by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: November 04, 2007

Finding kitchen plans for free is easier than you think, since most kitchen planning companies will be only too pleased to help you plan your kitchen in the hope that you will buy your kitchen with them. This isn't the only resource either for kitchen cabinet plans, since there are many on-line planning tools that can be downloaded and used as well.

Where to look and the alternatives available.

In the high street, those shops that deal with kitchen planning will do a print-out of your plan, although you do need to have the kitchen dimensions with you, and here, it is a good idea to have the electrical points, windows and doors measured out on a plan so that the potential kitchen layout fits your room's particular features as well as measurements.

The catch with high street stores is that they expect your business and it is therefore a good idea to ask if they will produce a plan without obligation so that you can look it over and decide if the options that they have on offer are the best for your particular kitchen.

ON-LINE

There is a particularly neat tool on the Ikea site which needs downloading, though it is not a heavy program and is very useful indeed. The use of this tool is free of charge since again, Ikea is hoping that your kitchen will be bought through them. Here, the tool is geared to measure Ikea products and the disadvantage here is that their standard measurements may not fit the range that you have chosen. The best way to overcome this is to have a catalog giving measurements of all base and wall units and comparing their size with the size of the units offered by Ikea. The Ikea tool enables you to add different elements to the kitchen and to view the whole thing from a 3D perspective and print out the plan so it can be used in your kitchen design changes.

Smartdraw offer a neat tool for making free kitchen plans as well, though it is only the trial period that is free. Here, it really is worthwhile considering since their attention to detail is rather nice, and views of the kitchen when designed very detailed indeed. The range of items within this program are rather neat and give you a chance to see plans for your kitchen and what different colored effects will do to the look and feel of the kitchen, using your own dimensions, windows, door layouts etc., to create the perfect look. Here, the drag and drop feature is particularly useful for those that have limited computer experience.

For plans to make cabinets, Woodworkingplanfinder.com has a range of possibilities for plans and some are drawn from well known woodworkers like Norm Abram of New Yankee Workshop fame, though the choice available is good, and will give the home cabinet maker details of the required timber, fastenings etc., and a detailed plan of how to make the cabinets. This kind of site is more for the type of person who doesn't want to buy stock items and that wants to create an individual kitchen starting from basics.

THE BEST WAY FORWARD

There are pros and cons to getting plans online and off. Offline, you have the advantage of being able to check the quality of kitchen units supplied, whereas online you do not have the same ability. What the online plan programs offer you is time to play around with new ideas that perhaps a shop would be loathe to do, giving you the ability in the privacy of your own home to talk over those plans with the family, and to come up with a design that works well for your home.

The plans are out there free of charge, and by using this great resource, you really can brings dreams to fruition and plan out that kitchen that will change your life, and be a part of your family home for years to come.

Learn more about this author, Rachelle de Bretagne.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.