How Long Does a Kitchen Renovation Take?

Kitchen renovation timelines are usually quoted as "the fitting takes X days" — which is true, but only covers part of the real timeline. Ordering, preparation and drying time all sit around that core fitting period, and it's the whole picture that determines when your kitchen is actually usable again.

A realistic week-by-week view

• Before work starts: unit and worktop lead time — often 3–8 weeks for made-to-order cabinetry, longer for bespoke joinery. This typically runs in parallel with final planning, not added on top.
• Strip-out: 1–2 days for removing the existing kitchen and preparing the space.
• First-fix plumbing and electrical: 1–3 days, more if the layout is changing.
• Unit installation: 3–5 days for a straightforward kitchen, longer for a large or complex layout.
• Worktop templating and fitting: stone worktops in particular need a template taken after units are in, then a wait of roughly 1–2 weeks for fabrication before fitting.
• Second-fix, tiling, appliances and finishing: 2–5 days.

Put together, a straightforward kitchen renovation is typically 2–4 weeks of on-site work, with stone worktops or bespoke joinery extending that at both ends. Layout changes, structural work or an extension add considerably more.

What commonly extends the timeline

• Custom/made-to-order units — lead time is often the single longest single item, and any late change to the order restarts it.
• Stone worktops — templated after units are fitted, then fabricated off-site before final fitting.
• Unexpected issues behind the walls — old wiring or plumbing found once strip-out starts.
• Layout changes — moving a sink or hob adds real time for new plumbing/electrical runs.
• Living in the property during the work — coordinating access around a household's routine, rather than working in an empty space, generally takes a little longer.

Living without a kitchen: what actually helps

Set up a temporary kitchen area well before strip-out starts — a kettle, microwave and small fridge in a spare room, utility room or garage covers most day-to-day needs. Wash up in a bathroom sink or a washing-up bowl rather than relying on the kitchen sink being available; it won't be, for most of the core fitting period. If you have a family, it's worth planning a couple of takeaway or eating-out evenings around the strip-out and first-fix days specifically, since that's when the space is least usable even for basic tasks.

A pre-start checklist to keep the timeline realistic

• Has your unit and worktop order actually been confirmed and dated, not just quoted?
• Have you agreed a start date that accounts for full lead time, not an optimistic best case?
• Is there a written schedule of stages, so a delay in one area is visible rather than absorbed silently into the whole project?
• Have you set up your temporary kitchen arrangements before strip-out day, not on it?

Does an extension change the picture?

Yes, substantially — a structural change adds building work, drying-out time for new plaster, and building control sign-off stages before the kitchen fit-out itself even begins. If your kitchen renovation involves knocking through or extending, expect the timeline to be measured in months rather than weeks for the structural phase alone, with the kitchen fit-out itself only starting once that's complete.

Planning around it

Confirm the realistic completion date in writing rather than relying on the headline "fitting takes a week" figure. See our full kitchen renovation cost guide and labour costs guide for the budgeting side of the same project.