The oven is the enclosed appliance that bakes, roasts and grills, heating food inside a closed cavity rather than in pans on top. In most UK kitchens it is a separate appliance from the hob, built into a tall housing at eye level or fitted under the worktop, and it drops into its own housing unit.

Ovens are usually electric, most with a fan that moves hot air around for even cooking on several shelves at once. Beyond plain baking they add features like grilling, steam and self cleaning. The common size is a 60cm wide cavity, with compact 45cm high models used for combination and steam ovens.

The fridge keeps food cold and fresh, and in most kitchens it is paired with a freezer in a single appliance, a fridge freezer. It is one of the few things in a kitchen running all day every day, so how efficient and reliable it is matters more than for anything else.

Fridges come in several formats, from a unit built under the worktop, to a tall freestanding or integrated model, to a wide American style. Modern ones add frost free freezing and fresh zones that keep produce longer. Because it runs constantly, the energy rating has a real effect on running costs.

The extractor, or cooker hood, clears steam, grease and cooking smells from the air above the hob. It sits over the hob and either ducts the air outside through a vent, or filters it and sends clean air back into the room. It keeps the kitchen fresher and stops grease settling on surfaces and units.

Extractors work in one of two ways, ducted out to an outside wall, which clears the most, or recirculating through a charcoal filter where no outside route is possible. Performance is measured by the extraction rate in cubic metres an hour, and the hood should match the width of the hob and how much you cook.

The dishwasher washes and dries dishes automatically, plumbed into the kitchen's water and waste. It takes a cold feed and drains into the sink trap, the connection covered under the plumbing element, so it usually sits right next to the sink to keep those runs short.

It fits into a standard 600mm space, or a narrower 450mm slimline one, and can be hidden behind a matching cabinet door. Dishwashers are measured by how many place settings they hold, how quiet they are in decibels, and their energy rating.

The hob is the cooking surface set into the worktop, where pans are heated for everything from boiling and frying to simmering. It sits over a base unit, usually with a drawer or an oven below, and comes as a self contained unit that drops into a cut out in the worktop. In most UK kitchens the hob and the oven are separate appliances, so the hob is just the top surface, with the oven a separate element below or elsewhere.

Hobs differ mainly in how they make heat, from a gas flame to electric elements to induction, and this decides the look, the running cost, the pans you can use and the power or gas supply needed. They come in a range of widths, most often 600mm for four zones and up to 900mm for five or more, in black glass, ceramic or stainless steel.

The tap is where water is delivered at the sink, usually a single fitting that blends hot and cold through one spout. It sits on the sink ledge or the worktop just behind the bowl, fed from the hot and cold supplies below through flexible connectors, and it is in use constantly, so it needs to feel good to use and stand up to years of daily handling.

Taps range from a simple mixer up to all in one taps that also give filtered, chilled, sparkling or instant boiling water. They come in a choice of finishes, from chrome and brushed steel to black, brass and gold, and mount either on the sink or through the worktop. The type and any extra features decide what goes on below, since filtered and boiling taps need a filter or a heating tank in the cabinet.

The plumbing is everything behind and below the sink that brings water in and takes it away. Two supplies rise up to the sink area, a hot and a cold, usually in copper pipe, and each has an isolation valve so it can be shut off on its own for work on the tap or an appliance. The main stopcock, which turns off the whole cold supply to the house, normally sits on the cold pipe under the kitchen sink.

From the supplies, flexible hoses feed the tap with hot and cold, and a separate cold feed runs to the dishwasher, which heats its own water and so needs no hot supply. On the waste side, a white plastic pipe carries water away through a trap, the U bend that holds a plug of water to stop drain smells coming back up, and the dishwasher drains into that same trap. The sink's own overflow ties in here too, guarding against the bowl overfilling.

The sink is the bowl set into or under the worktop where washing up, food prep and filling pans all happen. It is one of the most used items in the whole kitchen, so it has to be tough, easy to clean and sized to suit how the kitchen is used. It sits over its own sink base unit, takes the tap and the waste, and connects down to the plumbing below.

Sinks come in a few materials, mainly stainless steel, composite made from crushed granite or quartz bound in resin, and ceramic, and in different bowl layouts, from a single large bowl to a bowl and a half or a double, with or without a drainer. The material and the bowl layout are usually chosen alongside the mounting type, which is the main thing that decides how the sink meets the worktop.

A worktop is the horizontal work surface that sits on top of the base units and runs the length of the kitchen. It is the main surface you prepare food and work on, so it has to stand up to water, heat, knocks and stains day after day. It also takes the cut outs for the sink and hob, and ties the run of units together into one continuous top.

Worktops are made from a range of materials, from budget laminate to natural stone, and the choice sets the look, the cost and how much care it needs. Whatever the material, the worktop is fixed down onto the base units and usually sits around 600mm deep so it overhangs the doors slightly, with an upstand or splashback sealing the join at the wall.

A worktop is the horizontal work surface that sits on top of the base units and runs the length of the kitchen. It is the main surface you prepare food and work on, so it has to stand up to water, heat, knocks and stains day after day. It also takes the cut outs for the sink and hob, and ties the run of units together into one continuous top.

Worktops are made from a range of materials, from budget laminate to natural stone, and the choice sets the look, the cost and how much care it needs. Whatever the material, the worktop is fixed down onto the base units and usually sits around 600mm deep so it overhangs the doors slightly, with an upstand or splashback sealing the join at the wall.

