Kitchen Sink and Tap Decision Checklist

Note how much washing up is done by hand rather than in the dishwasher, and which items always get washed by hand.

Households that hand wash regularly need draining and stacking space that a dishwasher led kitchen can do without.

Identify the largest item you regularly wash, such as a roasting tin, a baking tray, a grill pan or an oven shelf.

The largest item sets the minimum useful size of the main bowl, and it is the most concrete piece of information you can supply.

Note whether pans are routinely left to soak, and whether that would block the only bowl if there were just one.

A single bowl occupied by a soaking pan makes the sink unusable, which is the usual argument for a second smaller bowl.

Record what food preparation happens at the sink, such as washing vegetables, draining pasta or filling large pans.

Preparation at the sink competes with washing up for the same space, and both need describing.

Note whether a draining rack is used, where it lives when not in use, and whether you want it out of sight.

A rack that has nowhere to go ends up permanently on the worktop, which is worth deciding rather than inheriting.

Consider who does most of the washing up and whether the working height and reach at the sink suits them.

Standing at a bowl is one of the longest continuous tasks in a kitchen, so the comfort of whoever does it most is worth naming in the brief.

Decide and record whether you want one large bowl, a bowl and a half, or two bowls, and write down the reason behind the choice.

The choice is a genuine trade between washing large items and having a second space free, and it should be reasoned rather than default.

Consider how deep you want the bowl, noting that deeper bowls hide more but involve more bending to reach the bottom.

Depth is a comfort decision as much as a capacity one, particularly for anyone with a back or shoulder problem.

If bending or shoulder strain is a concern for anyone here, raise it with a suitably qualified professional before a bowl depth is settled.

Decide whether you want a drainer beside the bowl, grooves formed in the worktop or no drainer at all.

This decision affects the worktop, the layout and how much run of surface the wet zone consumes.

Note which side the drainer or draining area should be on, checking it against handedness and against what sits next to the sink.

Drainer side is easy to get wrong on a drawing and very obvious in daily use.

Ask how each sink material behaves in daily use, including marking, scratching and the appearance of limescale.

Materials differ considerably, and the supplier is the right source for how a particular one behaves.

Ask the sink manufacturer and supplier about cleaning, marking and suitable products for the specific sink you are considering.

Ask which accessories are available for the sink under consideration, and whether you would actually use a colander, board or rack.

Accessories are often bought and rarely used, and deciding in advance avoids storing something bulky for years.

Ask which mounting arrangements are possible with the worktop materials on your shortlist, and record the answer before choosing either.

Some mounting arrangements are only available with certain surfaces, so the two decisions belong in the same conversation.

Which mounting arrangement a particular surface allows must be confirmed with the worktop fabricator and the sink supplier.

Consider how the junction between sink and worktop is cleaned in each option, and which arrangement you would prefer to wipe.

The junction is wiped several times a day, and preference here is a legitimate basis for the decision.

Ask how the junction is sealed, whether the sealing needs attention over time and who is responsible for it.

A junction that needs occasional attention is worth knowing about while a different mounting arrangement is still open to you.

If you are considering a sink that sits proud of the cabinetry, ask what it needs from the units beneath it and how it is supported.

Sinks of this kind change the cabinetry and sometimes the layout, so they need raising early rather than late.

How a heavy sink should be supported is a matter for the installer and the cabinetry supplier to determine.

Ask whether the sink itself has to be on site before the worktop can be templated or fabricated.

If the sink itself has to be present, buying it moves much earlier in the order of decisions than most owners expect it to.

Ask what replacing the sink would involve later if the worktop stays, and whether a different sink would fit the same opening.

Sinks wear out before worktops do, and the answer to this question is rarely offered unless it is asked.

If the sink is to sit under a window, note what you would be looking at from it and whether daylight actually reaches the bowl at the times you use it.

Separating the view from the daylight, and both from habit, gives the designer something specific to weigh when the position is contested.

Note which side the dishwasher should sit on relative to the sink, considering who loads it and from which side.

Loading involves moving items from sink to machine repeatedly, so the side matters more than it appears on a plan.

Stand where you would be rinsing with the dishwasher door in its proposed open position, and note whether one person can rinse and load without stepping around it.

