From Demo Day to Done
Wondering how many weeks stand between you and your new kitchen? Curious how a kitchen remodel timeline actually plays out, from the day demolition begins to the final walkthrough?
This guide walks you through every phase of a typical kitchen renovation timeline at Charleene’s Houses, from the design phase through the punch list.
By the end, you’ll know how long each step of your kitchen remodel can take.
What to Expect During a Kitchen Remodel Timeline
A kitchen remodel timeline typically runs 8 to 12 weeks of active construction, plus several 4 to 8 weeks of design, selections, and material ordering before demolition begins.
Here are the construction steps and their estimated timelines:
- Demolition: 2–5 days
- Framing, plumbing, electrical, and rough-ins: 1–3 weeks
- Insulation, drywall, and prep work: 3–7 days
- Flooring and paint: 3–7 days
- Cabinet installation: 3–7 days
- Countertop templating, fabrication, and installation: 2–3 weeks
- Backsplash, fixtures, appliances, and finish work: 1–2 weeks
- Punch list and final walkthrough: 7–14 days
What can it cost to remodel your kitchen?
Pre-Construction: Design, Selections, and Material Ordering
Your kitchen remodel timeline actually starts long before demolition begins.
Pre-construction work typically runs 4 to 8 weeks at our firm, depending on the size and scope of the job.
This is when your floor plan gets locked in, materials are ordered, and the schedule for construction begins to take shape.
The Design Phase and Initial Consultation
The design phase kicks off with an initial consultation.
Our design team and project manager walk the space, take measurements, talk through goals and a realistic budget, and start roughing out the layout.
From there, you’ll iterate on a 3D design and floor plan with us until the project scope is clear.
Because we keep design and construction under one roof, the same team that draws your kitchen is the team that builds it, which shortens the overall remodeling process.
Selecting Materials, Finishes, and Appliances
Once the layout is settled, the selections start.
This covers countertop materials, cabinet style, flooring, plumbing fixtures, cabinet hardware, and new appliances.
Investing time upfront on these decisions is one of the best things you can do for your project timeline.
We ask homeowners to approve final designs and material selections within 14 days of presentation to keep your project on schedule and your construction start date locked in.
Kitchen design trends our clients love.
Building Permits
Not every contractor pulls permits for kitchen work.
In Towson and the surrounding Baltimore County area, homeowners often handle kitchen renovation permitting themselves rather than the builder filing it.
We no longer pull building permits for kitchen renovation projects, so plan to submit paperwork to your local building codes office on your own and factor approval time into your project timeline.
Material Lead Times
Material lead times also shape pre-construction:
- Stock cabinets ship in 1 to 3 weeks.
- Semi-custom cabinets take 6 to 10 weeks.
- Custom cabinetry can run 8 to 12 weeks from order to delivery.
- Stone countertops add 1 to 2 weeks of fabrication after templating.
If a long-lead item is on backorder, the entire project waits for it.
The Construction Phase Week by Week
Charleene’s Houses runs every kitchen project through a tight 8 to 12 week construction sequence where each phase depends on the one before it.
Here’s what happens week by week on a typical kitchen renovation timeline.
Demolition
Demolition begins on day one and usually takes 2 to 5 days for a standard kitchen.
Our crews remove existing cabinetry, countertops, tile flooring, appliances, and outdated fixtures.
This is also when hidden issues tend to show up:
- Outdated wiring that doesn’t meet local building codes.
- Water damage behind cabinets or under the sink.
- Framing issues that affect how new cabinets can be installed.
Catching these early actually helps your project timeline, because we can plan repairs into the rough-in phase.
Framing, Plumbing, Electrical, and Rough-Ins
After the demo wraps, rough construction begins, taking about 1-3 weeks.
This is when our trade partners reconfigure plumbing, electrical wiring, and HVAC ductwork for your new floor plan.
Moving gas lines for a new range or relocating a sink falls in this window, too.
Structural changes happen now, including load-bearing wall removal, new beams, and widened openings to the dining room.
Rough-in inspections per local building codes have to pass before walls can close up, so this phase often sets the pace for everything that follows.
Electrical upgrades for new appliances and undercabinet lighting also happen here.
Insulation, Drywall, Prep Work
Once inspections pass, our team installs drywall and insulation and starts prepping for finishes, which takes about 3-7 days.
Walls get taped and primed for paint.
Flooring and Paint
Then, we paint and install the flooring in about 3-7 days.
