Remodeling Timelines: When Will You Get Your Kitchen Back?

There are costs to consider, as well as dozens of decisions to make in a kitchen remodel—what kind of lighting, cabinets, appliances, flooring, and so on. But a few weeks in everyone wonders why they didn’t spend more time talking about timelines.

The question rears its head: “When do I get my kitchen back?”

An important point to remember is that you’re not exactly getting your kitchen back—this is a new kitchen after all… and making that happen takes time.

To even begin to answer the question of how long a kitchen remodel takes, a lot of other questions have to be addressed. What’s the scope of the project? Are we talking a coat of paint and a few new appliances, or are we talking custom cabinets and countertops, rewiring for new lighting, changes to the plumbing, and so forth? What permits and inspections are required?

And remember, much of any remodeling timeline will be filled with planning and designing well before you lose your kitchen to the actual demolition and construction.

To help you know what to expect during your upcoming remodel, here’s a general breakdown of a typical timeline for a kitchen remodel.

· Weeks 1-2. Do your homework. Figure out which area builder fits your needs and your budget. Secure their services.

· Weeks 3-6. Time to turn in your homework. Plan the job. Select your appliances, fixtures and so forth. Work with your remodeling firm to design the layout… keep your budget in mind while making sure your choices and your builder can meet your needs.

· Weeks 7-10. Sign the contract and make sure you have all necessary permits. You or your builder should go ahead and place orders for any materials that might take a while to secure (some homeowners prefer to buy fixtures and appliances themselves; others let the contractor to handle this… the pros and cons of each are a post for another time). While you’re waiting for a crew to become available to begin demolition, make sure you’ve given plenty of thought to surviving without a functioning kitchen. Plan your at-home meals (and dinners out) accordingly. Microwaves and mini-fridges come in handy. Ah, college life all over again.

· Week 11. Demolition. The faint of heart will want to avert their eyes. Demo usually goes quickly as long as there are no surprises (asbestos in older homes can slow things down a bit, so might issues like mold).

· Week 12. Reframing, rewiring, changes in plumbing… time for all the things that can’t happen with intact walls.

· Week 13-14. Install flooring and drywall. This might not take both weeks if you’re keeping your old flooring or if there aren’t many changes to your wall layout.

· Week 15-18. Finally it’s time to install all of the appliances, custom cabinets, countertops, tiles, etc. that you painstakingly pored over in those first weeks. Your old kitchen is weeks gone now, but your new one is beginning to rear its head.

· Week 19. Touch ups. Make sure any scuffs and scratches during the installation period are all fixed and take care of the little details. It’s time to move back in!

· Week 20. Time to eat in your own kitchen again!

This is a doable and fairly typical schedule, but it’s by no means an exact timetable. It might take you longer to settle on appliances; the countertops you ordered might get stuck on backorder. Demo may fly by, letting you get new walls framed faster than your builder planned on. Any number of things can slow down or speed up your remodel. Keep in mind also that the more complex the plans, the more likely it is that something will pop up and hold you up.

Back to our original question… when will you get your kitchen back? The answer depends on a lot of variables. Rule of thumb, plan on at least 8-10 weeks—from demo to installations—without a finished kitchen. You might find yourself dining in a not-quite complete kitchen in the final week or two, while touch ups and details are tended to. But with thorough planning and a little luck, you’ll be back to home cooking before you know it!