Kitchen plumbing is the element of a kitchen renovation that everything else depends on — and the one where getting the sequence wrong creates the most expensive problems to put right. Supply connections need to be in the correct positions before units are fitted. Waste needs to exit at the right gradient before worktops go on. Appliance connections need to be roughed in at first fix and completed at second fix once the kitchen is in. Attempt any of these in the wrong order or in the wrong positions and the consequences range from awkward to extremely costly once the kitchen is installed and the room is finished.
At Medway Plumbing, we manage the complete plumbing scope on kitchen renovations and new kitchen installations across Medway and the surrounding north Kent area. We work as part of a coordinated team alongside builders, electricians and kitchen fitters — or as the plumbing-only contractor where other trades are being managed separately. Either way, the kitchen plumbing is planned correctly before first fix begins, carried out to the right standard, and ready when the next trade needs it.
Medway’s kitchen renovation market spans a wide range. Post-war semis across Twydall, Hempstead and Wigmore where original kitchens are being replaced and ground floor layouts opened up for the first time. The larger detached properties of Rainham and the surrounding villages where higher-specification kitchen installations are the norm. The Victorian and Edwardian terraces of central Gillingham, Chatham and Rochester where kitchen plumbing needs careful assessment before any first fix work begins. We bring the right approach to each. Get in touch to discuss your project.
First fix is the stage where supply and waste pipework is positioned before units, worktops and wall finishes go in. For a kitchen renovation in Medway, this typically means capping off and repositioning the existing hot and cold supply to the sink, roughing in the waste connection for the new sink position, and providing connections for any appliances — dishwasher, washing machine, American fridge freezer — that are being added or relocated as part of the new layout. We work from the confirmed kitchen plan before starting first fix so that every connection emerges in exactly the right position relative to the cabinet layout. On Medway’s post-war housing stock where kitchen layouts are often being comprehensively reconfigured for the first time, getting the first fix positions right before plastering begins is the difference between a clean second fix connection and a problem that requires remedial work once the room is finished.
The kitchen sink involves more plumbing than any other single element in the room — supply connections for hot and cold, the waste and overflow system, and in many kitchens across Medway’s mid-to-upper housing market, additional fittings including boiling water taps, filtered water taps and instant hot water units. We install kitchen sinks and waste systems across all sink types — undermount sinks in stone and quartz worktops that require precise positioning during worktop fabrication, Belfast and butler sinks that need correctly specified trap arrangements, and standard inset sinks in laminate and timber worktops. The waste system needs to be correctly graded from the trap to the stack — a waste run that is too flat drains slowly and creates ongoing blockage problems. We get the gradient right as a matter of course.
A modern Medway kitchen typically contains multiple plumbed appliances — dishwasher, washing machine or washer-dryer, American fridge freezer with water and ice, and in some cases a wine cooler, instant hot water tap or water softener. Each requires supply and waste connections in the right position relative to the cabinet layout, provided at first fix and completed at second fix once the kitchen is installed. We provide all appliance connections at both stages — roughing in at first fix and completing the final connection once each appliance is in position. We advise at the planning stage on what connections each appliance requires and where they need to be positioned so there are no gaps between what has been provided and what is needed when the kitchen is delivered and fitted.
Kitchen extensions and open-plan ground floor conversions are among the most consistently requested projects across Medway’s post-war housing stock — opening up the divided ground floor to create a connected kitchen and living space that the original layout did not provide. In both cases the plumbing scope is more involved than a standard kitchen renovation. Supply and waste need to be extended to a new position, and where the extension is at the rear of the property, the waste route needs to be confirmed before any structural or building work begins. On Medway’s clay-heavy subsoils in the lower-lying areas towards the estuary and the Gillingham waterfront, underground waste runs need careful design to ensure correct falls are maintained. We plan the kitchen plumbing as part of the wider project design — not as an afterthought once structural decisions have already been made.
Kitchen plumbing planned and carried out correctly is invisible — supply and waste connections in exactly the right positions, appliances that work from day one, a waste system that drains cleanly and quietly. Kitchen plumbing done poorly creates problems that are expensive to resolve once units and worktops are in place. We plan the scope before first fix, carry out the work to the right standard, and return for second fix at the right stage so the kitchen programme runs without plumbing causing delays or rework.
We work alongside kitchen fitters, builders and electricians as a coordinated package or as the plumbing-only contractor on projects where other trades are managed separately.
Gillingham and surrounds — Twydall, Hempstead, Wigmore, Rainham, Parkwood, Lordswood
Chatham and Rochester — Chatham, Rochester, Strood, Walderslade, Luton, Wayfield
Sittingbourne corridor — Sittingbourne, Newington, Bredhurst, Hartlip, Lower Halstow, Teynham
Maidstone fringe — Maidstone, Boxley, Detling, Bearsted, Hollingbourne, Stockbury
If your emergency boiler breakdown reveals that the boiler has reached the end of its working life and repair is no longer economical, we handle the complete replacement process. We install boilers from all major manufacturers across the Medway Towns including Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, Baxi, and Ideal. We assess your property’s requirements and recommend the right boiler for your size, demand, and budget. Every installation includes Gas Safe certification, benchmark commissioning, and manufacturer warranty registration. A new boiler ends the cycle of repeated breakdowns and emergency call-outs on an appliance that’s costing you more in repairs than replacement would.
If your plumbing emergency has highlighted wider problems with the bathroom — corroded pipework behind the panel, waste connections that are barely holding together, or a suite that’s been leaking slowly for months beneath the surface — a proper bathroom renovation addresses everything permanently. We carry out complete bathroom installations across the Medway Towns, handling first fix plumbing, waste routing, waterproofing, tiling, and sanitaryware fitting. Sometimes an emergency is the catalyst for the bathroom upgrade you’ve been putting off. We can quote for the renovation during the emergency visit.
If a heating emergency reveals broader system problems — radiators that are full of sludge, pipework that’s corroding, or a system that’s been underperforming for years before the acute failure — we diagnose the full picture and advise on the most proportionate solution. We install, repair, and maintain central heating systems across the Medway Towns, covering radiator replacements, power flushing, valve fitting, and complete system upgrades. Addressing the underlying system condition after an emergency prevents the same type of failure recurring and improves the system’s performance going forward.
Planning a kitchen renovation in Medway? Get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote from an experienced local plumbing team.