Relocating services for a new kitchen
What is straightforward, what gets difficult, in which order it happens, and what has to be decided before the wall closes up.
Put your own home to us
Sockets, light points and water pipes can nearly always be moved. Waste is the hard one: it works by gravity, so your floor build-up decides whether a sink can sit in the island. The extractor duct and the gas line are fixed earliest.
The order is always the same: strip out, services, close up, floor, and only then the kitchen. Anything you change after that costs wall.
This is the part with the most unpleasant surprises, and where thinking ahead pays off most.
Why the drawing comes before the services
| Phase | What has to be settled by then |
|---|---|
| Strip out | The new layout in broad terms |
| Shell work | Position of the extractor and the route of the duct |
| Services | Every appliance, every socket, sink and hob, to the centimetre |
| Close up | Everything. What changes now gets opened again |
| Screed and floor | The floor thickness, which co-determines the working height |
| Kitchen installation | Measuring on the finished shell |
| Connecting and inspection | The appliances are on site |
The most expensive mistake in a kitchen renovation is rarely a choice of material. It is an appliance that moves only after the plastering.
Have your own situation looked atThe most movable, with the most rules
Cables do not follow gravity, so this is rarely a technical problem. It is, however, the part with the most regulations.
| Appliance | Own circuit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hob | Ja | Fused more heavily than a socket circuit |
| Oven | Ja | Connected load is on the data sheet |
| Dishwasher | Ja | Behind a 30 mA residual current device |
| Washing machine and tumble dryer | Ja | Behind a 30 mA residual current device |
| Fridge, extractor, lighting | No | May share a circuit |
This follows the AREI, the Belgian general regulation for electrical installations. Cable cross-section and fuse follow from the connected load of the appliance.
A major change or extension requires an inspection by a body approved by the FPS Economy. Two things are forgotten most often: a socket in the cabinet under the sink, and the supply for an island, because that has to run through the floor.
Have your own situation looked atSupply is the simplest of the five
Water is under pressure and needs no fall, so this is the least work. The points to watch sit elsewhere:
- A boiling water tap needs a tank plus a socket in the cabinet, and that costs drawer depth.
- A fridge with an ice maker needs a water line running behind that tall unit.
- The stopcocks must stay reachable once the drawer is in.
The only one that depends on your floor
| Component | Guide figure |
|---|---|
| Sink waste diameter | 40 mm is common, 50 mm gives margin |
| Fall | about 1 to 2 cm per metre |
| Dishwasher | may share the sink waste |
| Trap | sits in the cabinet and costs drawer depth |
Work out that fall: four metres to the island is already four to eight centimetres, on top of the pipe itself. If that does not fit, three ways out remain: the island closer to the existing drain, building up the floor, or keeping the sink against the wall.
The route out weighs more than the appliance
| Point | Guide figure |
|---|---|
| Duct diameter | 125 mm minimum, 150 mm works better |
| Bends | two of 45 degrees beat one of 90 degrees |
| Reduction | never reduce the diameter along the way |
| Mounting height above gas | 650 mm |
| Mounting height above induction or ceramic | 550 to 800 mm |
Every metre and every bend costs airflow and adds noise. The manual for your extractor states a minimum mounting height of its own; that takes precedence over this table.
If no duct can reach outside, recirculation remains: the smell is filtered, moisture and heat stay indoors. Above an island the duct runs through the ceiling, a decision from the shell stage.
Have your own situation looked atThe only one you do nothing to yourself
A new gas line or a major change requires an inspection, and without a certificate of conformity the network operator will not open your meter. Have it done by an installer with the CERGA label. Switching to induction removes that, and moves the question to the fuse box.
We draw those connections into the design, so that the services and the cabinets do not collide afterwards. How that goes is on bespoke kitchens in Antwerp. Kitchens we installed that way, with their price, are under the projects.
Want to know what can be relocated at your place?
Briefly describe where the connections sit today and where you would want the kitchen. We will tell you which services can move, which become a problem and which decision is best taken first.
About these rules
Cervano makes and installs the joinery and is not your electrician, gas fitter or inspector; the rules above apply in Belgium as they stood in August 2026, and your installer and the inspection body are the source, not us.
The rest of the knowledge base
- Bespoke kitchens in AntwerpWhat it costs, how long it takes and how we work
- Complete interiors in AntwerpThe order in which a home is built, from shell to installation
- Standard kitchen dimensionsWorking height, depth, width and circulation space
- Hinges, drawers and hardwareWhat you operate every day
- Choosing worktops and splashbacksStone, ceramic, composite and solid timber
- Wardrobes and dressing roomsDoors, depth and layout
- What to look out for when buying a kitchenThe full kitchen guide
Rather speak to someone straight away?
Do email us, or leave your details above. The workshop is in Antwerp and you are welcome by appointment.