How long will my kitchen actually be out of commission?

Most of what we hear from a homeowner mid-remodel isn't about the tile or the cabinets — it's not knowing what week they're in. So here's the actual breakdown, for a typical full kitchen remodel with a layout change.

Weeks one and two are demolition and the rough-in: old cabinets and counters come out, and if plumbing or electrical is moving, that work happens now, behind the walls. You'll have a working sink for most of this, usually in a laundry room or a temporary spot we set up.

Weeks three through five are when the kitchen is genuinely gone — no counters, no sink, sometimes no floor. This is the stretch to plan a folding table and a microwave into a different room for. Cabinets go in first, then countertop templating and install, which alone can take a week once the cabinets are set.

Weeks six through eight are backsplash, appliances, fixtures, punch-list items, and the final walkthrough. By the end of this stretch the kitchen is fully back — every job we run ends with a walkthrough where we fix anything that isn't right before we call it done.

The number that actually moves this timeline is whether the layout changes. Keeping the same footprint and swapping cabinets and counters can be closer to three to four weeks total, which is the Cabinet & Countertop Replacement option rather than a full remodel.