Kitchen pipework can often be moved during a renovation, so a sink, dishwasher or washing machine can go in a new position. What is possible depends mainly on where the waste can run to reach the drain, how the water supply can be extended, and the type of floor and walls in the room.
Planning the plumbing at the same time as the layout can help avoid costly changes later. It also helps the kitchen fitter, plumber and any other trades work to the same plan.
The Waste Route Is Often the Deciding Factor
Water supply pipes are usually easier to extend than waste pipes. A waste needs a suitable route and fall to carry water away to the drain or soil pipe. The further a sink moves from the existing drain, the more planning this can need.
Moving a sink to an island, for example, can be possible, but the waste may need to run under the floor. With a timber floor this may be more straightforward than with a solid floor, but it depends on the property.
Water Supply and Appliances
New positions for the sink and appliances will need hot and cold supplies where required, and suitable isolating valves. It is worth planning where valves will sit so they can be reached easily if a repair is needed later.
If the new layout puts a sink or appliance on an outside wall, it is worth thinking about how pipes will be protected from cold, especially if they run through an unheated space.
Appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines also need a waste connection. Grouping the sink and appliances together can make the plumbing simpler, as they can often share a waste route.
Regulations and Other Trades
LABC says most like-for-like kitchen replacements will not need building regulations approval. Moving a sink in a way that involves new connections to drainage stacks or underground drains may need approval, so it is worth checking before work starts.
Electrical work, such as new sockets or circuits for appliances, is separate from the plumbing and may need an electrician. If a gas hob or appliance is being moved, that work needs an appropriately registered engineer.
What to Check Before You Commit
Before finalising a new layout, it helps to know where the existing pipes and drain run and what condition they are in. Older pipework or wastes found when the old kitchen is removed may be worth replacing while there is easy access. Our pipe replacement page explains more about when older pipework may need replacing.
Our page on kitchen plumbing in Poole explains how pipework changes for new and updated kitchens are assessed.
If you are planning a kitchen renovation in Poole, a plumber can look at the existing plumbing and explain what may be possible for your new layout.