Every check on the sheet
Reproduced in full below. If you are collecting quotations, work through groups two and three first — they decide whether the quotations you receive are even comparable.
1 · The brief
- Number of people cooked for daily, and on a festival day
- Cooking style: how much frying, how much steaming, how much baking
- Who else uses the kitchen — a cook, a parent, a wheelchair user
- Dry and wet grocery volume in kilos, converted into shelf metres
- Decide now whether the kitchen serves the dining or a breakfast counter
2 · Layout and the work triangle
- Layout chosen against the actual room: L, U, parallel or island
- Sink-to-hob run of at least 3 ft of uninterrupted counter
- Hob kept 12 in clear of any side wall or tall unit
- Parallel runs given 3 ft 6 in to 4 ft of aisle, never less
- Fridge door swing checked against the nearest counter or wall
3 · Dimensions
- Counter height set to the cook, usually 33 to 36 in
- Base unit depth 24 in, wall unit depth 12 to 14 in
- Wall unit bottom at 54 to 56 in AFL for an 18 in backsplash
- Tall unit height coordinated with the false ceiling drop
- Toe kick 4 in high and 3 in recessed, ventilated near the sink
4 · Appliances, before the carcass
- Every appliance listed with its actual cut-out dimensions
- Chimney size one step wider than the hob, with duct route confirmed
- Built-in oven or microwave height set between 34 and 54 in
- Dishwasher inlet, drain and 16A point planned into the base run
- Water purifier position with drain, not left to a plumber later
5 · Services
- 16A points counted for hob, chimney, oven, microwave, dishwasher, purifier
- Sockets on the backsplash at 42 in AFL, clear of the chimney
- Sink waste with a deep-seal trap and an accessible clean-out
- Hot water line to the sink if a geyser serves the kitchen
- Gas pipe route and cylinder or PNG meter position agreed
6 · Materials and hardware
- Carcass in BWP ply for the sink and hob bays, MR elsewhere
- Shutter finish chosen on a sample seen in your own kitchen light
- Countertop material and thickness with a 2 in drip lip at the sink
- Hinge, channel and lift-up brand and series named on the quotation
- Soft-close on every drawer, and drawer load rating checked in kilos
- Cutlery, bottle-pull and corner units specified by size, not by name
7 · Finishing
- Backsplash material chosen for cleaning, not only for looks
- Under-cabinet lighting on its own switch
- Skirting, filler and scribe pieces included in the quotation
- Silicone colour and shadow gaps agreed at the edges
- Site measurement repeated after tiling, before manufacture
How to use it
- Answer group one honestly. Cooking style drives everything downstream, and a kitchen designed for the cooking you aspire to does not work for the cooking you do.
- Fix the appliance list before the layout is finalised. Bring the model numbers, not the categories.
- Mark the aisle on your floor with tape and walk it with a full tray before agreeing the plan.
- Repeat the measurement after tiling and before manufacture. This single item prevents the most common site failure.
The three failures it prevents
- A chimney that cannot be ducted. Group four ties the chimney to a duct route and a bend count before the unit is bought.
- An aisle that is 3 ft 2 in instead of 3 ft 6 in. Tile thickness is the usual culprit, and it is only discoverable by re-measuring.
- Sockets behind the chimney. Group five places the backsplash sockets at 42 in and clear of the chimney body.
Download the checklist (PDF) →
Compare rates first on the modular kitchen cost guide or run the kitchen cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly should the final measurement happen?+
After tiling and before manufacture. Wall tile adds 10 to 15 mm per wall, which removes 20 to 30 mm from a parallel aisle and can turn a 3 ft 6 in gap into something you cannot pass with a tray. Measuring on bare brick and manufacturing against it is the single most common cause of site rework.
Do I really need the appliance models before the design?+
Yes, or at least the cut-out dimensions. Indian-market appliances vary by 20 to 40 mm between brands for the same nominal size, and a built-in oven cavity cut 20 mm small is a new tall unit. Our kitchen appliance cut-out sheet lists the standard sizes so you can at least design against a real number.
What counter height should I choose?+
Between 33 and 36 inches, set to whoever cooks most. The rule of thumb is elbow height minus four inches. If two people of very different heights cook, set it to the shorter user and give the taller one a separate prep zone rather than compromising in the middle.
Does the checklist cover open kitchens?+
The dimensional and services groups apply unchanged. What an open kitchen adds is extraction and noise: you need a higher-suction chimney, a quieter dishwasher and a plan for what the counter looks like from the living room. Those are design decisions rather than checks.
How much does a modular kitchen cost in Mumbai in 2026?+
Rs 14,000 to 19,000 per running foot at a core specification, Rs 22,000 to 32,000 at a premium one and Rs 38,000 to 70,000 for a luxury kitchen with imported hardware. Those are base-run rates ex-GST; tall units and wall units are usually priced separately.