Practical, honest guides written by our Coventry fitting team — covering everything from choosing a fitter and preparing your home to worktops, appliances and snagging. Whether this is your first kitchen or your fourth, you will find straightforward answers here.
Most people fit a new kitchen once every ten or fifteen years, which means the process is unfamiliar almost every time it happens. There is a lot to get right before a fitter even arrives — booking the right trades in the right order, checking a delivery against the order sheet, knowing what a survey should actually cover — and getting any of it wrong tends to cost time rather than money. A missing unit can halt a job for days. An electrician booked too late can push a completion date back by a week. A worktop templated before the doors are hung can come back the wrong size.
These guides exist to close that knowledge gap before it becomes a problem on your installation. They are written from the fitting side rather than the retail side, which means they cover the practical detail that a showroom visit usually will not: how a survey identifies an out-of-plumb wall before it becomes a scribing job, why a Gas Safe engineer needs to be booked weeks in advance for a range cooker, or what actually happens to a flat-pack IKEA kitchen on day one versus a rigid Wren or Howdens delivery. Whether you are comparing retailers, working out your budget, or trying to understand what your fitter is telling you about your walls and floors, the aim is the same — straightforward, accurate information that helps you plan with confidence.
Our most detailed guide — a genuine start-to-finish walkthrough of a real Wren kitchen installation, from reading the plan through to snagging, with tools, fixings and 35+ real photos.
Read guideEverything you need to do in the weeks and days before your installation team arrives — booking trades, checking deliveries and protecting your home.
Read guideHow to find a reliable, experienced fitter — from the survey process and what's included in a quote to red flags and questions to ask.
Read guideWhy a pre-installation survey is essential, what the surveyor checks, and how to prepare for the visit.
Read guideIf you have bought from a major kitchen retailer, here is what to expect when using an independent fitter — deliveries, missing parts and more.
Read guideLaminate, solid wood, quartz, granite or compact laminate — a plain-English guide to materials, costs and the fitting process.
Read guideWhich appliances need an electrician, which need a plumber, and how to time appliance installation within the overall fit.
Read guideFirst fix, second fix and Gas Safe — when to book your trades, what to arrange and why it matters for your timeline.
Read guideIKEA kitchens can be installed by an independent fitter. Here is the process — assembly, METOD system, delivery checks and common pitfalls.
Read guideA typical day-by-day breakdown of a medium kitchen installation, with notes on what can cause delays at each stage.
Read guideHow to create a snagging list, what to look for after installation and how we handle defects at Install My Kitchen.
Read guideThe ten guides above fall into four natural groups, depending on where you are in the process.
Planning and preparation — How to Prepare for Kitchen Installation, The Kitchen Installation Survey, and Kitchen Installation Timeline — cover the run-up to installation day: what to book, what a survey checks, and how a typical job unfolds day by day so you know what to expect and can plan around it.
Choosing who to work with — How to Choose a Kitchen Fitter and Working with Wren, Howdens & Magnet — help if you have not yet settled on a retailer or fitter, or if you have bought a kitchen from a major retailer and want to know what changes when an independent fitter installs it rather than the retailer's own team.
Materials and systems — Kitchen Worktop Guide, Kitchen Appliance Installation Guide, Plumbing and Electrical Preparation, and the IKEA Kitchen Installation Guide — go into the detail of the components themselves: what worktop materials cost and how they are fitted, which appliances need a qualified tradesperson, and what is different about installing a flat-pack METOD kitchen compared with a rigid one.
Aftercare — Kitchen Snagging — covers what happens once the units are in: how to check the finished job properly and what should be put right before you sign off.
Book a pre-installation survey from £195 — credited back in full when you proceed. Covering Coventry, Warwickshire and surrounding areas.
