It depends on two things: the scope of the work and the cabinets you choose. A kitchen built around in-stock cabinets, with the layout left as it is, can move from design to finished in a matter of weeks. A fully custom kitchen, or one that moves walls or plumbing, can take several months. Cabinet lead time is the part that swings the most, and it's where most schedules slip.
The two clocks
When people ask "how long does a kitchen remodel take," they're usually asking about two separate stretches of time:
- Design and ordering (the front end): the design meeting, drawings, choosing materials, placing orders and pulling any permits the work needs. How long this takes depends mostly on how quickly decisions get made.
- Construction (the back end): demo, rough-in, cabinet install, countertops and the final walkthrough. A layout that stays put goes faster. Moving walls, plumbing or gas adds time.
The cabinet order sits between the two, and it's the piece you have the least control over once it's placed.
Why cabinet lead times vary so much
There's no single answer for cabinet lead time, because "new cabinets" covers everything from a box on a shelf to a piece built from scratch:
- Stock cabinets are already built. Some can be picked up at a home center the same week.
- Semi-custom cabinets are built to order from a manufacturer's catalog of sizes, finishes and options. Expect to wait weeks, and longer if a finish or piece of hardware is a special order.
- Custom cabinets are built from scratch to your drawings. They take the longest, and the wait depends on the shop and the time of year.
Lead times also move with the manufacturer, the finish and how busy the industry is. Two kitchens that look alike on paper can have very different waits. That's why the honest answer to "how long" depends on the cabinets.
Countertops come after the cabinets
Stone countertops can't be measured until the cabinets are installed, and fabrication starts after that measurement. So the countertop time adds on top of the cabinet install; the two don't overlap. Plan on a gap between cabinets going in and counters going on.
How a Mac Kitchens project runs
One designer takes the project start to finish. Doug MacGeorge designs the kitchen and manages the build, so nothing stalls waiting on a hand-off between a showroom and a crew. We work across the whole range, from in-stock cabinets to fully custom, and we'll tell you up front what your choices mean for the schedule. If the timeline matters more than a particular finish, we can design around cabinets that are available sooner.
What changes the number
- Cosmetic refresh (refacing, hardware, paint): the fastest, with no structural work and little or no ordering.
- New cabinets in the same layout: set mostly by the cabinet tier and its lead time.
- Layout or structural changes (moving walls, relocating plumbing, adding an island): longer construction, and possibly a longer permit review.
- Fully custom cabinetry: the longest lead time of any tier, so order as early as the design allows.
Book a private consultation or call the studio at (484) 680-5167 and we'll talk through a realistic timeline for your kitchen.