The kitchen is the heart of the home, making it one of the most important rooms in any house. Whether you’re building an entirely new house or just renovating an existing kitchen, you’re probably wondering how long it takes to complete a kitchen design. Like all designs and builds, the timeline heavily depends on a number of factors, but here is a good estimate on how long you can expect your new kitchen to take from our custom home builders.
Kitchen Timeline & Milestones
Planning
The best way to have a smooth and successful kitchen build is to spend as much time planning as possible. You definitely don’t want to rush into anything, as this can just cause delays and mistakes. During the planning stage, think through what you need and want out of your new kitchen. Do you entertain regularly or cook big holiday meals? How many cooks are in the kitchen? Do you have kids or are you planning on expanding your family? These are all things that should be considered.
During the planning stage, you should also think about the scope of the project. A new build or entire remodel that will be moving utilities will take much longer than just keeping the old layout and installing new materials.
Timeline: As much as needed
Design
Once you’ve done as much planning as you can, start to open a clear line of communication with your design firm. Our custom home builders highly recommend working with a certified kitchen designer if you’re doing an entirely new kitchen or extensive renovation. During the design phase, you’ll get an opportunity to work with your designer nailing down things like storage, organization, appliances, materials, colors, and more.
Timeline: 1-4 weeks
Ordering Materials
Selecting and ordering materials takes longer than most homeowners realize. All other aspects of construction really depend on materials, as trades won’t have the proper information without it. Many kitchen materials like countertops, kitchen cabinets, appliances, tiles, and more may require special ordering, be out of stock, or have to be shipped from overseas. Work closely with your kitchen team to ensure everything gets ordered on time and correctly to avoid delays. Once everything arrives, make sure you inspect it personally before things get installed.
Timeline: 1-2 months
Demolition & Structural Changes
Once you have your design down, the construction team will get started prepping the kitchen space while they wait for materials to arrive. This part of the timeline can vary greatly depending on how much work you’re doing. More extensive builds and renovations may involve moving walls, windows, utilities, and the structural layout. Smaller ones may just be mostly cosmetic and can be done quicker.
Timeline: A few days to a few months
Utilities
If your build or renovation involves utilities, expect to have various contractors and trades a part of the project. Utilities include things like plumbing, electrical, and gas. This step will happen once the kitchen space is prepped, and usually start before the materials and appliances arrive but after all the designs are finalized.
Timeline: 2 weeks
Installation
Once the materials arrive, installation begins. At this stage of the timeline, things start to move quickly. Flooring goes down, trim and walls get painted, cabinets and countertops are put in, and appliances are installed. Things will really start to take shape at this step. How long it takes depends on how large the space is, whether the materials arrived on time and correctly, and if you have all the trades lined up. Make sure you inspect everything before and after they’ve been installed!
Timeline: 2 weeks
Final Touches
Once everything is installed, your newly designed kitchen is nearly done. Before you give the final payments and thank your team, do one final walkthrough. Mark anything that needs to be fixed like paint spots or a loose faucet. It’s easier and cheaper to fix these minor issues now than later on.
Timeline: A few days
Total Kitchen Build Timeline: 2-6 months on average
After that, all that’s left is to enjoy your beautiful new kitchen! If you’re looking for a custom home builder to help your kitchen build or renovation, contact us today.
