Homeowners ask how long a kitchen remodel takes and want a single number. The honest answer is six to twelve weeks on site for most projects, plus four to ten weeks of planning and ordering before demo ever starts.
Here's the real kitchen remodel timeline for Central NJ projects based on dozens of kitchens we've finished.
Phase one: planning and ordering (4 to 10 weeks)
Before a single hammer swings, this work has to happen. Design finalization, cabinet selection, appliance decisions, tile selection, countertop template planning, permit application. Cabinets are the long pole: six to ten weeks from order to delivery for semi-custom, longer for full custom.
Smart contractors start demo the week cabinets ship, not the week they arrive. That way demo and rough-in finish right as cabinets show up and the install can begin without a gap.
Phase two: demo (3 to 5 days)
Old cabinets come out, countertops come off, appliances leave, sometimes walls come down if the layout is changing. This is the loudest, dustiest week. If you're staying in the house, set up a temp kitchen in the dining room or basement now.
What delays demo: asbestos in old vinyl flooring or popcorn ceilings (test first), unexpected structural issues, walls that turn out to be load-bearing when the drawings said otherwise.
Phase three: rough-in (5 to 10 days)
Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC get moved, added, or upgraded to match the new layout. This is invisible work that takes longer than people expect. Inspectors have to sign off before drywall closes anything up.
What delays rough-in: scheduling the inspector, finding knob-and-tube wiring in older Hamilton and Trenton homes, discovering the existing panel can't handle the new load and needs upgrading.
Phase four: drywall and prep (4 to 7 days)
Walls close up, new drywall goes in where needed, primer, first coat of paint, subfloor prep for flooring. Feels slow because the visible change is subtle, but this is where the space becomes a real room again.
Phase five: cabinet install (4 to 7 days)
Cabinets go up. This is the first day the kitchen starts looking like a kitchen. Good installers take their time here because every cabinet out of level shows forever. A rushed cabinet install is visible for twenty years.
Phase six: counter template and installation (2 weeks elapsed, 1 day on site each)
Templating happens the day after cabinets are installed and level. The stone shop then cuts and polishes your slabs, which typically takes 10 to 14 calendar days. Installation itself is one day. This phase is the unavoidable gap in every kitchen timeline.
Phase seven: backsplash, tile, and trim (5 to 8 days)
Tile goes in after counters. Trim, paint touch-ups, crown molding if any. This is the first phase where the space actually feels close to finished.
Phase eight: appliance install and punch list (3 to 5 days)
Appliances installed and hooked up, final plumbing, final electrical, punch list walkthrough. The last details get handled and any small issues from earlier phases get corrected.
Total on-site time
Simple cosmetic refresh with no layout changes: six to seven weeks.
Typical mid-range remodel: eight to ten weeks.
Full gut and reconfigure: eleven to fourteen weeks, sometimes longer if structural work is involved.
The delays nobody warns you about
Backordered materials. One appliance on a twelve-week backorder can hold up the final hookup and the punch list walkthrough. Smart sequencing minimizes this but some products are out of our control.
Change orders. "While you're doing that, could you also..." Every change after demo adds time, not just cost. We process them quickly but each one ripples the schedule.
Inspector availability. NJ municipalities vary. Some inspectors are next-day. Some are next-week. We build buffer into the schedule for this but it can slip.
Homeowner decisions pending. The most common delay is not the contractor. It's a homeowner who hasn't chosen the hardware yet, hasn't picked the final paint color, hasn't confirmed the tile pattern. Every decision delayed after demo potentially delays install.
What makes timelines go faster
Every decision made before demo. Every product ordered and in stock before demo. Every surprise we find during demo addressed within 48 hours, not left open for weeks.
The kitchens that finish on time are the ones where the homeowner did the hard decision work up front so we could execute cleanly.
What to ask your contractor
Ask for a week-by-week schedule before you sign, not a finish date. A real contractor can hand you a one-page schedule with phases and durations. A vague "six to eight weeks" is a guess, not a plan.
Ask who is on your schedule ahead of you. The answer tells you how realistic the start date actually is.
Ask what happens if a phase runs late. The answer should be: we compress the next phase where we can, communicate the new end date, and document any change in writing.
Want a real schedule for your kitchen? Call MHG Contracting at (609) 712-2474 or request a free estimate.
