Taking Measurements

Before moving on to discuss kitchen layouts, the very first and most important step which is taking measurements will be discussed. 
After giving an overview of how to plan a kitchen, I shall now take the steps involved one after the other as promised in my earlier post. 
To take the actual measurements of the space meant to be the kitchen, you can use the conventional measuring tape or the digital type. In taking the measurements, I will advice that the metric unit of measurement be used (millimeters) as against the imperial unit (inches) for utmost accuracy.
To start, you first draw the floor plan of the space taking into account every corner, bend and curve. This done, you mark out points showing where the windows, doors and any other openings are. An elevation plan of each wall might also be necessary to indicate heights; height from the window sill to the floor, door height, height of electrical and plumbing fittings, air-condition ducts/openings, distribution board, water heater etc. It is at this point that you start to consider adjoining rooms to the kitchen as pointed out in the posts, "Getting Started". This will help you and your kitchen designer in taking decisions as to moving things around in the your space; where what should be, which wall to avoid considering the doors and windows, and ultimately what the Kitchen layout will look like.
You can now proceed to taking your measurements and recording them as shown below.

Floor plan with dimensions.

Elevation A as indicated in the floor plan showing heights.

Elevation B as indicated in the floor plan.

Even if you have an architectural drawing from the architect who designed your home, an as-built measurement is very important to prevent the avoidable mistake of making a kitchen that will not fit your space - either too big or too small.
Taking the as-built measurements also help in planning your plumbing and electrical points for your fittings and appliances. At the point of planning, knowing the type and number of appliances and other kitchen fittings will help with putting your plumbing and electrical points in the right places to prevent having untidy electrical cables or plumbing pipes visibly dangling from appliances and cabinets.
As discussed in my posts "Getting Started", the factors to consider when planning your kitchen, have a lot to do with the space available to you. Every other factors are dependent on this singular factor of space, and getting the right and accurate measurements of this space to me is very important.
If you are taking the measurements yourself or you are getting a kitchen designer to do it for you, have at the back of your mind that the final product you will get depends largely on this very important first step.
Thank you for your time, please share with your friends if you find this interesting and educative. Stay tuned as I shall be discussing kitchen layouts next...