A base unit is the floor standing cabinet that forms the lower tier of a kitchen and carries the worktop. It is a simple box, known as the carcass, usually built from 18mm melamine faced chipboard (MFC), with two side panels, a base, a back panel and a rail across the top that the worktop sits on. The standard UK carcass height is 720mm, and the unit stands on four adjustable legs of around 150mm, so the finished worktop lands at a comfortable working height of roughly 890 to 910mm.

Carcasses either come rigid, assembled at the factory, or flat packed for building on site. The side panels are drilled with a line of holes at 32mm centres, the System 32 standard, which take the pins the shelves rest on and provide fixing points for the hinges and drawer runners. Doors hang on concealed hinges and drawers run on concealed runners, both of which can be adjusted once the unit is fitted.

A door frame is the structural lining that forms the opening for a door within a wall. It is typically made from timber or metal and is fixed into the surrounding wall structure before the door leaf is installed. The frame consists of vertical jambs and a head, forming a rigid opening sized to receive the door. It is usually installed early in the construction sequence, fixed to masonry or studwork, and later finished with linings, architraves, or other trims.

Note that it is structural only in the sense that it supports the door leaf - the structural opening within the wall does not depend on anything within it for its stability.

An architrave is a decorative trim fixed around a door frame (or window frame) to cover the joint between the frame and the adjacent wall finish, which would otherwise look messy because the frame is smaller than the opening so leaves gaps. It is typically made from timber, MDF, or occasionally plastic or metal, and is installed after the wall has been finished (e.g. plastered or plasterboarded).

It is usually supplied as a profiled section of timber. The profile/design itself will vary depending on the desired look of the door as a whole. More detailed profiling will create a more traditional look, simpler architraves usually look more modern.

A deflection head is a detail at the top of a metal stud wall that allows movement of the structure above without transferring that movement into the partition. This would otherwise happen over time and cause cracking in the plaster and paintwork. It typically consists of a head track fixed to the soffit (e.g. underside of slab or beam), with studs installed short of the structure to create a small gap. The plasterboard lining is also stopped short of the structure, maintaining this gap.

This detail is commonly used where vertical movement is expected, such as in multi-storey buildings, to prevent damage to the wall.

Pattressing refers to a piece of solid timber board installed within a stud wall to provide a secure fixing point for heavier items such as shelves, TVs, or heavy picture frames that will later be attached to the wall. Pattressing is installed during the wall construction stage, before the plasterboard is fixed. Once the wall is finished, the pattress is concealed behind the lining but provides a strong backing for fixings.

Noggings refers to short horizontal pieces of timber or metal installed between vertical studs within a stud wall to prevent twisting and add rigidty to the studs. They are typically fixed between studs at set heights during the framing stage. In metal stud systems, equivalent components may be purpose-made bridging sections or track pieces. Nogging is installed before wall linings such as plasterboard and is usually concealed within the wall once complete.

These terms are sometimes used interchangably, but typically pattressing is formed from sheets of timber wheras noggins are lengths of timber or metal.

Sockets and switches are electrical fittings used to provide power and control to lighting and appliances within a building. They are typically installed within walls and consist of a back box recessed into the wall and a visible faceplate fixed to the front.

The back box houses the electrical connections and is installed within the wall construction, often within metal or timber stud partitions. The faceplate is then fixed to the back box once the wall finish is complete, providing the final user interface.

These elements form part of the building’s electrical system and must be coordinated with the wall construction and other services.

Acoustic insulation is a soft, fibrous material installed within walls, floors, or ceilings to reduce the transmission of sound between spaces. It is most commonly made from mineral wool (glass wool or stone wool), although other materials may also be used.

In internal walls, acoustic insulation is typically placed within the cavity between metal or timber studs. It is friction-fitted between the studs and held in place without the need for mechanical fixings. The material is usually supplied in rolls or semi-rigid slabs.

Skirting and coving are internal trim elements used to finish the junctions between building surfaces. Skirting is fixed at the base of walls where they meet the floor, while coving is installed at the junction between walls and ceilings.

They are typically made from materials such as timber, MDF, plaster, or polymer-based products. Both are supplied in linear lengths and fixed to the wall or ceiling using adhesives, nails, or screws depending on the material and substrate.

These elements are primarily used to create a neat visual transition between surfaces and to conceal small gaps or imperfections at junctions.

Plasterboard is a sheet material used to form internal wall and ceiling linings. It is typically made from a gypsum core sandwiched between layers of paper, forming rigid boards that can be fixed to timber or metal framing.

Boards are cut to size on site and mechanically fixed to studs, joists, or other supporting structures. Joints between boards are taped and filled to create a smooth surface ready for decoration. Plasterboard is widely used because it is quick to install, relatively lightweight, and provides a consistent internal finish.

Metal studs are lightweight steel sections used to form the internal structure of partition walls. They are typically made from cold-formed galvanised steel and are installed vertically between horizontal tracks fixed to the floor and ceiling.

The studs create a frame onto which linings such as plasterboard are fixed. The void within the frame is often used to accommodate insulation and building services. Metal stud systems are widely used as an alternative to timber stud walls due to their consistency, speed of installation, and dimensional stability.