Modular Kitchens — Questions Answered

Carcass, shutters, hinges and channels, handles, a countertop and usually a basic accessory set. Commonly excluded: appliances, chimney, sink and tap, backsplash tiling, electrical points, plumbing modification and loose accessories. The exclusions are where two quotations that look ₹60,000 apart turn out to be identical. Full rates on the Mumbai kitchen cost page.

Carcass board grade, hardware brand and how the area is measured. Some suppliers quote per square foot of shutter, some per running foot, and the two are not directly comparable without knowing the height. Ask every supplier for the same basis: per running foot at a stated height, with board grade and hardware brand named.

Branded systems give you factory-machined panels, consistent tolerance and a warranty from an entity that will exist in five years, at a 25–50% premium over a good local fabricator. A capable local workshop with a panel saw and edge bander can match the quality; the difference is that you are relying on that specific workshop rather than on a system.

Sometimes. If the carcass is BWP, square, and the layout is not changing, replacing shutters, hardware and countertop costs 40–55% of a new kitchen and can be done in two weeks. If the carcass is MR board or the bottom rails have swollen, it is not worth the labour of trying.

BWP plywood to IS:710, without exception, in a Mumbai kitchen. It absorbs 6–9% water against MR ply's 18–25%, which is the difference between a carcass that survives two decades and one whose bottom rails swell in the third monsoon. The premium is ₹38–₹52 per sq ft and it is the last line to cut.

Matte laminate at 1 mm is the most forgiving in daily use — it hides fingerprints, resists heat near the hob and can be cleaned with anything mild. Acrylic looks best and shows every mark. Membrane and PU shutters give a seamless look and are the hardest to repair locally if damaged. See choosing a shutter finish.

Quartz for most Indian kitchens: non-porous, consistent, ₹450–₹1,100 per sq ft, and it does not need sealing. Granite is cheaper and harder but has natural variation and needs sealing. Marble stains and etches from turmeric, lemon and oil within weeks and is a poor choice for a kitchen that cooks Indian food daily.

On every drawer and every shutter, yes. It costs roughly ₹340 per shutter more, it prevents finger injuries, and it eliminates the slamming that loosens a carcass over ten years. It is one of the few upgrades with no counter-argument.

The one the room's plumbing and window position allow. In Mumbai flats that is usually an L or a parallel galley. The working test is the triangle: sink, hob and refrigerator should form a triangle whose sides total 3.6–6.6 m, with no through-traffic crossing it. Full detail in kitchen layouts explained.

850 mm is the Indian default and it suits a user of about 165 cm. The correct height is roughly 150 mm below the primary cook's elbow, which for a 152 cm user is nearer 800 mm and for a 175 cm user nearer 900 mm. A 50 mm error is felt in the lower back within an hour of cooking.

600 mm of clear landing space on at least one side of the hob and one side of the sink, and a continuous preparation run of 900 mm somewhere between the two. A kitchen with 18 running feet of units and no clear 900 mm run is harder to cook in than a smaller one that has it.

Strongly preferable in Mumbai. Indian cooking generates heat, moisture and oil aerosol, and an openable window plus a chimney removes it far better than a chimney alone. Where there is no window, size the chimney generously and add an exhaust fan in the utility to create a path for air to move.

Deep drawers in place of low shutters, a pull-out for bottles and oils beside the hob, a cutlery organiser, and a bin pull-out. Those four are used daily. The corner carousel, the tall pantry pull-out and the plate rack are used by some households constantly and by others never — decide from how you actually cook.

A chimney 60 mm wider than the hob on each side, with suction of 1,000–1,200 m³/hr for a standard Indian kitchen and 1,200–1,500 where frying and tempering are frequent. Duct length matters — every metre and every bend costs suction, so a short straight duct to the outside beats a powerful motor pushing through five metres of bends.

Before joinery fabrication begins, with model numbers rather than categories. Built-in ovens, hobs, dishwashers and refrigerators all have specific cut-out and ventilation clearances. Changing an appliance after the carcass is cut costs ₹15,000–₹60,000 and a week, and it happens on a large share of projects.

Twelve to eighteen, planned against actual appliance positions: chimney, hob ignition, refrigerator, microwave, oven, dishwasher, water purifier, mixer positions with two spare above the counter, and one inside the tall unit. Plan them before tiling. Retrofitting a point into a tiled kitchen means cutting tile.

Six to nine weeks in total: two to three weeks of design and appliance finalisation, three to four weeks of fabrication, and one to two weeks on site for installation, countertop templating and services connection. The countertop alone adds a week because it is templated after the carcass is installed.