What is a
service drawing?
The document that stops your plumber and your kitchen disagreeing about where things go.
The short answer
A service drawing is a dimensioned plan showing exactly where every plumbing point, waste, power outlet and appliance connection needs to land before the cabinetry is installed — it is what a plumber and electrician rough in from, so services end up exactly where the finished kitchen needs them rather than a rushed guess made after the cabinets are already in.
Why it has to come before the trades, not after
Moving a water point or an outlet before the wall is finished costs very little; moving it after the cabinetry is in and the wall is closed up is expensive and often means opening a finished surface. A service drawing exists to make that decision once, correctly, at the point it is nearly free to change.
What it typically shows
Every sink, dishwasher and waste connection with its exact position, power outlets for every appliance including ones not yet purchased, water points for a fridge or coffee machine, and rangehood ducting where relevant. On a supply-only job it is the single most important document your builder's trades receive — see how to get a supplied kitchen installed for how it fits into the sequence.
Kitchen & cabinetry glossary
More in this series: What is a cabinet carcass? · What is a kickboard? · What is a scribe piece? · What is edge banding? · What is a full-extension runner? · Soft-close hinges explained · What is a handleless kitchen? · What is a waterfall benchtop edge? · What is a mitred join? · What is a kitchen splashback? · What does "supply only" mean? · What is a tall pantry unit? · What is a corner carousel? · What is a blind corner cabinet? · Push-to-open hardware explained · What is moisture-resistant board? · What is an overhead cabinet?.
Frequently asked
Common questions
If your question is not here, call the studio. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
Ask us directly →Who uses a service drawing?
Your plumber and electrician, primarily, to rough in water, waste and power before the cabinetry arrives. Your builder or installer also references it to confirm the cabinetry lands where the services already are.
Do I get a service drawing with a flat pack order?
Yes — every quote includes a dimensioned service drawing alongside the cabinetry drawing, whether the kitchen is ordered flat pack or delivered assembled.
What happens if trades work without one?
Services get roughed in to a guess, which is one of the most common and expensive mistakes on a supply-only job — a waste point in the wrong spot after the wall is finished is a real repair, not a small adjustment.
Delivered assembled
The assembly is done
before it arrives.
Carcasses built square on a bench, Blum hardware fitted, doors hung and adjusted to even gaps. On site you are fixing finished cabinets to a wall, not building them on the floor. Our own team fits it in Central Queensland; your installer fits it anywhere else in Australia. Prefer to build it yourself? The same kitchen ships flat pack.
Concrete-look doors, matte black hardware
Handleless rail on an assembled run
Long island, one delivery
Put it to use
Reading is one thing.
Your room is another.
Send us your dimensions and we will tell you what actually works in your space — and what it costs. Free, fixed, and yours to keep either way.