Kitchen renovation timelines: how to sequence the trades

One of the most common frustrations in a kitchen renovation isn't the cost, but the schedule — either the project taking longer than expected, or trades turning up in the wrong order and having to wait for each other. Having a realistic sense of how long a kitchen renovation typically takes, and which trades need to happen in which order, makes it much easier to plan around the disruption and to spot a schedule that's likely to slip before it does.

Two different timeframes are worth separating from the outset: on-site working time, and the full project timeline from order to completion. On-site kitchen renovation work commonly takes around three to five weeks, but the full project, once kitchen lead time and ordering are factored in, commonly takes around eight to fourteen weeks in total. That gap matters for planning — if a kitchen is ordered from a showroom, several weeks can pass before units even arrive on site, and that lead time needs to be planned around just as much as the physical fitting work.

The on-site sequence commonly follows a fairly consistent order, because each stage genuinely depends on the one before it. Removal of the old kitchen and clearing the space typically happens first, commonly taking around a day for a standard kitchen. This is followed by first-fix work — the plumber running any new pipework, the electrician installing new circuits or moving socket and light positions, and a Gas Safe registered engineer relocating any gas supply for a hob or boiler if needed — which commonly takes a few days depending on how much is being moved rather than simply replaced like-for-like.

Plastering generally can't start until all of this first-fix work is chased into the walls, since plasterers need the walls in their final state before finishing them, and freshly plastered walls then need time to dry before kitchen fitting can safely begin on top of them. A full re-plaster can take a couple of weeks including drying time, though patch plastering around specific first-fix work in a single kitchen is usually a faster job than replastering an entire room. This drying period is one of the most common places a schedule slips, since drying time can't realistically be rushed without risking problems later.

Fitting the new units generally comes next, commonly taking around one to two weeks depending on kitchen size and complexity. Stone worktops add their own timing consideration here: a fabricator can typically only template the worktop accurately once the base units are physically in place, and the stone then needs to be cut and finished off-site before being brought back for installation — so it's worth asking any worktop supplier specifically how long the gap between templating and installation is expected to be, since this commonly adds a further one to two weeks on top of the units going in, and a kitchen without its worktop yet fitted isn't really usable.

The final stage is second-fix and snagging — reconnecting appliances, adjusting doors and drawers so they close properly, sealing worktop and splashback joints, and a final clean — which commonly takes around one to three days once everything else is in place.

A handful of practical points help keep this schedule realistic rather than optimistic. Good electricians, plumbers and gas engineers are often booked up weeks in advance, so it's worth confirming these trades well before the removal date rather than assuming they can start the moment the old kitchen comes out. A single delayed delivery, whether it's units, worktop or an appliance, can push every following stage back by the same amount, since most of the sequence depends on the previous stage being genuinely finished rather than nearly finished. And because plastering drying time and stone worktop fabrication both sit outside anyone's direct control, building a little slack into the overall schedule around these two stages specifically is generally more realistic than assuming everything will run exactly back-to-back.

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