How Long Does a Kitchen Remodel Take in New Jersey?

One of the most common home renovation projects is a kitchen remodel. Simple remodels, like cabinet refacing, new paint and lighting, new floors, or new countertops, are fairly small projects. Full-scale remodels (and bump-out additions) are much larger. 

All of them will be at least somewhat disruptive. You lose the functionality of your kitchen while work is taking place, and depending on the project, you may need to cut off and re-run plumbing, electricity, or gas lines. Bump-outs go as far as opening up walls, flooring replacements pull out your existing flooring, and so on.

All of this leaves you with one big question: how long is this going to last? It's one thing to lose access to your kitchen while you're out at work anyway. It's another to live with a non-functional kitchen for weeks or longer while a total remodel is underway. 

What should you expect?

Well, the answer is, it depends on your project. That's why we always start off every project with a free consultation. Give us a call or drop us a line here on our website, and we'll swing by to take a look at your kitchen and discuss your ideas. During that conversation, we can help you determine everything from the prospective costs to the potential timeline, specific to your project.

For a broad, general idea, read on for our discussion.

How Long Might a Kitchen Remodel Take in General?

If all you're looking for is a simple answer and a broad range, here you go:

A kitchen remodel will run anywhere from two weeks for the simplest projects, up to as much as four months or more for large and complex additions.

Simple kitchen remodeling projects are things like cabinet refacing, new backsplashes, new flooring, new countertops, or new appliances. When you're only doing 1-2 of those kinds of upgrades, it's a fairly fast and simple matter to complete. These kinds of projects take around 2-3 weeks on average, though if you're hoping to source a specific or rare kind of material (like particular flooring, appliances, or countertops), delays in sourcing materials may extend the timeline.

Mid-range remodeling projects take longer because the scope of work is larger. Fully replacing cabinetry, doing interior remodels that change lighting and electrical or move plumbing, and doing minor to moderate layout shifts all fall into this category. These are quite common and can still span a range of timelines, depending on the work involved, the availability of materials, and the schedules of trades involved. These usually range from 6-10 weeks, all-inclusive.

Finally, large-scale remodel projects can stretch on for a surprisingly long time. If you're planning a significant remodel with an extension, structural or foundation work, full changes to electrical and plumbing, and other significant changes, the sky is the limit. A well-managed and tight project (like ours!) can run around 10-12 weeks. If unexpected delays occur, it can run 16-20 weeks or longer.

Examining the Kitchen Remodel Timeline

With the simpler answer out of the way, we can look at the full timeline and break it down by phases, so you can see how long your project will take and what will impact you each step of the way. First, though, a general word.

The Timeline Includes Everything

Now, before you panic about losing access to a functional kitchen for months at a time, it's worth making one thing clear: the timeline here includes everything. Yes, it includes the time when your kitchen is torn apart and you barely can consider it a room in your house. But it also includes the time spent planning, picking out materials and fixtures, going back and forth with designers, and the whole permitting process. It also includes the time between finishing up work and the final walkthrough and sign-off on the project.

So, while a mid-range remodel could take 6-10 weeks all told, 4-6 of those weeks might not have any active work being done in your kitchen, and won't impact your lifestyle at all.

Phase 1: Planning and Design

The first phase of the project is all talk. Technically speaking, the timeline starts when you reach out to talk to our experts here at Magnolia Home Remodeling Group and get the ball rolling on a project. Realistically, it starts once you decide you want to go with us, when you're done shopping around for quotes, and you're ready to start working out the details.

This first step of the project is all about planning what you want to do with your kitchen. You determine how many things you want to change, and what you don't want to change. You figure out whether this is a "fresh coat of paint" kind of project, or a "dig a new foundation" kind of project. 

A lot of this time will be spent in consultation with experts. You'll talk about plans and details, you'll visit showrooms or browse through catalogs and pick out materials and fixtures, you'll build expectations, and so on. With modern tools, you may be able to see a virtual mock-up of what your kitchen will look like when it's all done, and can tweak things for your approval.

Experts will turn these concepts into design plans. If necessary, structural inspections can be performed and architectural plans drawn up, which is important for extensions and add-ons. All of the ideas are formalized into a tangible plan and end goal.

This phase can take 1-6 weeks depending on how picky you want to be with the fine details of your plans.

Phase 2: Permitting and Approvals

One of the most tedious and annoying parts of a home renovation project is asking for permission and approval to do the work. 

Not all kitchen remodels require a permit, of course. You don't need a permit to replace your refrigerator or paint your cupboards. You do, however, need a permit for a lot more than you might think.

