BE READY FOR THE INSTALLATION

What you need to know to be ready for the installation of your new Ikea kitchen.

To install your new Ikea kitchen without too many hurdles, you must take care of a few things before I show up on Day #1 to be ready for the installation. 

The following will not cover demolishing the old kitchen, repairing, preparing, building, removing walls, or dealing with major plumbing and electrical stuff.

That said, I want to emphasize that all repair of drywall after removal of any structures e.g. bulkhead, and posts, must be completed before day one of the installation.

The following is about appliances and the location/sorting of the boxes you have received from Ikea. It might seem less important, but I know it is vital to be ready for the installation. 

If you are getting all new appliances for your new kitchen, you don't have to take action on this item. However, you must ensure that your new appliances are stored in a room other than the kitchen. However, if the room is big, they can be stowed away at the back, still in their packaging, to protect them from dirt while installation work is ongoing.

If you, however, have decided to reuse some, or all, of the current appliances, there are a few things we need to address.

Below I have listed the three options available regarding our situation. You can read which action you must take, plus which risk and liability are associated with each option. 

As you may have guessed, the BEST option is what I would prefer. This option will make you truly ready for the installation.

We have to accept the OKAY solution if BEST isn't possible.

And finally, the NOT GOOD solution we don't want. We must avoid this option at all costs. 

The best option is to remove all the appliances from the room where the kitchen is installed.

By doing so, they are not in the way, and they will not be exposed to dust and the possible risk of getting damaged.

BEST is the preferred option if you want to be ready for the installation.

Sometimes, depending on the size of the room, it's okay to leave one, if not all, appliances in the kitchen.

I recognize that sometimes it isn't possible to move them all out of the room. If that is the case, I will find a way to work around them.

However, in a small kitchen, you need some good excuses for leaving the appliances in the room. 

Also, leaving the appliances in the room is only OKAY if the appliances are disconnected from electricity, water, and drain. If that isn't possible, the situation moves from OKAY to NOT GOOD.

If the option BEST or OKAY isn't possible, the only one left is NOT GOOD.

However, it would be best if you did your utmost not to have the NOT GOOD option. Your installer, which is me, will not be happy to work around appliances which will be in the way and maybe even connected.

Working with a smile on my face in that situation won't be possible, and who wants to be exposed to that?

Also, if the appliances are left in the room, and I need to move them around, you must know that the risk and liability for doing so will be yours alone. Any damage to the appliances or floor will not be my responsibility.

Moving appliances around on the floor might result in scratches or broken tiles. Unless the appliances are out of the room, as in option BEST, or moved away from my working area in a bigger space, as in option OKAY, the risk is all yours. 

If you have taken delivery of the Ikea parts for your kitchen already, you will know that there are many boxes.

Checking the delivery and sorting out all the boxes is part of the "Be Ready For the Installation" process. That is something you don't want to skip. It can be quite overwhelming since all the different parts may have been dropped off in a big unstructured pile somewhere far from your kitchen. However, it is essential to get it done.

The following information will help you organize everything. You will be able to check everything has been delivered. However, organizing and moving all the parts to a location close to the kitchen will also be helpful to me.

Below I have, once again, listed the three options available for organizing and storing all the Ikea parts.

As you may have guessed, the BEST option is what I would prefer. So therefore, that is what we should strive for.

We have to accept the OKAY option if BEST isn't possible.

And finally, the NOT GOOD option must be avoided at all costs. 

The best option is to sort all the Ikea items, as shown below. This can be done while moving everything into a room adjacent to the kitchen.

If the kitchen room is huge, moving the items into this room is acceptable if you place them next to a wall where no cabinets will be installed.

Doing so lets you quickly check that everything you have ordered and paid for was delivered.

Also, by having everything sorted into relevant groups, you will be doing me a big favour since I won't need to handle each box more than once. 

One exception to the above is all the panels. They might stay in the garage if everything was placed at delivery.

Most panels will have to be cut on my table saw, which will most likely happen in your driveway, weather permitting.

However, if you have a decent-sized patio outside your kitchen, where I can set up a cutting station, the panels can be moved with the rest (not in the winter, though).

BEST is the preferred solution if you want to be ready for the installation.

Sometimes, depending on the size of the kitchen itself and the adjacent room, there isn't enough room to move the boxes any closer. This means they must stay in the garage, living room or hallway where they were put at the delivery time.

That is OKAY if you take the time to sort out the pile and group all the items, as shown in the video below. 

Doing this will still give you a good overview of everything, and you can quickly check that everything has been delivered.

If the solutions BEST or OKAY aren't possible, the only one left is NOT GOOD.

However, you also want to do your utmost not to end with the NOT GOOD solution here. This solution isn't good for any of us, so please pick the OKAY solution if the BEST isn't possible.

The NOT GOOD solution is to leave everything as it was delivered from Ikea; in one big unorganized pile.

Doing so means there's no way of knowing that everything you ordered has been delivered. As a result, we might end up in a situation where the installation will halt since one or more vital parts are missing. I have seen that happen more than once, so I am letting you know that we don't want this solution. Okay?