This is an important question that everyone asks during the kitchen remodeling process. You have finally decided that your kitchen needs work, but how do you know how long it’s going to disrupt your life?
When is the best time to remodel your kitchen?
Knowing how long it could take could help you make adjustments to your lifestyle and plan for a smooth transition.
The average kitchen remodel takes six months; that’s three months of planning and designing, and three months of labor.
Due to our newly pandemic world, I would even suggest this takes longer now.
The Kitchen Remodeling Timeline
You are first going to start with planning and designing and organizing your kitchen remodel. This could take 3-6 months and we’ll dive deeper into the details later.
But then the real work begins…
It fits roughly into about a three-month schedule.
- Demolition will take a few days or longer if you are changing structural components of your home.
- The rough-in of utilities will take 2 to 5 days to complete but working with the electricians and plumbers schedule, it could take up to 2 weeks of your timeline.
- Drywall could take 2 to 3 days or up to 7 days depending on how many walls and how much ceiling needs to be prepped.
- Painting will also take 2 to 3 days.
- Flooring will take 1 to 2 days but it will depend on how large of flooring is needed.
- Cabinet installation, again, dependent on size of kitchen, will take 2 to 4 days if installed by a professional. (Longer if you are installing it by yourself.)
- Once cabinets are in place you can have your counter top manufacturer come out and measure for your counter top.
- While your counter top is being fabricated, which can take 1 to 4 weeks, you can focus on your built-in appliances (if you have any) and any light fixtures that need to be installed.
- It will take 1 to 2 days to install the counter tops.
- 1 day to measure for your back splash.
- Installing the rest of the appliances should only take a day.
- 1 to 2 days to install back splash.
- Finishing touches, 1 to 3 days after that.
Factors that make the kitchen remodeling process longer
There are many variables that play into how long it could take, the most common components include the size of the kitchen, the amount of changes being made to the existing structure, and how comfortable you are with your decisions.
Other variables include the contractor’s schedule, the time of year, the weather, and whether your chosen items are in stock.
Why does the size of my kitchen matter in kitchen remodeling?
The majority of information on the web will tell you that the size of your kitchen if the most important factor in how long your kitchen remodel will take. The size of your kitchen will also directly correlate with your budget size too.
The larger your kitchen, the more work, plain and simple.
In a large kitchen, you have ample space for cabinets and one or even two kitchen islands. But large kitchens also require more electrical cords, more electrical boxes, more lighting, more flooring, more of everything.
Layout changes can drastically add cost and length to your kitchen remodeling project.
And maybe it’s justified.
Changing your existing layout can create a more efficient and comfortable space for your family.
If your kitchen is small, knocking down a wall could be a solution.
Maybe, your work triangle is too small or too large, a new layout could alleviate your footstep problem. For example, you could move your stove to another area of your kitchen and spread out your triangle. Or you could move a refrigerator to a different wall so that your triangle doesn’t make you go around your island.
Another common thing I see in newer homes is having your kitchen sink in your island. This would enhance your dishwashing experience greatly if you currently stare at a wall.
While cumbersome, changing your layout might be worth it to you.
Changing your mind on any of your decisions can impact your kitchen remodeling timeline.
Give yourself at least 3-6 months to plan. And enough time to decide on each component of your kitchen so you can be comfortable with your decisions.
Making changes to your initial decisions, especially after already ordering your items, will greatly increase how long it will take to remodel your home. For example, you may have to redo work that’s already been done or you may have to wait for new items to be made and shipped.
When and how you get your product will factor into the length of your kitchen remodel.
Be sure to give yourself enough time to order your products.
Obviously, in stock items can be shipped to your house right away.
But, depending on how CUSTOM you design your kitchen will determine how fast you will receive your items after ordering them. For example, custom cabinets could take 8 to 10 weeks to build. Semi-custom cabinets could take 4 to 8 weeks to build. And ready-made cabinets could be sent to your home in 2 to 3 days.
Also, stone and tile products need a lot of time. I have personally found that the tile you like could be what everyone else likes too, and you’ll have to wait your turn. Hopefully the backsplash YOU choose, will be in stock.
Ordering cabinets ahead of time, buying light fixtures, and deciding on your tile before demolition can greatly reduce how long it takes to remodel your kitchen.
You can also open all the shipped boxes and make sure nothing is damaged.
How to find the perfect time to remodel your kitchen?
There is no perfect time to remodel your kitchen; it will cause a mess in your home and disrupt your life.
Your timing should be based on your life events. Did you just start a new job and cannot take work off? Do you have a newborn (that should not live in a work zone?) Are your kids in school? (which in my opinion, is better.) Do you have the time and the money during this period of the year to take on this remodel?
If you plan ahead, you can get an amazing contractor during your ideal time frame.
However, if it’s busy season, and you are just getting quotes from contractors, you may need to adjust your own schedule to fit with your desired contractor’s schedule. Geographically, busy season can be different. So, I’ll just give an example from my part of the country, in the upper Midwest, contractors are busiest when there is no snow on the ground. But so far in 2022, contractors are busy all the time!
Which brings me to weather, which also plays a role in timing of your remodel. Bad weather can cause shipping delays. It can also play a role in how fast your contractors can work.
Conclusion
The perfect time to remodel your kitchen is subjective. Every lifestyle is different. Every kitchen is different.
It used to be that a kitchen remodel would take about six months; three months of planning and designing, and three months of labor. But because of supply chain issues and a shortage of workers, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have to add in an extra three months of planning to gather up all of your new products and get added to your contractors’ schedule.
I wish you the best of luck!
Helping you plan for tomorrow,
~H.
Interested in learning more about the Step by Step Kitchen Remodeling Guide, click here or on the image below.
Thank you for helping me to understand that the process of remodeling your kitchen can be about a three-month timeframe. My wife and I would like to renovate our kitchen so that we can raise the overall value of our home. Raising the overall value of our home will help us get more money when the time comes for us to sell it.