Renovating your kitchen is an exciting opportunity, but there can be many elements to juggle. From deciding whether to keep any of your existing fittings to choosing kitchen cabinets, appliances, flooring, and tiles, you’ll want to make sure each stage goes smoothly, making timescales incredibly important. Once the design is finalised, you’ll need to organise removing your old kitchen and fitting your new one.
Not only will your kitchen be out of action during your remodel, but you’ll also be project managing each stage (or hiring someone to do so). Having a general timeframe in mind can make the renovation run more efficiently, as you’ll be able to coordinate each stage at the right time. It will also give you a good idea of when you can expect your beautiful new kitchen to be installed and ready for use.
The time it takes to design and fit your kitchen depends on the size of your space, your vision, and the amount of work that will be carried out. On average, it can take around six weeks to design a kitchen from start to finish, and a further three to four weeks to fit the kitchen. This estimate can also differ depending on the size and layout of your kitchen and any extra work you need to carry out. A full kitchen renovation, which includes new flooring and tiling, will take longer than a small kitchen refresh with a new set of cabinets.
In this guide, we’ll be going through each stage of designing and fitting a kitchen and time estimates, so you can get a better idea of how long your kitchen will take.
One of the longest phases for your dream kitchen is the planning stage. Here at InHouse, we aim to complete the design stage within two weeks, but this can take as long as four to six weeks or more, depending on how quickly you make decisions. It’s often better to take your time so you can be sure you’re including everything you want.
There are a few different steps you’ll need to factor into your project when it comes to the design stage:
This will be your first step when designing a kitchen and is when you’ll visit the kitchen showroom to view the options available to you, to get an idea of what you’d like in your kitchen. At this stage, you’ll also have the opportunity to speak to a member of the kitchen design team to discuss your ideas and get their advice. You might also choose to go home and take a look at more kitchen inspiration and brochures online — you can download both our Schüller and next125 brochures to view at home.
This stage can take as long as you need it to and it’s important not to rush. The longer you take at this point, the better prepared you’ll be for your design appointment. Be sure to investigate all your options — from door fronts and finishes to internal storage solutions — and imagine yourself living with each kitchen.
Once you have a general idea of what you’d like your kitchen to look like, you can make a design appointment to narrow the plan down with an expert. You can do this either in-store at the showroom you visited, by filling out an online form to request an appointment or by calling us on 01434 400 070.
When you request a design appointment here at InHouse, we always aim to get back in touch by the following working day, so you won’t need to wait long before you have a date booked in the calendar.
Your kitchen designer will pencil you in for the next available day that works for both parties. The design appointment should take no more than a couple of hours, and the more prepared you are for the appointment, the quicker it will be. It’s recommended to visit a showroom and speak to a designer in-store. Don’t worry, you can also have a home visit so the designer can see the space in person and measurements can be taken and checked.
During your appointment, your designer will take you through each element of your kitchen. They’ll also be able to offer up some time-saving solutions if necessary. For example, if you don’t want to wait around for electricians to move electrical outlets, your designer can help you create a design that works with your existing layout, to save you time and money at the installation stage.
It’s important to remember that the style of kitchen you choose may affect the manufacturing and installation time. For example, handleless kitchens can take a little longer to design, make, and fit compared to more conventional fronts with separate handles. So, you may want to consider installation time when deciding on the final design.
In most cases, your design will be complete after your first appointment, but you will be able to take some time to think things through if you need to. You will also be able to plan a second design appointment, if necessary, to finalise your plan and make any tweaks to your kitchen. This can prolong the design stage by a couple of weeks, but it’s worth taking your time to get everything looking exactly how you want it to.
A week or two after your design appointment, your kitchen company will usually send someone out to survey the space. This is when they’ll measure the space and create a full 3D rendering of what your new kitchen will look like. The surveyor will usually give you an estimated time that they expect the work to be completed in, too.
As your time estimate will be based on how your kitchen currently stands with its existing furniture, they won’t have a full overview of the room, so this timeframe might not be exact. Though unlikely, it is possible that you may encounter some unforeseen problems that might extend the works, such as plumbing or electrical issues. However, the estimate will give you a good idea of how long you can expect to wait until your dream kitchen is fully installed.
The final step of the design stage is ordering your furniture. This can take anywhere from 6–10 weeks depending on the amount of furniture you need and how busy the manufacturer is. You’ll usually be given an estimated delivery date so you have an idea of when your kitchen furniture will arrive and when you can book a fitter for.
While your bespoke kitchen is being created, you can use this time to find someone to fit the kitchen for you. Doing this as early as possible means you’ve got time to find multiple quotes and make a final decision. It should take no more than a week or so to get a quote from a kitchen fitter. Overall, it can take around three weeks or more to find the right tradesperson for the job.
There are a few ways to go about finding a reliable kitchen fitter. The first is to ask your designer if they can recommend someone they’ve worked with previously. This is often the best option, as the kitchen fitter they recommend will already have experience fitting your type of kitchen.
Your next option is to ask your family, friends, and neighbours for recommendations. You may also want to ask if you can see the kitchen that they fitted in person so you can get a good idea of the quality of the work.
