Published 2 November 2026 · JIYU SDN BHD
IN SHORT
A sensible order for a kitchen renovation in Malaysia is to decide the layout and appliances, get any management approval, hack and remove the old kitchen, run plumbing and wiring, tile and finish the room, then measure, build and install the cabinets and worktop before the final connections. The cabinets are designed early but built late, because they have to fit the finished room, not the empty one.
A kitchen renovation involves several trades taking turns in one small room, and a delay can start when one trade arrives before the work it depends on is done. Cabinets sit in an awkward spot in that sequence: their drawing affects decisions at the very start, yet they are among the last things to go in. Here is the kitchen renovation process in the order it should happen, with the points where the cabinet plan needs your attention.
The first stage of a kitchen renovation is a decision, not demolition. Before anyone picks up a hammer, settle the layout: one wall, L-shape, U-shape or galley, whether you want a wet and dry kitchen split, and where the sink, hob, hood, fridge, oven and washing machine will sit. Each of those choices fixes a pipe, a drain, a power point or a gas line in the wall. If the sink moves after the plumber has worked, someone has to open the wall again. So the cabinet drawing, even in rough form, is the brief the other trades work from. Bring the appliance models you intend to buy, because a built-in oven or a tall fridge sets the size of the cabinet around it. For a newly handed-over unit, read the developer's floor plan against the real room, since window positions and wall lengths decide what fits.
In a condo or serviced apartment, the management office sets the rules: renovation permits, deposits, working hours, lift protection and where debris may go. Ask for the renovation guidelines before you book any contractor, and check whether wet works, hacking of walls or changes to the kitchen door need separate approval. In a landed terrace or semi-D, check what approvals your local authority requires if you plan structural changes, such as removing a wall or extending the kitchen to the back. This is also the time to collect quotations that list each trade separately, and to agree who coordinates them. Agree the scope of each trade in writing, and keep every quotation, approval letter and receipt in one folder. Rushing this stage to start sooner can cost more time later, if a stop-work notice or a neighbour's complaint arrives halfway through.
Once approval is in hand, the old kitchen is removed: cabinets, worktop, and if planned, old tiles and any wall being changed. Debris goes out under the building's rules. Then the services go in, following the layout you settled at the start. The plumber runs the water inlet and the drain to the sink position, and to the washing machine if it lives in the kitchen. The electrician runs dedicated points for the hob, oven, hood and fridge, plus sockets above the worktop. Gas piping is placed for a gas hob. Photograph every pipe and cable route before the walls are closed, because those photos tell your cabinet installer where not to drill later. In our own projects, plumbing, electrical and ceiling work are subcontracted, because we are not a main renovation contractor; whichever company you hire, ask who supervises these trades against the cabinet drawing.
After the services are in, the room is closed up and finished. Walls are patched and sealed where needed, floor and wall tiles are laid, the ceiling and any downlights are done, and the room is painted. Only now does the room have its true size. Tiles add thickness to every wall and the floor, a new plaster ceiling lowers the height, and walls that were measured as straight before may turn out to lean once tiled. That is why a cabinet maker should take or confirm the final measurement after tiling, not before hacking. A tall pantry unit drawn to reach the old ceiling will not fit under the new one, and a corner that has drifted can leave a gap at the end of the run. Ask your cabinet maker when they want to re-measure, and keep that visit on the schedule before production starts.
With the final measurement confirmed, the cabinet drawing is updated and signed off, and production begins. For our kitchens that means cutting and assembling the boxes from our ENF-grade plywood; ENF is the grade under GB/T 39600-2021 for emission of no more than 0.025 mg/m³. While the cabinets are being built, the room should stay clean and dry, and nobody should move a pipe or a power point. On installation day the team sets the base and wall cabinets to level and fixes them to the walls, and the worktop follows, measured from the cabinets as they actually stand. Doors and drawers are adjusted last. A change made after sign-off can push this stage back, so freeze the design once production starts.
After the worktop is fitted, the services are connected: the plumber fits the sink, tap and drain, and the hob, hood and built-in appliances are connected by the right tradesperson. Silicone joints go along the worktop and splashback. Then comes the handover walk, done with the drawing in hand: compare every appliance, socket and cabinet position with what was signed off, and test each appliance once it is connected. Note anything that needs a return visit in writing, and collect the warranty documents for each appliance from its supplier. For our board, JIYU's 10-year limited warranty covers manufacturing defects in the board only: delamination, cracking not caused by external force, and moisture blistering caused by a manufacturing defect. Finally, ask the management office whether a closing inspection is needed for your renovation.
Should I choose the kitchen cabinets before or after hacking?
Before. The cabinet layout decides where the plumber and electrician put the sink drain, water inlet and power points, so it has to be settled first. The cabinets themselves are built after tiling, once the final measurement is taken.
Who should I hire first for a kitchen renovation?
Start with whoever will draw the kitchen layout, whether a designer or a cabinet maker, because the plumber and electrician need that drawing to place pipes and power points. The other trades follow the drawing.
Do I need management approval to renovate a condo kitchen?
In a strata development, the management office sets renovation rules, deposits and working hours. Ask for the renovation guidelines before booking contractors and check which works need approval.
What can I do to avoid delays in a kitchen renovation?
Decide the layout and appliances early, photograph the pipe and cable routes before walls are closed, schedule the final cabinet measurement after tiling, and avoid design changes once cabinet production has started.
How many sheets do you need?
Enter your cabinet size and get a cutting list plus an estimate of 18 mm and 6 mm sheets.
Open the plywood calculator →JIYU SDN BHD is an ENF-grade plywood supplier based in Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia. It also builds built-in cabinetry such as kitchen cabinets and wardrobes for homeowners and installs it with its own team.
Planning the order of your kitchen renovation? Send us your floor plan and appliance list on WhatsApp, and we will draw and quote the kitchen cabinets, built from our ENF-grade plywood and fitted by our own installation team. JIYU is based in Puchong, Selangor.
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