Tile flooring and hardwood usually go in before cabinets, while floating types like luxury vinyl get installed after.
Cabinet Installation
Then, cabinet installation begins, with base cabinets, wall cabinets, and any island cabinetry leveled and secured to the studs.
This process also takes about 3-7 days.
Countertop Templating, Fabrication, and Installation
Countertops can only be templated after cabinets are fully installed and leveled.
Every cutout for the sink, range, and plumbing fixtures gets measured against the actual cabinet footprint.
After templating, stone countertops go off-site for fabrication.
This is the phase where mid-project delays pile up if countertop materials weren’t finalized before demo, which is why we lock selections at the very start.
It takes about 2-3 weeks for this part to be completed.
Backsplash, Fixtures, Appliances, and Finish Work
Once countertops are in, the finish work brings your dream kitchen back to life in 1-2 weeks.
Backsplash tile gets installed, grouted, and sealed, and our team hooks up plumbing fixtures and new appliances.
Final touches include:
- Paint touch-ups on walls and trim.
- Hardware installation on cabinet doors and drawers.
- Undercabinet lighting and final electrical work.
- Caulking around counters, sinks, and backsplash edges.
Each trade has to be sequenced carefully so they don’t undo each other’s work.
Punch List and Final Walkthrough
The last 7-14 days of the construction phase is the punch list, which covers all the small items that need attention before we can call your project done.
If permits were pulled, the final inspection happens here, too.
The final walkthrough is when we sit down with you to confirm everything is functioning properly, from the dishwasher to the undercabinet lighting.
Once you sign off, the project is officially complete.
A kitchen and mudroom remodel we did in Reisterstown.
Factors That Affect Your Kitchen Remodel Timeline
Custom vs. Stock Materials
The lead time gap between custom cabinetry and stock cabinets is huge.
Custom cabinets can take 8 to 12 weeks from order to delivery, while stock cabinets ship in 1 to 3 weeks.
Stone countertops add another 1 to 2 weeks of fabrication after templating.
We push you to order materials early in the design phase because that’s the most reliable way to keep the construction phase from stalling.
Structural Changes and Hidden Conditions
Structural elements like load-bearing walls, beams, and moving gas lines add days to weeks of work, and they usually trigger separate inspections.
Hidden conditions discovered during the demo can also stretch the timeline.
Outdated wiring, water damage, and framing problems often require unplanned electrical upgrades or repair work before rough construction can finish.
Permitting, Inspections, and Mid-Project Changes
Permit approval can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on your jurisdiction.
Inspection scheduling can also stall progress between phases, because trades can’t move forward until each rough-in passes.
Mid-project changes are the biggest preventable factor of all, and swapping a finish or relocating an outlet after rough-in ripples through every phase that follows.
How to Stay on Schedule
Staying on schedule comes down to decisions made before demolition begins.
That’s why Charleene’s Houses front-loads your selections, locks orders early, and uses a standardized construction agreement that asks for two-hour weekday response times during construction.
Finalize Selections Before Demolition Begins
Lock in cabinet styles, countertop materials, tile flooring, paint colors, cabinet hardware, and plumbing fixtures before demo day.
We ask you to approve final designs and material selections within 14 days of presentation, and we treat that window like a hard deadline.
Every day past the window pushes back the day construction begins by the same amount.
Order Long-Lead Items Early
Order custom cabinetry, stone countertops, and any specialty appliances as early in the design phase as possible.
Our project manager confirms material availability and shipping windows with suppliers before demo, so a single backordered item doesn’t put the entire project on hold.
Work With a Single Team Under One Roof
Working with a team that handles design and construction under one roof (like ours does) reduces handoff gaps that stretch the project.
The same team that drew your floor plan is the team coordinating subcontractors, scheduling deliveries, and keeping the construction site moving.
We also expect a 72-hour response time from our service providers, which keeps your build moving without small gaps that compound into weeks.
More about our design-build remodeling process.
Skip the Six-Month Headache with Charleene’s Houses
Charleene’s Houses runs design and construction together on every kitchen renovation, with a 14-day approval window on selections and a construction agreement that holds both your team and ours to quick response times.
From the initial consultation through final walkthrough, your project moves through one team rather than being handed off between separate design and build firms.
Ready to see how a coordinated process turns 8 to 12 weeks of construction into a kitchen you actually look forward to using?
Fill out our Calendly today.