It’s important to look at a few options and get multiple quotes to decide on the best kitchen fitter for the job. You can use sites like TrustATrader and Which? Trusted Trader to find reputable and highly rated tradespeople in your area. Remember to look at online reviews to find out how previous customers would rate their experience, too.
Before your new kitchen can be installed, your existing kitchen will need to be removed. It can take around one day to rip out a kitchen depending on the size of your space. If you plan any demolition work, such as knocking down walls to create an open kitchen and living space, this can be done at this stage, too. However, bear in mind that this will add time onto the initial estimation.
Once your old kitchen has been removed, you can move onto the first fix. This is when you’ll prepare the empty room ready for your new kitchen to be installed. The work will usually take around two or three days to complete.
It’s at this stage that you’ll hire a plumber, electrician, or gas engineer to make any necessary changes to your utilities, especially if you’ll be installing any appliances in a different place. For example if you’re fitting a kitchen island with a sink or hob, then you’ll need to move necessary pipework, electrics, or gas supply lines. You might also want to hire an electrician to move or install lighting to be in line with your new kitchen design.
After the first fix, you may need to hire a plasterer to patch up any holes and ensure you have the perfect blank canvas for your brand-new kitchen. Plastering will take around a day, maybe two for bigger rooms. The plaster will then need to dry and cure before you can start fitting the kitchen. This will take approximately three to four days in warm weather. In the winter, it can take up to a week. Certain specialist plasters can even take up to a month to cure. Your kitchen designer and plasterer will be able to tell you how long your plaster work will take to cure, so you can manage the rest of your project with this timescale in mind.
Once you’ve decided on your kitchen design and your kitchen furniture has been delivered, it’s time for the exciting part: installation! It can take around one and a half weeks to fit a kitchen, but this timescale may be longer if you have a large space or have chosen materials that can be trickier to work with, such as granite. Fitting a small kitchen can be on the lower end of this scale and can take up to a week.
Below is the average timescale you can expect to see each element of your kitchen fitted in, but bear in mind that this is only a rough guide. All kitchens are different and have their own timescales. Because Schüller’s modular system means you can customise every inch of your kitchen, from your worktops through to your storage solutions, your kitchen may have a shorter or longer timescale. Your designer will be able to give you a good estimate for your particular kitchen design.
Your cupboards and drawers will be the first elements to be fitted. It usually takes around two or three days to install kitchen cabinets, including the wall and base units and door and drawer fronts. This is the part of the job where you’ll start to see your kitchen take shape.
After your cabinets are installed, your kitchen fitter will make a start on your countertops. Kitchen worktops should take no more than one or two days to fit. However, if you’ve opted for solid worktops, such as those made from granite or quartz, then these will need to be templated and cut to size after the kitchen is fitted which can prolong this stage. Solid worktops can take between seven and ten days from templating to fitting.
With the majority of your kitchen now in place, your installer will get to work adding the finer details. This includes the sink, taps, and any integrated kitchen appliances such as your hob, oven, extractor hood, dishwasher, and fridge freezer. This can take a couple of hours per appliance.
Once your kitchen has been fully fitted, it’s time for the second fix. This is when you’ll need an electrician or gas engineer to connect your appliances to their necessary utilities. You’ll also need a plumber to connect your sink to your water supply. As with the first fix, this can take a couple of hours per appliance, or around a day in total.
Your second fix can be done at the very end of your kitchen installation or can be done before flooring and tiling takes place. In most cases, it’s best to have it done as soon as possible so your kitchen will be usable while your decorative elements are being finished off.
With your kitchen almost fully installed, you can start decorating. And, if you’re doing a full remodel, then you’ll probably need to factor tiling into your plan. This should take no more than two or three days if done by a professional tiler, which is inclusive of setting the tile, drying, and cleaning up, but very intricate tiling can take longer than this.
How long it takes to lay new flooring can be a little trickier to estimate as it entirely depends on the size and shape of your room as well as the type of flooring you’ve chosen. A two-person team of professional installers can usually lay 1,000 square feet of wooden flooring in one day. If you’ve opted for tile, a professional can lay around 40 square feet in a day, so you can use this as a baseline to work out how long your kitchen floor will take to fit.
Remember that your flooring installer will need to cut your flooring around your kitchen cabinetry, so a more complicated kitchen design can affect the installation of your flooring, too. Your fitter will be able to give you an estimated timescale for your particular job.
Once all of the work is completed you can add the finishing touches. If you’ll be painting your kitchen walls, you can usually complete this in a day or even less. Most emulsion paints dry within three hours, so you’ll need to take this drying time into account along with any extra coats. Then, start to add any other decorative accessories to make it feel like home.
If you’re project managing your kitchen installation, this guide should help you work out a rough timeframe so you know how long it might take to design and fit your kitchen from start to finish. For even more useful advice for getting the most out of your new space, head over to our blog, where you’ll find our tips for organising your brand-new kitchen cupboards, plus advice for designing a stylish and practical walk-in pantry. At InHouse Inspired Room Design, we can help make your dream kitchen space a reality, so browse our selection of luxury German kitchens from Schüller and next125 today.
+44 1434 400 070info@inhouseltd.co.ukInHouse Inspired Room Design
Bridge End Industrial Estate, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 4DQ
