Kitchen Remodel Timeline: What to Expect Week by Week

Most LA kitchen remodels run 4–6 months from first conversation to final walkthrough. Construction itself is 8–14 weeks. The other 8–10 weeks are design, material lead times, and permits — phases people forget exist when they imagine a kitchen project. Here's the realistic timeline, broken down into what's happening, who's doing what, and what we need from you at each stage.

Phase 1 — Discovery & design (weeks 1–6)

Week 1: First conversation

You reach out via the contact form, phone, or text. We have a 20-minute call about your goals, scope, and rough budget. If we're a good fit, we schedule an in-home consultation.

Week 2: In-home consultation

We walk through your kitchen and photograph everything. We talk about how you cook, where the natural light hits, what's frustrating about the current layout. About 60–90 minutes. We leave with measurements and you leave with a clearer sense of what's possible.

Weeks 3–4: First design pass + quote

Floor plan options (usually 2–3 directions), preliminary 3D rendering, and a line-itemed quote. We meet again to walk through the options, talk through tradeoffs, and pick a direction.

Weeks 4–6: Design refinement & material selection

Cabinet style, hardware, countertops, backsplash, appliances, paint. Typically 2–3 design meetings, plus mobile showroom visits where we bring samples to your home rather than dragging you to a showroom downtown. This phase is the most "decision-heavy" — material lead times start the clock the moment you sign off.

Phase 2 — Permits & pre-construction (weeks 6–14)

Weeks 6–8: Plan documentation + structural engineering

We finalize construction documents: dimensions, electrical plan, plumbing rough-in locations. If you're moving walls, a structural engineer reviews the plan and produces calculations.

Weeks 8–14: Plan check submission

We submit to LADBS (or your municipal building department) for plan check. Timeline varies by city:

• LA City (LADBS): 4–10 weeks for kitchens with electrical and plumbing
• Beverly Hills: 3–6 weeks (separate department, sometimes faster)
• Santa Monica: 4–8 weeks
• West Hollywood: 4–8 weeks

Hillside or historic-zone properties trigger additional review and can add 4–8 weeks. We start material lead times in parallel so we're not waiting on cabinets when permits clear.

Weeks 12–14: Pre-construction prep

Material deliveries begin arriving. We do a final pre-construction walkthrough with you — confirm what's staying, what's going, where the temporary kitchen will live, dust containment plan, schedule.

Phase 3 — Construction (weeks 14–26)

Week 1 of construction: Demo

Cabinets out, appliances out, flooring removed if necessary. Old plumbing and electrical exposed. Most homeowners are shocked at how dusty this week is — we use plastic dust barriers and HEPA filters but it's still rough. Plan to be home as little as possible during demo.

Weeks 2–3: Structural and rough mechanical

If walls are moving, this is when framing happens. Plumbing supply and drain lines get rerouted to new fixture locations. Electrical circuits get added for new appliances, lighting, and outlets. HVAC adjustments if needed.

Week 3 or 4: Rough inspection

Building inspector comes out to verify electrical, plumbing, and structural work meets code. We've usually pre-scheduled this so it doesn't add a delay.

Weeks 4–5: Drywall and prep

Insulation, drywall, taping, mudding. The kitchen starts looking like a kitchen again. Floor prep happens too — leveling, underlayment, sometimes new subfloor.

Weeks 5–7: Cabinets and tile

Cabinet boxes go in first. Then your countertop fabricator comes out to do a final templating measurement (which is why countertops can't go in earlier — they have to be cut to the actual installed cabinet dimensions). Tile backsplash usually waits until after countertops.

Weeks 7–8: Countertops and final mechanical

Countertops install. Plumbing fixtures (sink, faucet, garbage disposal) go in. Appliances are installed and connected. Backsplash tile installs and grouts.

Weeks 8–10: Finish work

Hardware on cabinets and drawers. Final paint touch-ups. Trim and baseboards. Floor finishing if applicable. Lighting fixtures and switches. Door hardware. The thousand small details that make a kitchen feel complete.

Week 10–12: Punch list and final inspection

We walk through together and document anything that needs adjusting — a drawer that doesn't close perfectly, a piece of trim that needs a touch-up, a hinge to tighten. Our team comes back to fix everything on the list. Final inspection from the city closes out the permit.

Common timeline derailers (and how we plan around them)

Material backorders

Cabinet doors, faucets, and specialty tile have sometimes had 12-week lead times since 2022. We order long-lead items the moment design is finalized and update you weekly on ETAs. If something slips, we usually have time during permits to absorb the delay.

Permit revisions

Plan check sometimes comes back with corrections. Most are minor — a redrawn detail, an additional structural calculation. We turn revisions around in a few days.

Mid-project changes

Almost every project has 1–3 mid-project changes — a different countertop, upgraded hardware, an extra electrical circuit. These add a few days each. We document every change in a written change order before doing the work, so cost and timeline are clear up front.

Older home surprises

Demolition occasionally exposes things that need to be addressed — knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized pipes, water damage behind cabinets. We budget contingency for this on older LA homes. When something comes up, we tell you immediately, price the additional work in writing, and you decide whether to scope it in.

What you can do to keep things moving

• Make decisions promptly during design. Material selections drive lead times.
• Sign change orders within 48 hours. Mid-project decisions delay the schedule until they're approved.
• Schedule weekly site walks. Catch issues early when they're cheap to fix.
• Be honest about must-haves vs. nice-to-haves. The earlier we know, the better we plan.

The total picture

Half a year sounds like a lot, but the design and permitting phases require almost nothing of you once you've made selections. Construction is the intense phase, and it's bounded — you live with the disruption for 8–12 weeks, then have a kitchen for the next 20 years.

Posted by Onn Cohen Meguri, founder of Design Onn Point. CSLB License #1133368.