How to Inspect a Renovated Kitchen — Test It, Don’t Just Look at It
A kitchen should never be accepted on appearance. Cabinets, stone and lighting show you nothing about drainage falls, duct routes, appliance connections or whether a plumber can ever reach the trap again. This is the method we use to test one before acceptance.
Visual Inspection, Functional Testing and Access Review
A kitchen snag list built from looking at things finds scratches. A kitchen inspection built from running water, operating appliances and opening every door finds the defects that cost money.
The order matters as much as the content. We start with the services that can cause real damage — water supply, drainage, extraction ducting, appliance connections and electrical points — before anything is recorded about cabinet finish or silicone. A scratched door is an inconvenience. A backfalling waste pipe behind a fixed cabinet is a recurring bill.
Then comes the third element, which most snag lists skip entirely: access review. Can the isolation valve be reached? Can the trap be removed? Can the dishwasher come out? Can anyone get to the hood duct? A kitchen that cannot be maintained has a defect built into its design, even when every component works on the day.
Finally, everything is tested again after the water has been running. Slow leaks do not appear in the first thirty seconds, which is why the last thing we do is go back to the cabinet we opened first.
Where a Professional Inspection Starts
Six areas carry most of the risk in a renovated kitchen — and none of them is what owners check first.
Hidden Services First
Water supply, drainage, electrical routes, hood ducting and appliance connections are inspected before a single cosmetic item is recorded. They cause the damage; the finishes do not.
Extraction as a System
The hood is one component. Duct size, route, bends, joints and termination decide whether it actually moves air — and all of it hides above the ceiling.
Drainage Geometry
Outlet height, fall, low points and trap arrangement govern whether a kitchen waste copes with grease. Cleaning treats the consequence, not the cause.
Appliance Installation
Hoses, drain arrangements, isolation, clearances and ventilation. A new appliance installed badly performs worse than an old one installed correctly.
Maintenance Access
Valves, traps, duct access, appliance removal and kickboards. If the kitchen cannot be serviced, its first fault becomes a joinery job.
Technical Before Cosmetic
Findings are separated so leaks, drainage and extraction sit above paint marks — instead of being buried among them on page nine.
The Full Kitchen Inspection Scope
Around 90 checks across six areas, combining visual inspection with functional testing and an access review.
Extraction
- Duct route identified, not assumed
- Duct size against hood requirements
- Bends, crushed or sagging sections
- Joint sealing and duct support
- Roof termination and weatherproofing
- Riser connection and sealing
- Ducted or recirculating confirmed
- Hood height above the hob
- All speeds tested, noise and vibration
- Backflow with the hood switched off
Water Supply
- Hot and cold orientation at the mixer
- Flow and pressure, single and combined
- Mixer movement and fixing
- Visible pipework, joints and stress
- Isolation valves present and reachable
- Flexible hoses and connections
- Water filter or RO system connections
- Under-sink water heater where fitted
- Leakage observed while running
Drainage & Waste
- Wall outlet height against the sink waste
- Waste pipe fall, flat runs and backfall
- Trap type, security and removability
- Flexible waste routing and low points
- Fill-and-drain test on each bowl
- Double-bowl interaction tested
- Odour after discharge
- Floor drain flow and surrounding slope
Appliances
- Dishwasher drain hose routing and condition
- Anti-backflow arrangement as instructed
- Dishwasher supply, valve and access
- Drain cycle run and observed
- Hob level, secure, clearances
- Oven fixing, alignment and ventilation
- Microwave fixing and door operation
- Fridge opening, clearances and water line
- Washing machine connections where present
- Visual check of gas hose and isolation
Joinery & Stone
- Door and drawer alignment across the run
- Soft-close, rubbing and full extension
- Wall unit fixing and stability
- Shelf supports and tall unit stability
- Board edges sealed at wet locations
- Kickboards, fixing and removability
- Countertop level and joint quality
- Sink and hob cut-out condition
- Undermount sink support method
- Sealant at sink, wall and backsplash
Electrical, Ceiling & Floor
- Sockets operational, secure, well placed
- Appliance points accessible, cables clear
- Practical isolation for built-in appliances
- Cable routing away from heat and crushing
- All lighting, including under-cabinet
- Drivers and transformers accessible
- False ceiling condition and staining
- Access panels reaching real services
- Floor lippage, cracks and low points
- Pipe and duct penetrations closed neatly
Kitchen Inspection in 4 Steps
Send the Details
Property type, kitchen size, appliance list and renovation stage, plus any BOQ or joinery drawings, for a fixed quote.
Book the Right Moment
Before the ceiling closes if the works are live, or after final cleaning if the kitchen is finished. Water and power must be on.
Test, Review, Retest
Services tested with water and power, access reviewed, then every wet area re-inspected once everything has run.
Report in 6 Hours
Technical and cosmetic findings separated, numbered and photographed, ready for the contractor before final payment.
The Best Inspection Happens Before the Kitchen Closes
Once cabinets are fixed and the ceiling is boarded, most of the installation can no longer be verified. These are the moments that matter.
