determination
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“We'll connect it to the existing vent.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: The duct's condition, size and route for the new hood.
Ask for: The duct route and the make-up air answer.
Give instead: The route and termination for the selected hood, and the make-up air answer for here.
Where will the lights, switches and outlets go?
Lighting and outlets: a plan drawn with the cabinets
Ask where task lighting, switches and convenient outlets go, and which circuits the electrician has to provide for the counters, the island and the appliances. Rules for island outlets changed in recent electrical code editions, so ask what applies where you live. Settle it before rough-in and the cabinet order.
Draw the lighting, switch and outlet locations with the cabinets and appliances, and list the circuits the selected appliances need. Say what the adopted electrical code requires at the island. Settle it before rough-in and cabinet finalization.
Before rough-inBefore the cabinet orderGoes on a customer decision
Ask
Be ready to answer
Where will the task lighting go?
Are the counter and island outlets where we'll use them?
Which circuits do the appliances need?
What does the code here require at the island?
How will the kitchen feel lit for cooking, meals and evening, and which layers dim separately?
A useful answer includes
A coordinated electrical plan
A circuit schedule
The lighting selections
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“We'll put the outlets back where they were.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: Whether the old layout suits the new kitchen and the current code.
Ask for: The coordinated electrical plan.
Give instead: An electrical plan drawn on the cabinet layout, with the circuit list.
What stays, and where does demolition stop?
What stays: have it marked before the client asks
Ask which cabinets, floors, appliances, finishes and trim stay, what has to come out intact, and how what stays is protected. A marked demolition plan and a few photos of what is kept settle it. Ask who is responsible if something you are keeping gets damaged during the work.
Bring a marked demo plan and photos of what is retained. If the floor stays, say how it is protected. State who covers damage to kept items. This answer belongs on the proposal as a job condition.
Before demoGoes on the proposal
Ask
Be ready to answer
Which cabinets, appliances, finishes and trim stay?
What has to come out intact?
Where exactly does demolition stop?
Who is responsible if a kept item gets damaged?
A useful answer includes
A marked demolition plan
Photos of retained items
The protection method
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“We're keeping the existing floor.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: The protection, the removals and who covers damage.
Ask for: The marked plan and photos.
Give instead: The marked plan, how kept items are protected, and who covers damage.
What will we cook with while the kitchen is down?
The temporary kitchen: set it up before demo
Agree before demolition where the temporary kitchen goes and who sets it up: which appliances move, who moves them, where they plug in safely, and where you wash up. Ask how long the water, power and range will be out, which weeks are worst, and when the new appliances arrive, so the gap between demo and a working sink stays short.
Propose a temporary setup the site can support and put what is included in the scope: which appliances move and who moves them, the outlet or circuit they run on, the sink the client can use, and the weeks the kitchen is fully out. What the household supplies stays theirs; say so in writing.
Before demoGoes on a customer decision
Ask
Be ready to answer
Where does the temporary kitchen go, and who sets it up?
What's included in the job, and what do we handle ourselves?
How long will the water and power be out, and which weeks are worst?
Where do we wash dishes in the meantime?
A useful answer includes
The temporary setup and who provides what, in the scope
The outage windows
The worst weeks, named in the schedule
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“It'll be livable.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: What livable means: which weeks, which utilities, and where you cook.
Ask for: The outage windows and the temporary setup, agreed before demo.
Give instead: The temporary setup, who provides what, and the outage windows before demo starts.
What becomes final when the cabinet order is released?
Cabinet release: what locks, and who signs
Ask which measurements and selections become final when the cabinet order is placed, whether the fillers, panels, appliance openings and lighting have been checked, and who approves the release. Cabinet orders are often hard to change after they are placed, so this is a decision with a real deadline.
Show the final drawings, the field measurements and the selections, and ask for the release in writing. List what is locked by it. State your change and cancellation terms for the order once.
Before the cabinet orderGoes on a customer decision
Ask
Be ready to answer
Which dimensions and selections are final at release?
Have the fillers, panels and appliance openings been checked?
Who approves the release?
What happens if we want a change after it's ordered?
Which interiors are in the order: pull-outs, drawers, the corner, and which could be retrofit later?
A useful answer includes
Final cabinet drawings
The field-measure record
The selections and release terms
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“We can adjust the details after they arrive.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: Whether the order is complete and what late changes cost.
Ask for: The drawings and the release terms.
Give instead: Final drawings, the field-measure record and a written release.
Which floor material, and what has to happen under it?
The kitchen floor: material and the prep under it
Decide the kitchen floor material before orders: tile, hardwood or a floating floor. Structural suitability and surface flatness are separate checks, and tile needs both, so ask what examination and preparation the price includes. Ask how the finished height meets each adjoining room, whether the appliances still fit under the counters, and what the transitions will look like.
