The thought of planning a new kitchen can be off-putting for a lot of people, but if the correct planning sequence is employed, it can be exciting and a fun exprerience as your plans all come together.

In many UK homes, it's common for the kitchen to be the 'heart' of the house or flat, so careful planning at the outset will pay dividends when it comes to fitting everything you need into the space available.

Here are some handy hints which may look obvious, but which are often overlooked at the beginning of a new kitchen project and which can prove costly to overcome halfway through:

• Allow for enough space for everything including the doors, cupboards and windows to open.
• If you're planning to replace an outdated kitchen  but don't intend to change the basic layout, try and retain the cabinet carcasses and replace the original items with new cupboard doors, sink, appliances, lighting, tiling and flooring. It could save a lot of time and money.
• Consider how space-saving storage areas can be built into your new kitchen, with shelving, niches, under/over storage or cupboards and fridge/freezers fitted into stud walling.
• Very high ceilings in relation to the floor area can give the feeling of being in a tall box. A lower false ceiling with subtle lighting fitted, can make the whole room feel much more inviting and cosy.
• If you have an existing good quality kitchen cabinets in good condition, but looking dated, perhaps a change of appliances, could be the answer, new taps, tiling, lighting and flooring can make a tired but sound kitchen, look like it's brand new.
• It is essential the adequate ventilation is installed normally using an extractor fan system.

• Make sure your ventilation system is adequate for the size of your kitchen. Ventilation systems have to be capable of performing a specific number of air-changes within an hour. Twenty air-changes per hour for a kitchen are the standard. Calculating the cubic volumn of your kitchen (height x width x length) will enable you to choose the ventilation system correctly.

Decorating & Fixtures & Fittings

• The modern choice nowadays is to use neutral colour schemes, thus making the updating of a kitchen easier.
• Tiling in a kitchen offers an attractive, durable, easy to clean and maintain surface. Whether it's just a simple splash back for a sink or hob, part tiling, or full floor to ceiling tiling, the range of ceramic and porcelain tile designs on the market is mind-boggling. Also, coloured tile grout can give your new kitchen a stylish and individual look instead of just using plain white grouting.
• Using the correct tile adhesive is an important factor to remember, so as to ensure that the tiles remain securely fixed to the wall
• Only tile onto clean, properly sealed and dry plaster & ciment render, or existing soundly fixed ceramic or porcelain tiles. Never tile onto papered or painted surfaces - the tiles will probably fall off!
• When tiling use tile spacers to achieve a uniform grouting joint between each tile. Use a grout rubbing in tool or a stick to achieve an even and consisten grouting finish.
• Remember, electricity in the kitchen can be dangerous. Ensure that electric sockets are child-proof, or set at a height which is well out of a young childs reach..

Plumbing & Lighting

• Allow sufficient space for hot & cold water feeds to the sink, dishwasher, washing machine and  fridge (chilled drinks or ice-maker)
• Allow sufficient space for soil pipes to have the correct angle of fall to allow waste water to drain at an adequate rate.
• Cold kitchens aren't very inviting, so it's important to consider how you intend to heat it. If there's not enough room for a radiator, under-unit heating can be used, or alternatively, under-floor heating. .
• When deciding where to place a radiator or under-cuboard heaing, make sure that it's possible to be physically connected to the existing central heating system. If boxing-in unsightly hot & cold water and soil waste pipes, don't forget to allow a method of accessing them for maintenance or additional connections in the future. It could save you a lot of time and money in making good.
• Don't forget to insulate your new plumbing - particularly if it runs along an external wall!