How Long Does a Kitchen Renovation Take? Timeline by Scope

The weeks without a kitchen are fewer than the weeks of the project. Calgary kitchen firms put a new kitchen in the same layout at about 6 to 8 weeks, and a changed layout at 10 weeks or more, but custom cabinets take 8 to 15 weeks to build before anything comes apart. The day you order them sets the day you cook again.

How long a kitchen renovation takes, by scope

Scope sets the weeks the same way it sets the price of a kitchen: every wall or service that moves adds trades, inspections and often a permit. Some firms quote weeks on site and others the time from the first design meeting, so the table says what each figure counts where the firm says.

The firm moves the figure as much as the scope does: a Calgary design-build firm with the cabinets ordered ahead can finish a kitchen that stays within its walls in about 6 to 8 weeks, while a Toronto builder plans 12 to 16 weeks on site for a standalone custom kitchen.

Kitchen renovation steps, in order

Kitchen work follows the order of a larger renovation: structure and services first, inspections before anything is covered, then surfaces and finishes. The times come from Ontario and Calgary firms' schedules; the week column is a GTA cabinet maker's September 2026 schedule for a full kitchen renovation with custom cabinets.

Rough-in and inspection before the walls close

The rough-in is when new plumbing, wiring and duct runs go into open walls, and it is the stage an inspector has to see. Toronto's inspection stages for small buildings put the framing inspection at completion, including the plumbing and HVAC rough-in, and anything covered before it passes has to be uncovered. Inspections there can be booked from the next business day, and the inspector comes on the booked day or the day after.

Wiring has its own gate in Ontario: the Electrical Safety Authority needs a notification of work before electrical work starts, and the work stays uncovered until ESA has reviewed it. A failed inspection costs days, not hours: a Metro Vancouver renovator's bathroom schedule puts the corrections at another 3 to 7 days.

What to order before demolition

Everything with a lead time is chosen and ordered while the old kitchen still works. Cabinets come first, because the boxes are built to the approved drawings, and the drawings depend on the appliances, the sink and the hood. Stone and quartz counters wait for the cabinets: they are templated only once the boxes are installed and level, so the sink, faucet and cooktop must be on hand by then for the cut-outs.

Permits, inspections and how long they add

A kitchen that keeps its layout usually needs no building permit, while moving a wall or a drain, or adding circuits, brings permits and inspections. For simple work, the wait is short in the big cities. Toronto aims to review interior alterations to a house within 3 business days through its Express Services, and the City of Calgary puts its review at about 7 days without guaranteeing it.

Vancouver's Residential Renovation Fast Track issues permits within a week for simple residential renovations under $250,000, a ceiling most kitchen renovations in Vancouver come in under, since one Metro Vancouver renovator's 2026 tiers put even custom work at $100,000 to $185,000 or more.

Taking out a load-bearing wall adds the most time before demolition. An engineer designs the beam and the drawings go in for a structural permit, which a Vancouver renovator puts at 3 to 6 weeks for the City's review, and the beam work itself takes 1 to 3 weeks on site in a GTA renovator's figures.

Condo and strata kitchens

A condo kitchen runs on the building's rules before it runs on the contractor's schedule. The condo board or strata corporation approves changes to the common elements or the structure, so a range hood vented through an outside wall or a drain moved through the slab is the kind of change to raise first. The building's own rules can also limit working hours and require the elevator booked for deliveries and debris, so get the approval and the rules in writing before the start date is set.

Living without a kitchen

The kitchen is out of use from demolition until the sink and counters are back: about 2 to 3 weeks in the GTA cabinet maker's schedule, where the cabinets are finished before demolition, and 4 to 8 weeks in an Ontario renovator's. Staying in the house works when a bathroom and a basic cooking setup keep working, which a kitchen-only job allows.

What delays a kitchen renovation

Most delays trace back to a decision or an order, not to the work on site.

• Cabinets ordered late or changed. With 5 to 15 weeks of lead time, a late order or a redrawn one moves the finish date.
• Counters waiting on the template. Nothing is measured until every cabinet is level.
• A failed inspection. Corrections and a second visit come before any wall closes.
• What the walls hide. Water damage, old wiring and floors out of level add work.
• Trade slots. Each trade works in its own slot, so one slip moves the next.

A start date, a completion date and the cabinet delivery date can all be written into the renovation contract. When you compare quotes, ask each firm for its written schedule and whether its weeks run from the contract, the cabinet order or demolition.