It's impossible for us to walk you through the permitting process here on this blog. We operate in Essex, Sussex, Morris, Middlesex, Passaic, Warren, Hudson, Union, Bergen, Hunterdon, and Somerset Counties. There are a lot of municipalities throughout these counties, and every one of them has its own rules to follow.

The good news is, we will handle this for you when you work with us for your kitchen remodel project. We know when you'll need a permit, how to apply for those permits, and how to make sure they're approved as painlessly as possible. 

This phase typically takes 2-4 weeks on average, but can vary widely depending on how quickly your municipality works through their permit applications.

Phase 3: Ordering Materials and Supplies

This is a phase that might take nearly no time at all, or might take a surprisingly long time.

Simple projects, the kind that need little more than a coat of paint, some cabinet hardware, or some off-the-shelf products, can complete this phase in a few days. If your project can be completed entirely in one shopping cart from the hardware store, it's not going to take long to gather the supplies.

On the other hand, some materials have lead times. Countertops might need to be custom-made and shipped in. Custom cabinetry takes a little longer to plan and order. If you want specific appliances that can't be readily found locally, they need to be shipped as well. 

For most projects, the materials lead time is just a few days, up to a couple of weeks. For extensive and custom projects, you could be looking at months for certain parts. Fortunately, depending on what those elements are, other work can be completed while you wait.

Phase 4: Demolition

Out with the old, in with the new. Demolition is the fine art of removing the things you no longer want. This could be as simple as taking off the cabinet doors, hauling out old appliances, or pilling down a tile backsplash. Or, it could involve ripping out the cabinets entirely, pulling up the floors, or busting out a wall.

Most of the time, demolition is just a few days long. It's really one of the easiest parts of the project, after all. In rare cases, it can take longer, such as if there end up being strange complications, or if you have a historic home and you want to salvage some parts (like flooring, trim, and so on) as intact as possible.

Phase 5: Fresh Construction

This phase is only for the largest projects. If you're having a new foundation poured for an addition, adding new structural walls or other elements, or otherwise doing "new" construction, this is when it happens. Any exterior re-landscaping and similar work is done here as well.

This can take anywhere from a couple weeks to a month, depending on scale as always.

Phase 6: Rough-Ins

This phase is also only relevant for mid and larger-scale projects; it's when specific tradespeople come in and do their thing, running new electrical and plumbing, doing the HVAC work, and so on.

It usually takes 1-3 weeks, though if the stars align it might be even faster.

Phase 7: Walls and Floors

If your project involves tearing into walls or replacing floors, this is the point where the new walls and floors are installed. New drywall, new flooring, a new room; this is when it can start to take shape and feel like it's becoming a room again.

This also happens pretty quickly; even though it's a lot of physical space, it doesn't take a lot of time to hang drywall or install laminate, just a week or two.

Phase 8: Cabinets, Counters, and Fixtures

You're rapidly approaching the finish line at this phase, and for some projects, this is also where it starts. After all, phases 5, 6, and 7 aren't things you even do if you're doing a simple refacing project or other smaller-scale remodel.

Installing custom cabinetry, new countertops, and various fixtures and hardware all happen in this phase. It's all of the non-structural finishing work, getting you from a torn-down kitchen to one that is functional and nearly complete.

This phase can take around 2-3 weeks on average.

Phase 9: Finishing Touches

Finally, all of the remaining details are handled. The hardware is installed on the cabinets and polished to a shine (where appropriate). Final paint touch-ups are handled if necessary. Fresh fixtures are fixed in place. Sinks are hooked up, appliances are installed, and things are tested. 

When all of this is done, our team brings you through for a final walkthrough to make sure everything is up to your standards. Any little details missed along the way can be rectified and finished up until you're ready for the final sign-off. All of this is another 1-2 weeks at most.

Trust the Pros from Start to Finish

Now, if you read all of the above and you're wondering why the math doesn't seem to be mathing, it's because a lot of this can overlap or might be optional depending on your specific project. Some have to be sequential (you can't install new cabinets until the old cabinets are removed), but others can be done more or less at the same time, in the same 1-2-week span. 

Don't worry if it seems confusing or overwhelming. That's just because we're trying to cover a wide range of possible projects in a relatively short space. 

The good news is, you don't need to battle uncertainty or guess how long your project could take. When you contact the experts at Magnolia Home Remodeling, we can get into much more precise estimations for your project. With 30+ years of experience in New Jersey home remodeling projects, we're pretty good at knowing how long they'll take and can get you an estimate right away.

So, don't wait; if you want your kitchen remodel done right, on schedule, we're the experts you should contact. If you're in our service area in North and Central New Jersey, we'd love to hear from you; just reach out to contact us today.