What to order first, when the stone gets templated, and the delays that push a renovation out by six weeks.
Whole-home joinery — kitchen, wardrobes, vanities, laundry — is the single longest-lead package in most renovations. Get the sequence right and it runs quietly. Get it wrong and everything downstream waits.
The order that works
Kitchen first, then vanities, then wardrobes. The reason is dependency, not importance:
- The kitchen has the longest lead time and depends on the most external information — appliance dimensions, sink and tap specs, and the stone template.
- Vanities depend on the plumbing rough-in and on tile selections, which usually follow the kitchen decisions.
- Wardrobes are the most self-contained and the most forgiving of delays. They can be pushed without holding up anything else.
The critical path, step by step
- Appliance selections locked — model numbers, not “a 900mm oven”. This is the single biggest source of delay in kitchen projects.
- Design and drawings — layout, elevations, finishes, internal fittings. Typically one to two weeks of back-and-forth.
- Final site measure — happens only once walls are plastered, floors are levelled, and any structural work is complete.
- Manufacture — commonly four to eight weeks for custom joinery, depending on finish complexity.
- Installation — kitchen installation is typically a few days to a week; wardrobes often one to two days.
- Stone template — after cabinets are installed and levelled, never before.
- Stone fabrication and install — usually one to two weeks after template.
- Splashback — after the benchtop is set, so it sits on the bench rather than behind it.
Decisions to lock before manufacture starts
Changes after manufacture begins cost real money, because the panel has already been cut. Lock these first:
- Handles and hardware — and whether they are drilled on site or in the factory.
- Door finish — 2-pac, laminate, vinyl, veneer, and the sheen level.
- Internal fittings — drawer dividers, pull-out pantries, bin systems, corner units.
- Bench heights — standard is one figure; tall owners and bakers often want different.
- Appliance cavities — exact model numbers on the drawings.
- Kickboards and bulkheads — how the joinery meets the ceiling and floor.
The six delays that cost the most
- Unconfirmed appliance specifications — a cavity cut for the wrong oven is a remake.
- Templating stone too early — cabinets not yet levelled, so the benchtop arrives and does not fit.
- Site not ready at final measure — plaster not finished, floor not levelled. Measure twice, pay twice.
- Changing the layout late — after drawings are approved, a moved sink can invalidate the whole run.
- No storage plan — deciding internal fittings after manufacture, then retrofitting.
- Trade collisions — the electrician, plumber and joiner all needing the same wall on the same day.
Getting consistency across the whole home
Whole-home joinery only looks like one package if it is specified as one. Use the same door profile, the same handle family, and a restrained palette across kitchen, vanities, laundry and wardrobes. The temptation to give each room its own look is what makes a house feel like five separate renovations.
One practical trick: order a spare set of every finish and handle at the start. In five years, when a door is damaged, the original colour will almost certainly be discontinued.
A realistic programme
For a full home — design through to installed joinery with stone benchtops — allow roughly ten to fourteen weeks from locked drawings. The joinery manufacture window is the fixed part; everything else is how quickly you make decisions.
See it in person: full slabs, large-format porcelain and engineered oak are on display at our Springvale showroom. Book a visit and bring your plans — we will measure your layout against the actual slab before you commit.