🖼️
The project:
This is a kitchen renovation that has been in the back burner for a long time. When we finally purchased our first home, I told my wife that I would build the kitchen myself. Thank goodness that my Mrs. and the boys were there to help with every step from demolition to assembly. I would not have been able to do it without the help of the entire family.
- Materials:
Kaboodle cabinetry
Timber benchtops
Subway tiles
Paint
- Tools:
Essential Assembly Tools
- Tape measure
- Pencil or marking knife
- Spirit level
- Combination square
- Clamps (bar clamps or quick clamps)
- Rubber mallet
- Hammer
- Utility knife
- Flathead screwdriver
- Phillips screwdriver
- Pozidriv screwdriver
- Allen keys / hex keys
- Torx drivers or bits
- Adjustable wrench / spanner
Power Tools
- Cordless drill/driver
- Impact driver
- Drill bit set
- Countersink bit
- Hole saw kit
- Jigsaw
- Circular saw
- Track saw
- Orbital sander
- Multi-tool / oscillating tool
- Router
- Trim router
Cabinet Installation Tools
- Stud finder
- Laser level
- Shims/packers
- Caulking gun
- Step ladder
- Cabinet jack or support pole
- Pry bar
- Chalk line
- Step 1:
Hello friends,
This kitchen became one of those projects that slowly turned into something much more personal than just cabinets and benchtops. We started with a tape measure, a notebook full of rough sketches, and a lot of evenings standing in the empty room imagining how the space would feel once it was finally finished. Every wall was measured several times over, especially the corner sections and the long run beneath the overheads, because we wanted everything to fit tightly and feel seamless.
We used the Kaboodle cabinet system as the foundation because it gave us flexibility and kept the project affordable, but from the beginning we also knew we wanted parts of the kitchen to feel custom and handcrafted rather than completely off-the-shelf.
The layout was designed carefully around how our family actually lives day to day. We kept the sink and cooktop along the main run to create an easy workflow, with plenty of uninterrupted bench space wrapping around the corner for preparing meals, helping with homework, or just sitting with a coffee in the morning sun.
The overhead cabinets were positioned to maximise storage without making the room feel closed in, and the open shelving at the ends added warmth and a lighter feel compared to solid cabinetry everywhere.
To stretch the budget without sacrificing the look we wanted, some of the wall cabinets were built from scratch by hand. The pantry and oven tower side panels were also custom-made using the same timber material as the benchtops, so everything tied together naturally and looked far more bespoke than a standard flat-pack kitchen.
Assembly took over weekends and late nights. There were piles of panels stacked through the house, boxes of screws and hinges everywhere, and that constant smell of fresh timber dust hanging in the air. Some nights things went together perfectly, and other nights involved pulling cabinets back apart because something was a few millimetres out. The family followed every stage closely. They would wander in asking when the “real kitchen” was going to appear, and everyone seemed invested in the progress. Little by little the room transformed, first the base cabinets, then the overheads, then finally the benchtops that instantly made the whole kitchen feel real.
The day everything finally came together was unforgettable. Once the last cabinet doors were aligned and the protective film came off the cooktop, the room suddenly stopped looking like a worksite and became the heart of the home we had imagined all along. There was a huge sense of relief standing there looking at it finished after all the measuring, lifting, cutting, and second-guessing. The timber tones warmed up the entire space, the white cabinetry reflected the light beautifully, and the handmade details gave it character that couldn’t have been bought ready-made. That first evening, even sitting on temporary stools eating takeaway on the new benchtop felt special. After months of planning and effort, it finally felt like ours.
