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Plan the kitchen before the walls are final, not after you get the keys. In a new Israeli apartment, the position of water, drainage and electrical points is set early. The sooner your list of needs reaches the kitchen company, the more freely the design can lead and the infrastructure can follow. For a religious family, that list starts with separate meat and dairy zones. It also covers Shabbat equipment, appliance choices and a rabbinic check on the details.
This guide walks through the decisions in the order they usually come up when you buy from a developer.
Most families buying a new apartment spend months on the neighborhood and the floor plan, then very little time on the kitchen until the developer’s deadline for choices arrives. That is the costly order. According to Israeli economic press coverage of contractor-apartment changes, planning a kitchen should begin as early as possible, ideally before construction or before the walls are finalized, because modifications after construction are significantly more expensive.
The same source advises preparing a list of household and kitchen needs, including appliances and storage, and bringing it to the kitchen company before the electrical and water infrastructure work. Submit your requested changes early.
Professional kitchen planners add a useful point. The best results come when the design plan decides where the infrastructure goes, rather than the owner squeezing a design into utility points that are already fixed, as one Israeli kitchen planning guide puts it. In a kosher kitchen this matters even more, because you are adding a second sink, a second oven and extra outlets that a standard plan does not include.
If you are still comparing projects, our overview of why new construction suits many buyers in Israel explains when in the purchase timeline these choices open up. The article on what counts as new construction is also useful.
Before anyone draws a layout, write down answers to a few plain questions:
The last question decides much of the budget, so settle it first. Communities and rabbis differ on what is required and what is only convenient. For example, a Canadian kashrut organization notes that two sinks and separate working areas are convenient but not essential. It says a single sink can be used after thorough cleaning, with separate dish pans and slightly raised racks for meat and dairy. Your rabbi may rule more strictly or more leniently. Ask before you spend.
Separation is the principle that should guide every decision, from plumbing to cabinet placement. A kitchen design guide makes the point that a kosher project differs fundamentally from a standard one for this reason.
Halachic guidance from an Israeli kashrut consulting body is to plan large work surfaces for meat and dairy on both sides of the sink. It also advises two separate sinks, preferably in different areas of the kitchen.
In a typical new apartment kitchen, which is often a single wall plus a return or a modest L-shape, a second sink is the hardest element to place. Two things help:
If your rabbi allows a single sink, you free up space and budget. Then the layout depends on dish pans, racks and clear counter zones.
The Israeli guidance above calls for two separate ovens, or a dual-compartment oven with no steam transfer between the compartments. Whichever you choose, ask the supplier for the approval document for that exact model. A guide on kosher kitchens with a combined oven recommends requesting an approval that identifies the specific model or version and reading its conditions. It also recommends giving the professionals the selected model’s drawing, so connections and ventilation are coordinated.
Dishwashers vary by household. Some families run two, some run one with strict separation of loads, and some use a dedicated one for Pesach. Decide with your rabbi, then reserve the cabinet space and the water and drain connection before the cabinets are ordered.
Plan separate meat and dairy drawers for cutlery and cooking utensils, along with separate dish-drying racks, as the Israeli guidance above recommends. Beyond that, a kosher kitchen needs more storage than a standard one. A UK trade review advises allowing space for duplicate small appliances, dishes and utensils, as well as separate work surfaces, sinks, ovens and refrigerators. It also recommends non-porous worktop materials.
A few practical ways to get there:
A custom kitchen is planned around the home’s actual measurements and can use every centimeter. That matters when you need to fit two of nearly everything into a modest footprint.
This is where families most often discover something missing after move-in. Based on a home-design feature on a practical holiday kitchen, plan for these three things:
Refrigerators deserve their own line in the plan. An Israeli appliance retailer’s guide for observant couples explains that the choice is not only about capacity. The unit should also have Shabbat-compliant features that prevent electrical activation by the user on Shabbat or a holiday.
If you are replacing appliances from an earlier home, you will have old units to dispose of. A service that hauls used appliances away can save you a trip, but arrange it for after the new kitchen is working, not before.
For wider Shabbat questions in the purchase itself, such as elevators, stairs and floor position, see our guide to Sabbath considerations when house hunting. Many families also plan the sukkah balcony in the same conversation as the kitchen, because the two spaces often connect.
Before you approve the plan, check the physical constraints against the list below.
| Check | Why it matters in a kosher kitchen |
|---|---|
| Counter length | Two full work zones need more run than one. Measure before you commit to a second sink or a dual oven. |
| Drain and water points | A second sink or a second dishwasher needs its own connections. Add them before the floor is finished. |
| Electrical outlets | Duplicate small appliances, a warming plate and a urn all need power. Plan outlets for the appliances you will use. |
| Cooktop power | Electric cooktops are typically specified with a three-phase supply, so confirm with the electrician for your model. |
| Ventilation | Warming plates and combined ovens need airflow. Pass the selected model’s drawing to the installers. |
| Refrigerator position | Choose a spot with easy access that does not block the work triangle. |
| Appliance dimensions | Size the cabinets to the chosen models, not to a generic width. |
On the last point, the kitchen planning guide cited earlier notes that appliances should be chosen before production, since their dimensions determine cabinet sizes. Changes after production begins may require some parts to be remade.
A kosher kitchen involves several parties. Sequence matters more than any one of them.
If the developer’s choices window is short, do the rabbi and appliance steps first. They cost nothing to ask and shape everything after.
We work with families who buy new homes in Beit Shemesh and nearby, and the kitchen is the room where our clients most often wish they had started sooner. The pattern is consistent. Families spend their energy on the building and the neighborhood, then meet the developer’s choices schedule with a kitchen that is still an idea.
Our advice is to treat the kitchen as part of the purchase decision, not an afterthought to it. When you compare projects, ask what the developer allows you to change, and when. A project that gives you room to move water and power points is worth more to a family that needs two zones than a slightly larger living room.
We also encourage buyers to write their needs down and bring them to their rabbi first. The right answer on sinks and ovens is the one your household will keep for years, and it is cheapest to settle on paper. Our broader pieces on what kosher real estate means for families and new developments for religious families cover the wider picture.
— Spiros
Location inside the building can affect your kitchen plan too. Floor, orientation and proximity to stairs or an elevator all touch daily and Shabbat routines. Our guide to choosing a location in the building sets out what to weigh. If you are new to buying here, how to navigate Israeli real estate and the homebuyer’s guide to property development in Israel give the background on timelines and stages.
We help families and investors find new developments in Beit Shemesh and the surrounding area, with concierge guidance through each stage of the purchase, including the early questions about what can be customized and when. If you are weighing projects and want to know which ones fit a kosher kitchen plan, start with our concierge project guidance. You can also browse current projects such as Neve Amim and Eucalyptus.
Not always. Israeli halachic guidance recommends two sinks, preferably in different areas, but a Canadian kashrut source says a single sink may be used after complete cleaning, with separate dish pans and slightly raised racks. Ask your own rabbi, because the answer depends on your household’s practice.
As early as you can, ideally before construction or before the walls are finalized. Changes after construction are significantly more expensive. Bring your needs list to the kitchen company before electrical and water infrastructure work begins.
A stable, ventilated place for a warming plate, a safe spot with a proper outlet for a hot-water urn, and easy access to a refrigerator with a Shabbat clock or dedicated switch. Check with your rabbi about the models you plan to use.
It is risky. Appliance dimensions set the cabinet sizes, and changes after production starts may mean remaking some parts. Choose the models first and send their drawings to the designer and installers.