The timeline for a kitchen renovation is where most household planning falls short, and where the difference between a smooth project and a stressful one is largely settled. The instinct is to assume “a couple of weeks”, based on how a kitchen looks on a home makeover programme, and the reality is often three to four times longer once every trade and every decision is properly accounted for. Understanding the realistic phases of a kitchen project makes the difference between a well-planned few weeks of temporary inconvenience and months of frustration.
The design phase alone typically takes four to six weeks in a properly-run project. That includes measuring the existing space, agreeing the layout, choosing units, worktops, sink, tap, appliances and lighting, and confirming everything in writing before anything is ordered. Rushing this phase is the biggest source of later regret because the decisions locked in here dictate the rest of the project. A good kitchen company will resist being rushed and will insist on decisions being finalised before the units go into production.
Manufacturing and lead times are the next phase, and they are entirely outside the fitter’s control. Standard flat-pack units from mainstream suppliers can be delivered within a week or two. Made-to-measure units from specialist joinery workshops take six to twelve weeks. Painted units, especially with hand-finished colours, often extend beyond that. Certain worktops – particularly premium quartz and sintered stone – have their own lead times of four to eight weeks. Any project that involves customisation of appliances or bespoke elements should assume ten to twelve weeks of lead time between order and delivery, and plan accordingly.
The demolition phase is the first visible sign of progress and takes anywhere from two days to a week depending on the size of the kitchen and what is being removed. Old units, worktops, sink, appliances and any wall tiles all come out. Old flooring is lifted where necessary. Walls that are being removed come down in this phase, with structural support as required. At the end of the strip-out the space is empty and often looks worse than expected, which is normal.
First-fix work covers plumbing, electrics and any structural changes and typically runs for four to seven days. New pipework is run for the sink, the dishwasher and any island unit. New electrical circuits are pulled for the hob, the oven, the extractor, sockets and lighting. Any wall changes, chases into brickwork for cables or pipes, and structural steel work all happen in first-fix. Building Control inspects the electrical and structural work at the end of this phase before it is covered up.
Plastering, tiling and flooring is the messy middle phase and takes another one to two weeks. Walls are re-plastered where needed, ceilings are made good, floors are prepared or laid. Wall tiling may happen now or later depending on the sequence agreed. In an open-plan kitchen-diner, this is often the phase where the room starts to feel like a room again.
The kitchen fit itself is what most homeowners think of as “the kitchen going in”, and it takes between five days and two weeks depending on the complexity of the layout, the type of units, and the number of appliances. Cabinets are levelled, secured and joined. Doors, drawers and handles are fitted. Appliances are installed and tested. Worktops and tiling are templated at this stage – a fabricator visits the site with the units in place, takes precise measurements, and the worktop is then cut to those measurements. This adds another one to three weeks for the worktop to return, ready for fitting.
Second-fix and finishing is the final phase and takes another few days. The sink is fitted, the tap plumbed in, the extractor connected to ductwork, splashbacks fitted, kickboards installed. Any final tiling and grouting is done. The kitchen is cleaned, the appliances tested, and any snagging items are noted and addressed.
Total time from start of strip-out to a fully functional finished kitchen is typically eight to twelve weeks for a straightforward installation, longer for anything with bespoke elements or structural changes. Living without a kitchen for eight weeks is a real inconvenience, and thinking through a temporary kitchen arrangement – a microwave, a kettle, a fridge in the utility or garage – is worth doing before the strip-out starts rather than during it.