Nine weeks, honestly: what each stage of a kitchen build takes

People ask how long a kitchen takes and hear one number. The useful answer has two parts: how long before anyone shows up with a hammer, and how long you are without a kitchen once they do.

Before demolition: five to nine weeks

This is design, selections, the fixed scope document, the permit and shop production. It feels slow because nothing visible is happening in your house, but it is the part that determines whether the on-site weeks go smoothly.

• Week 1: survey, laser measurement, panel and plumbing review, budget band.
• Weeks 2 to 4: layout options, elevations, slab walk, finish selections.
• Week 5: fixed line-item scope, allowance schedule, signed agreement, demolition date set.
• Weeks 5 to 8: permit submitted and your cabinetry is milled, assembled and sprayed in the shop.

Building the cabinetry during the permit window is deliberate. It means install can start the week after demolition instead of waiting six weeks for a catalog order.

On site: eight to twelve weeks

1. Days 1 to 3: dust walls, floor protection, temporary kitchen set up, demolition and haul-off.
2. Week 2: framing, headers, blocking. This is where surprises surface, and we photograph everything the same day.
3. Weeks 2 to 3: electrical, plumbing and mechanical rough-in, then the Metro Codes rough inspection.
4. Week 4: insulation, drywall, tape and prime.
5. Week 5: cabinet installation by the crew who milled the boxes, then stone template.
6. Weeks 6 to 7: stone fabrication in the shop while flooring and paint happen on site.
7. Week 8: stone install, backsplash layout and tile setting.
8. Week 9: appliances, plumbing trim, electrical trim, punch list walk and final inspection.

The three places schedules slip

Inspections

Inspectors arrive in a window, not at a time, and a reschedule can cost two days because the next trade cannot start. We book inspections as early in the week as possible so a slip does not push into the weekend.

Appliance delivery

A backordered range stops the countertop cutout and the hood install. We confirm appliance delivery dates before demolition and will delay a start date rather than open your kitchen and then wait.

Unforeseen conditions

Rot behind a sink base, abandoned knob and tube in an East Nashville ceiling, a drain with no vent. These are real and they are why we open walls in week two rather than week five. Found early, a surprise costs days. Found late, it costs weeks.

The schedule is a promise about sequence, not about luck. What we control is that the next trade is ready the moment the last one finishes.

What you can do to keep it on track

• Approve drawings and the stone layout photo within two days. Approvals are the most common client-side delay.
• Buy appliances early and send us the model numbers, not the marketing names.
• Decide on hardware before cabinet installation, because drilling happens on the jig in one pass.
• Keep a single decision maker for the project. Two people answering differently costs days.

Ask for the written schedule at the scope stage. If a builder will not give you trade start dates in writing, that is worth knowing before you sign.