For a normal-sized home, a typical kitchen renovation – not a full structural rebuild – usually takes around 3–6 weeks of active work. Of course, it depends heavily on what you’re doing and how organised your contractor is.
Here’s how the time roughly breaks down:
- Planning and material selection: 1–2 weeks (or more, if you’re indecisive).
- Demolition and basic prep: a few days.
- Electrical and plumbing adjustments: 3–7 days, depending on the changes.
- Cabinet and counter installation: 1–2 weeks.
- Tiling, painting and finishing touches: another week or so.
Delays happen when materials arrive late, custom cabinets aren’t ready, or decisions are changed midway. If you want to keep the timeline tight, finalise your layout, tiles, countertop, fixtures and appliances before the demolition starts. The more decisions you make in advance, the less your workers stand around waiting – and the faster your kitchen comes back to life.
Also, plan for the fact that you’ll be without a proper kitchen during most of this time. Setting up a small temporary cooking area somewhere else in the house makes the renovation period much less stressful.
