How Long Does a Kitchen Remodel Take? A Basic Guide

An average kitchen remodel can cost anywhere from $12,000 to $30,000. And that’s just financial cost. Nobody ever talks about opportunity cost when they’re managing remodels and given how long a remodel can take, those costs can be steep.

So then, how long does a kitchen remodel take? That’s a question we aim to address in this post.

Understand that kitchen remodel timelines vary substantially from project to project. After all, remodeling a kitchen could mean just changing cabinets and floors or it could mean making structural changes to your kitchen.

Below, we share some broad guidelines that will help you better estimate the time scope of your upcoming remodel. Keep reading to fulfill your need to know!

How Long Does a Kitchen Remodel Take

  1. Plan and Hire a Contractor

The planning and hiring phase of your kitchen remodel can take as little as a week or as long as years. It all depends on how quickly you can put together a rough vision in your head of how you’d like your kitchen to look, how fast you can commit to your remodel, and how lucky you get with finding contractors.

When looking for contractors, be sure to lean on reviews to determine their efficacy. There are many fly-by-night contractors out there that can bring more trouble than value.

  1. Design Your Kitchen

With the help of your contractor, you’ll take anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks to actually design your kitchen. This design process is usually done in a modeling/sketch program so you and your team can visualize the final product.

Also Read: Beautify Your Kitchen With These Ideas

You must design your kitchen with oversight from your contractor so they can opine on how your design will affect your kitchen’s cost.

  1. Order Items

Depending on your design, you may not be able to pick up everything you need from Home Depot. If that’s the case for your project, plan on 1 month to order hard-to-find pieces and wait for them to arrive.

If everything you need can be found at a local home store, attaining items might only take you 1 to 3 days.

  1. Demolition Work

Demolition work timelines will substantially affect your “how long does a kitchen remodel take” answer. Furthermore, demo work timing will vary depending on the degree of demo required.

Are you just knocking out cabinets or are you trying to move walls? Do you need to work with a kitchen and bathroom remodeling expert to re-route plumbing?

Plan anywhere from 1 day to 1 month to get your demo needs in order.

  1. Installs

With your kitchen destroyed and ready to be built back up, it’s time to sweep and do some installs. Again, depending on the number of appliances you need to be installed, your kitchen remodels timeline will vary on this front.

On average, people take about 2 weeks to complete all of their installs.

  1. Finishing Work

Things like doing a deep clean, throwing paint on walls and cabinets, and replacing chalking comprise finishing work. Plan on about 3 days for this.

Once your finishing work is finished, so is your kitchen!

How Long Does a Kitchen Remodel Take?

The age-old question of how long does a kitchen remodel takes has no definitive answer. We hope that the line-items and estimates we’ve walked you through though enable you to create some sort of rough timeline in your head so you can understand how long your kitchen will require your attention.

For more guidance on your next remodel or smaller home project, explore additional real estate pieces on our blog.