From first brief to installed kitchen: a Koh Samui timeline

Owners often ask how long a custom kitchen takes. The honest answer depends on decisions, site readiness and logistics. These are the stages of a typical project on Koh Samui and what you can do to keep each one moving.

We start with your floor plan, photos and how you cook. From this we prepare a layout and a first selection of finishes. The faster decisions are made at this stage, the faster everything else follows.

Final drawings need exact measurements, taken once walls, floors and window openings are finished. Water, drainage and electrical points should be in their final positions, or clearly marked.

Once drawings, finishes and appliances are approved, production can start. Changes after approval usually add time, so check appliance model numbers and handle choices carefully.

Materials and finished cabinets reach Koh Samui by car ferry. We plan deliveries around weather and site access, and agree a dry, secure space on site to store the kitchen before installation.

Installation includes fitting cabinets, worktops, appliances and final adjustments. We finish with a walkthrough so you know how everything works. Tell us your target date early and we will plan backwards from it.

In a new villa or a full renovation, the kitchen comes late in the sequence. Plumbing and electrical points are roughed in first, then walls are plastered, floors tiled, ceilings closed and the first coat of paint applied. Cabinets go in after that, with final paint touch-ups and silicone at the end.

Decide early whether the floor will be tiled under the cabinets or only up to the plinth line. Tiling the whole floor costs a little more, but it makes future changes easy and protects against leaks.

Air-conditioning, ceiling lights and the hood duct must also be coordinated before ceilings close. Ask your builder for a simple schedule showing when each trade finishes in the kitchen area, so measurement and installation dates are realistic from the start. It also shows when the tiler and electrician return for final details, so they do not clash with the installers.

Koh Samui's heaviest rain usually falls between October and December, unlike Phuket and Pattaya where the main rainy season comes earlier. During those months rough seas can delay or cancel ferry crossings, and wet roads make deliveries to hillside sites harder.

If your target date falls in or just after that period, build in some buffer and try to have cabinets delivered before the weather turns. Above all, the villa must be weathertight before the kitchen arrives: windows and doors fitted, the roof complete and no gaps where rain can blow in.

New plaster and floor screed also hold a lot of water. Cabinets installed against damp walls can swell or grow mould, so give fresh walls time to dry, and run air-conditioning or a dehumidifier in the room for a while beforehand if possible.

Most delays come from missing information rather than from the workshop. Cabinets cannot be finalised until the exact appliance models are fixed, because built-in ovens, integrated fridges, hobs and sinks all need precise cut-outs and niches.

Confirm each appliance model number, check it is actually available, and decide whether you will buy on the island or have it delivered from Bangkok. If a model is discontinued after drawings are approved, the cabinet around it may have to change.

Choose handles, tap and sink at the same time as the fronts, and look at finish samples on site in daylight. Colours that look neutral in a city showroom can appear warmer or cooler under strong island light, and changing your mind after production starts is the most common source of delay.

A few days before installation, check that the room is truly ready. Power should be on, water connected or safely capped at the agreed points, floors finished and protected, and walls painted at least once. Remove other trades' materials so installers have clear space.

Make sure there is a clear, covered route from the road to the kitchen, and that someone with keys will be on site each day. On larger villas, agree where installers can park and where packaging and offcuts will be collected.

If anything changed since measurement, such as a moved socket, a new window frame or a thicker wall finish, tell us before installation day rather than on it. A short call and a few photos the week before often save a return trip, which on an island can mean waiting for the next available slot. Send us your build schedule and we will suggest the right moment to measure.