Kitchen Measurement Guide
How to Measure Your Kitchen, Bathroom, and Closets for New Cabinets
Step 1: Measurements Needed
You will want to measure the total length of the walls the cabinets are to be installed on. Write these measurements down and draw them to scale (recommended) on your graph paper.
Measure the total length of each wall…do not deduct for appliances, fixtures or windows. These items get measured separately in the next steps. For this step you’ll only need the total length of the walls.
Step 2: Measuring Placement of Appliances and Windows
Do you have any windows along any wall that cabinets are being installed on? If so, you will need to measure the placement of those windows.
For windows, you will need to take 3 measurements: Left wall edge to left edge of window casing, right wall edge to right edge of window casing, and the width of the window casing. These three measurements should be equal to the total wall length you recorded in step 1.
If you have an appliance or fixture that cannot be moved, you will want to measure it the same way as you did the windows. If the exact location of the appliance can be shifted slightly (a few inches to the left or right) you can measure the location of the electrical outlet/gas hookup and show that on your layout drawing.
Step 3: Measuring Location of Fixtures
You will want to ensure to include the locations of every electrical outlet (those that occur on backsplash areas AND those that are utilized by appliances, lighting, etc.). Measuring the approximate heights of these outlets from the ground is ideal to include as well.
If you have a fixture, such as a faucet and sink, that needs to be placed in a specific location (such as centered in front of a window) you will need to specify that on your plans and include the measurements of existing/proposed plumbing from each wall.
Step 4: Final Measurements
Your last step is to ensure you know the ceiling height of the design space.
Measure from floor to ceiling and record that height. If your wall/upper cabinets are going to the ceiling you will want to measure the floor-to-ceiling height at each corner of the kitchen and in the center of each wall. This will give you/us the lowest ceiling height in your space and will help us determine what height wall cabinets can be used in your new space.
If your kitchen has soffits over the wall cabinets (as shown in this picture) your “ceiling” height becomes the height from floor to the bottom of the soffit.
If you have taken all of these measurements and still don’t feel comfortable designing your space and picking out the cabinets and accessories you need feel free to use our design service ($100 fee, refunded when you purchase your cabinets). Our designers are experienced and will go above and beyond to help make your dream kitchen a reality. Take me to the Design Center.
If you are one of those confident DIYers, or an experienced professional, go ahead and start browsing our cabinet lines. Let us know if you have any questions. We’re happy to help…and remember, our end goal is to see you through this journey and admire the end results of your hard work.
