Depending on the nature of what needs to be done, the timeframe can vary greatly. The more complicated the job and the more decisions needed, the longer the inital planning stage and the longer the work will take. If you make the decisions involved with the project quickly, and stick to them, then the job will move along. If, however, this is not the case, do not be surprised at downtime and an extension of the timeline.
While each kitchen project has its peculiarities, there are four major categories into which kitchen projects fall:
Below we outline how each type of renovation is generally handled.
This is the easiest and most common type of kitchen renovation, believe it or not. Home centers and multi-branch stores handle much of this type of work.
| 1–2 weeks: | The planning. Choices are simple, clear, and right there. |
| 1–2 weeks: | Waiting for delivery. These are stock cabinets which are run through production quickly. |
| 2–3 weeks: | The entire installation. Because the footprint of the kitchen is being kept intact and nothing is being changed structurally, there is less to do, fewer possibilities for the unexpected, and the job runs quickly. |
This is a more complicated job with more unknowns and possible problems to solve. However, once homeowners are shown the potential for their kitchen, this option seems to be more desirable. Occassionally a job will be never-ending but most of these jobs will run as follows:
| 1–2 months: | The planning. Choices are many, from appliances to countertop material to tile. The details are important and need to be determined upfront. |
| 2–6 months: | Waiting for delivery. These are custom cabinets which require more man hours and more hands-on labor. |
| 2–6 months: | The entire installation. If everything goes as smooth as silk, and no parts are ordered after the job begins, you are looking at two months. Note, please, it can take up to two weeks between the countertop measurement and its installation, during which time nothing much can happen. Depending on the difficulty of the installation and the details involved, the time can be much longer. And, as soon as parts are replaced or additional materials needed, you add another two to eight weeks to the job. |
This is much like the redesign job (see above), with an addition tagged on to it. The essentials of the addition (foundation laid, walls and roof built, windows put in) are usually done before breaking through to the main room to continue with the installation mentioned above.
| 2–3 months: | The addition. From getting the permits to breaking through to the main house takes some time. Fortunately, life is less disrupted during this phase. This phase can actually occur while waiting for delivery. |
| Continue process at "A redesign of the kitchen so that it functions correctly for your needs". | |
This is a different type of job. There are fewer materials ordered, but it is much more labor intensive. Generally more decisions are made as the job goes along so that many parts are ordered along the way, increasing the downtime and span of the total job. Unless the facelift is held to a simple paint job and hardware replacement, it can take as long as a normal kitchen installation.
| 1–8 weeks: | The planning. Choices can be many, from appliances to countertop material to tile. |
| 1–16 weeks: | Waiting for delivery. Depending on how special the products are, the wait can be short or long. |
| 1–24 weeks: | The entire installation. |