1. Plumbing Stage
- Water lines and joints
- Sink waste outlet position
- Drainage fall and routing
- Appliance waste connections
- Isolation valve positions
2. Ventilation Stage
- Hood duct route and size
- Bends, supports and joints
- External or riser termination
- Roof penetration weatherproofing
- Damper arrangement
3. Pre-Closure Stage
- Electrical routes and points
- Services above the ceiling
- Access panel positions agreed
- Pipe access confirmed
- Everything photographed
4. Pre-Cabinet Stage
- Wall behind the cabinet run
- Appliance openings and clearances
- Drain outlet and connections
- Cable and pipe routing
- Floor penetrations
5. Joinery & Countertop
- Cabinet alignment and fixing
- Countertop level and joints
- Sink support and sealing
- Hob seating and cut-outs
- Silicone and finishing
6. Final & De-Snagging
- Full functional test sequence
- Access review completed
- Snag list issued to the contractor
- Rectification re-inspected
- Report reissued for final payment
The Final Sequence Before You Sign
Fifteen actions, in this order. Most kitchen defects appear during steps 3, 5 and 15.
Water Tests
Run cold, then hot, checking orientation and pressure. Fill the sink and release it in one discharge. Watch the cabinet throughout, not afterwards. Repeat on the second bowl.
Appliance Tests
Run the dishwasher through a drain cycle and watch it discharge. Test the hob and oven where commissioned. Check the washing machine connections where one is fitted.
Extraction Test
Run the hood at every speed. Check capture, noise, vibration, air leaking into the cabinet around the duct, and whether anything returns when it is switched off.
Movement Test
Open every cabinet door, every drawer and every appliance door — including in combination. Check fridge drawers can be removed and nothing collides.
Access Review
Reach the isolation valves, remove the trap, check the dishwasher can come out, confirm the ceiling panels reach real services, and test all lighting.
The Second Look
Return to the sink cabinet, the dishwasher area, kickboards, floor and ceiling after everything has run. Slow leaks need several minutes to show.
Technical Snags Separated From Cosmetic Ones
Active leaks, drainage defects, extraction problems and access failures are listed first, each numbered, photographed and located — so the contractor works through the items that cause damage before the items that annoy.
Installed work is also compared against the joinery drawings, BOQ, material schedule and appliance list, because a kitchen can function perfectly and still not be the kitchen you paid for.
Every Report Includes
- Photo & video evidence for every defect
- Exact location tagging, unit by unit
- Technical defects separated from cosmetic
- Severity rating — water and extraction first
- Delivered digitally within 6 hours
Kitchen Inspection Questions, Answered
When should a renovated kitchen be inspected?
Ideally in stages: plumbing rough-in, ventilation, before the ceiling closes, before cabinets are fixed, and a final functional inspection. If only one visit is possible during the works, make it the one before the ceiling closes — that is the last sight of the hood duct and the services above it.
Can you inspect a kitchen that is already finished?
Yes. A finished kitchen is tested functionally — water run at every outlet, sink filled and released, dishwasher put through a drain cycle, hood run at every speed, cabinets and clearances checked. What cannot be done is verifying work already sealed behind cabinetry and ceilings.
How long does a kitchen inspection take?
It depends on the size of the kitchen and the number of appliances, and on whether the scope includes stage visits. Functional testing plus the second look after everything has run takes longer than a walk-through, which is the point.
Why check the cooker hood duct rather than the hood?
Because the duct decides performance. An undersized or reduced duct, too many bends, crushed flexible sections, leaking joints or a termination inside a ceiling void will defeat any hood. A hood that sounds powerful is often working against resistance.
What is the fill-and-drain test and why does it matter?
The sink is filled and then released in one discharge, so the waste connections see a realistic flow. A trickling tap will not reveal a joint that only weeps under a full discharge, which is exactly the leak that ruins a cabinet later.
Why does maintenance access form part of a snag list?
Because a kitchen that cannot be serviced has a defect designed into it. Valves behind fixed panels, traps that cannot be removed, permanently fixed kickboards and appliances that cannot come out turn a small fault into a joinery job.
Should the dishwasher drain arrangement be checked?
Yes. Depending on the appliance, a high loop or another approved anti-backflow arrangement is required, and the hose must not be kinked or crushed behind the machine. Both are set out in the manufacturer’s installation instructions rather than decided on site.
Do you test gas and electrical installations?
Our checks are visual and functional within the agreed scope. Gas tightness testing is carried out by a competent technician, and electrical circuit suitability and protective devices are verified by a qualified electrician.
Do you compare the kitchen against the BOQ?
Where the BOQ, joinery drawings, material schedule or appliance list are provided, installed work is compared against them. A kitchen can work correctly and still differ from what was quoted.
Should I pay the contractor before the inspection?
Follow your contract, but the controlled sequence is completion, snagging, rectification, de-snagging, then final payment. Defects are noticeably harder to get corrected once the full amount has been released.
Do you carry out the repairs you find?
No. We inspect only and quote for none of the remedial work, which is what keeps the report independent of whoever would be paid to fix it.
A Kitchen Should Be Tested, Not Admired.
Send your kitchen details and renovation stage — we’ll run the water, the appliances and the extraction, review the access, and hand you a numbered report before you sign.
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