Kitchen remodel timeline: how long each phase really takes

The kitchen remodel timeline at a glance

The Houzz & Home 2026 study asked homeowners about projects they completed in 2025. Kitchens had the longest timelines of any room: an average of 9.5 months of planning and 5.8 months of construction. For comparison, primary bathrooms averaged 8.4 months of planning and 4.8 months of construction.

Source: Houzz 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Renovation Trends Study.

Two lessons come out of those numbers. First, planning takes longer than building, and that's normal. Second, the construction phase is where you live without a working kitchen, so every week you can move from construction into planning is a week you get your kitchen back. That's the reason to know the plan before demo.

Kitchen remodel phases, in order

Every kitchen is different, but the sequence is remarkably consistent. Problems usually start when a later phase begins before an earlier one is finished.

Phases 1 through 5 are the planning months Houzz measured. Phases 6 through 10 are construction. Notice that most of the delays in the right-hand column trace back to a decision that wasn't made in time.

Phases 1 to 3: design and selections

This is where most of the 9.5 months goes, and where the most value is created. A layout decided early, with traffic flow, landing space and storage worked out, keeps every later decision simpler. Professional help is the norm: the Houzz 2026 Kitchen Trends Study found 87% of kitchen renovators hire at least one professional, and 22% hire a kitchen designer.

Source: Houzz 2026 U.S. Kitchen Trends Study.

Selections take longer than people expect because they depend on each other. The refrigerator width sets a cabinet opening. The range choice sets the hood and possibly the gas line. The sink sets the base cabinet. Working through design and 3D planning lets you see those relationships before anything is ordered.

The same Kitchen Trends Study found that custom and semicustom cabinets make up most new kitchen cabinets, with stock cabinets at 10%. Made-to-order cabinets take time to build, so ask every supplier for a quoted lead time in writing, and make sure the demo date is set after the cabinets are confirmed, not before. See custom cabinetry for how cabinet choices affect a project.

Source: Houzz 2026 U.S. Kitchen Trends Study.

Phase 4: permit review in Holladay

Most kitchen remodels in Holladay need a building permit, because the city requires one for remodels "regardless of square footage or area," as well as for new circuits, gas lines and drain, waste and vent piping. Applications go through the city's online iWorQ portal with a Building Permit Checklist, plus a Zoning Worksheet for homes in R-1 zones. The Holladay permit guide covers what to submit.

Sources: City of Holladay Building Division FAQ; City of Holladay Building Division.

Utah law puts a ceiling on review time. Under Utah Code 10-20-909, a municipality must finish plan review for a one- or two-family dwelling or townhome "by no later than 14 business days after the day on which the screening period for the application ends." The clock starts once screening ends, not on the day you submit. Holladay's own FAQ says the city strives to complete the first plan review within 7 business days.

Sources: Utah Code 10-20-909 (effective 11/6/2025); City of Holladay Building Division FAQ.

If your plan has questions, such as a wall removal or a new gas line, the Building Official offers consultations by appointment. Check the Building Division page for current consultation days and hours. Corrections add time, so a complete application is the fastest one.

Phase 5: ordering

Ordering is the quiet phase that decides when demolition can start. Cabinets, countertops, appliances, specialty lighting and plumbing fixtures each have their own lead time, and those times change with the maker, the product line and the season. Nobody can give you a reliable universal number, so ask your remodeler for current quoted lead times on each major item and keep them with the schedule.

A sensible rule: demolition starts once the long-lead items are confirmed, not when they're merely ordered. A kitchen that sits gutted while cabinets are in production is the most frustrating version of a remodel, and it's avoidable. Countertops follow the cabinets, because fabricators template from the installed boxes, so their lead time stacks on top.

Phases 6 to 10: construction

Construction averaged 5.8 months in the Houzz & Home 2026 study. That figure covers the whole range of kitchen projects, from cosmetic updates to gut remodels, so treat it as a sense of scale rather than a promise for your kitchen. A remodel that keeps the layout will usually move faster than one that relocates plumbing or removes a wall.

Source: Houzz & Home 2026.

In older Holladay homes, the first weeks often include steps newer homes skip. Utah generally requires a state-certified asbestos inspection before a hired contractor renovates an older home, and asbestos materials that will be disturbed must be removed by a certified company first. In homes built before 1978, EPA's lead-safe rules require containment and verified cleanup. Build those steps into the schedule rather than discovering them on demo day. The guide to living through a kitchen remodel explains what they mean at home.

Sources: Utah DEQ, asbestos in the home; EPA RRP work practices.

The age of the house shapes the rough-in phase as well. InterNACHI notes that 60-amp electrical services "may be inadequate" for modern appliances, and the residential code calls for at least two 20-amp small-appliance circuits in the kitchen. When an older panel or circuit layout needs upgrading, that work happens during rough-in and needs an electrical permit in Holladay, so it belongs on the schedule from the start.

Sources: InterNACHI, electrical service; 2021 IRC E3703.2 (Utah); City of Holladay Building Division FAQ.

Inspections are built into the sequence too. Rough plumbing, electrical and framing are typically inspected before walls close, and a final inspection follows at the end. A failed inspection or a mid-project change can push every trade after it.

How to keep your remodel on schedule

• Finish the layout and every major selection before setting a demo date.
• Get quoted lead times in writing for cabinets, countertops and appliances.
• Submit a complete permit application with the checklist and any zoning worksheet.
• Schedule the asbestos inspection early if your home is older.
• Put the estimated start and completion dates in the contract, as the FTC recommends.
• Agree in writing how change orders are handled, including their effect on the schedule.

Source: FTC, "Hiring a Contractor".

The last point matters most. Consumer Reports calls changing plans after work starts "the biggest mistake homeowners make," and a change rarely affects only the item being changed. The change orders guide explains why.

Source: Consumer Reports, "Home Renovation Without Aggravation".

Finally, agree on how progress will be communicated. A short weekly check-in that covers what was finished, what's next, which decisions are due and whether any lead times have moved keeps small slips from turning into big ones. Write down the answers. A shared, dated list of decisions is the simplest schedule tool there is, and it makes the final walk-through and punch list far easier to manage.