Check the floor before pricing it: structural suitability for tile and flatness for everything, stated separately, with what the price includes. Price the client's material with its prep, name the finished height and transition at each doorway, and get the material committed before orders.
Before orders are placedGoes on a customer decision
Ask
Be ready to answer
Which floor material, and is this floor structurally suited to it?
What examination and prep are included in the price?
What will the finished height be at each doorway, and what do the transitions look like?
Will the appliances still fit under the counters?
Can we see a transition sample before ordering?
Besides tile and wood, which sheet or plank products suit our subfloor, spills and cleaning?
A useful answer includes
The suitability and flatness checks, named
The prep scope in the price
Finished heights and a transition sample
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“We'll make the floor work.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: What the subfloor needs for this material and what that costs.
Ask for: The flatness and stiffness check and the prep price.
Give instead: The material's subfloor requirements, the check, and the prep priced before ordering.
When are the counters measured, and what do we approve first?
Countertop template: say what must be in place
Ask what has to be installed before the fabricator measures, who approves the seams, overhangs and supports, and who confirms the sink and faucet cutouts. Many fabricators require the cabinets permanently installed and the sink and appliances on site for the final measurement. Ask your fabricator's own list.
Give the fabricator's prerequisites, then let the customer approve the seams, overhangs, edge and cutouts before fabrication. Say who reconnects the plumbing after install.
Before orders are placedGoes on a customer decision
Ask
Be ready to answer
What has to be installed before the counters are measured?
Can we see the seams and overhangs before fabrication?
Who confirms the sink and faucet cutouts?
Who reconnects the plumbing after install?
Which edge profile, and where do the seams and any waterfall land?
Where will people lean, sit or pass close, and are the exposed edges comfortable there?
A useful answer includes
The fabricator's checklist
The template with seams and cutouts
The support detail
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“The fabricator will confirm it at template.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: The prerequisites and what the customer approves.
Ask for: The fabricator's checklist and the seam layout.
Give instead: The checklist, then the seams, overhangs and cutouts for approval.
Where does the backsplash stop, and how are the edges finished?
Backsplash: show the end conditions
Ask where the backsplash starts and stops, how it meets the window, the cabinet ends and the outlets, and how any old wall that is exposed gets repaired. These edges are what make a backsplash look finished, and they are easy to decide on a drawing before the tile is ordered.
Draw the backsplash elevations with the start and stop points, the outlet alignment, the window return and the cabinet ends. Say how exposed old wall is repaired.
Before orders are placedGoes on a customer decision
Ask
Be ready to answer
Where does the backsplash start and stop?
How are the outlets and switches lined up?
How are the window and cabinet ends finished?
How is old wall that gets exposed repaired?
Where will the tile pattern start, and how do its joints and cuts line up with the cabinets, counters and outlets?
A useful answer includes
Elevations
A sample layout
The wall-repair limits
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“We'll tile between the counter and upper cabinets.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: The end conditions and the repair limits.
Ask for: The elevations and end details.
Give instead: Elevations with the end conditions and outlet alignment.
Which paint and wall finishes belong in the kitchen, and where does each stop?
Kitchen walls: finishes for heat, grease and wiping
Choose finishes for the kitchen walls that stay visible beyond the backsplash, including paint, wallpaper, wainscot, paneling or an accent treatment. Review where cooking heat, grease, splashes and cleaning reach each surface before choosing a product. Record colors, sheens, surface preparation and stopping points at cabinets, counters, windows and adjoining rooms. Painting the cabinets is a separate decision.
Write the kitchen wall finish schedule: where grease, heat and wiping reach, the product and sheen for those spots and for the rest, any wallpaper or paneling with its stop lines, and the prep. Keep cabinet coatings on the cabinet decision.
Before orders are placedGoes on a customer decision
Ask
Be ready to answer
Where will exposed walls get cooking grease, heat, splashes or frequent wiping?
Which paint products and sheens suit those spots, and what goes elsewhere?
Will we use wallpaper, paneling, wainscot or another treatment, and where does it stop?
What wall preparation does each finish need?
A useful answer includes
A wall-finish schedule with products and sheens
A location and boundary plan
Prep and suitability for cleaning and heat
The answer that should make you ask again
The answer not to give
Example answer“Any good paint works in a kitchen.”
What it leaves unconfirmed: Which product and sheen where grease and wiping happen.
Ask for: The finish schedule for the exposed walls.
Give instead: Products and sheens matched to each wall's exposure, with stop lines and prep.
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Rules on contracts, deposits, permits and building codes vary by state and town. Where an answer depends on where you live, the page says to ask what applies there.