Rinsing and loading happen in a single movement, so the useful test is whether that movement still works with the door down rather than whether the door merely fits.

Note where the bin needs to be relative to the sink for scraping plates, and whether it is reachable without turning around.

Scraping and rinsing happen together, so the bin belongs in the wet zone rather than wherever space remained.

Record how much clear surface you need on each side of the sink and what would normally be sitting on it.

The wet zone needs somewhere to put things down on both sides, and this is one of the first things squeezed in a tight layout.

Raise the sink position with a qualified plumbing professional before the bowl arrangement is settled, and record what they say about the existing waste connection.

A sink that has to stay near the existing waste changes which bowl and drainer arrangements remain available, so the question belongs before the choice rather than after it.

What can be done with drainage in your property must be established on site by a qualified plumbing professional.

Consider whether the spout needs to reach both bowls, and where the water lands in relation to the drain.

Water landing directly on the drain splashes, and a spout that cannot reach the second bowl makes it much less useful.

Note the height of any tap you are considering and check that it clears the window opening if the sink sits beneath one.

A tall tap in front of a window that opens inward is one of the most common late discoveries in a kitchen fit.

Note the tallest item you regularly fill at the sink, such as a large pan, a bucket or a vase.

The clearance under the spout has to suit the tallest thing you fill, and that is easy to establish now.

Consider whether a pull out spray would be useful for rinsing the bowl and filling items on the worktop, and ask how it is maintained.

A pull out arrangement adds a component that can eventually need attention, which is worth asking about.

Consider how the tap is operated with wet or greasy hands, and whether a single lever, two handles or another arrangement suits you.

Control type is a daily comfort decision that is very hard to judge from a photograph.

Ask whether the tap being considered is suitable for the water supply arrangement in your property.

Supply arrangements differ between properties, and suitability is a technical question rather than a matter of preference.

Whether a tap suits your water supply must be confirmed by a qualified plumbing professional and against the manufacturer information.

Write down why you want filtered, chilled or instant hot water, and what it would replace in your current routine.

The reason determines whether the arrangement is worth its space and upkeep, so it should be stated plainly.

Ask what equipment each option requires under the sink and how much of that cupboard it would occupy.

Under sink space is already contested, and these arrangements take a share of it permanently.

Ask what consumables each arrangement needs, how they are replaced and who would supply them.

Consumables turn a one off choice into a small permanent routine, and it is fairer to agree to that with open eyes than to meet it later.

If instant hot water is being considered, raise it with a qualified professional and ask what the household would need to understand about using it.

This is a matter for professional advice and manufacturer guidance rather than for a general checklist.

Instant hot water arrangements must be specified, installed and explained by a qualified professional in line with the manufacturer information.

Treat any question about treating drinking water as one for a suitably qualified professional, and record it rather than answering it yourself.

Water quality and treatment are technical matters that vary by supply and by area.

Questions about drinking water quality or treatment should be directed to your water supplier or a suitably qualified professional.

List everything that has to live under the sink, including waste containers, cleaning materials and any water treatment equipment.

The list quickly shows whether the space is realistic, and it is far better done before the units are ordered.

Note how much of the existing under sink space is taken by pipework and waste fittings, and photograph it before anything is stripped out.

Pipework occupies more of the cupboard than most plans suggest, and the photograph gives the fitter useful context.

Ask where the isolating valves will be and whether they stay reachable once the cupboard is fitted out.

A bin unit or a fixed panel added later can put a valve out of reach, so this belongs with the cupboard layout as much as with the plumbing.

Positions of valves and access to them should be agreed with a qualified plumbing professional before the cabinetry is fitted.

Consider whether a leak under the sink would be noticed quickly, and ask what would be visible if one occurred.

Concealed leaks in a fitted cupboard can go unnoticed, and the question is worth raising while the arrangement is still open.

How to reduce the risk of unnoticed water damage is a matter for a qualified plumbing professional and the kitchen fitter.

Ask whether the bin arrangement you want will actually fit around the pipework in this particular cupboard.

Integrated bins and under sink plumbing compete for the same space, and the conflict is common enough to check specifically.