How Long Does a Kitchen Renovation Take?
A Realistic Guide
Research and Inspiration
This phase happens before the formal timeline begins, and it is worth taking your time with it. Visit showrooms. Save images of kitchens that appeal to you - not necessarily the ones that look most impressive on a screen, but the ones where the space seems to flow in a way you could live with every day. Our inspiration gallery is a good place to start - it shows real kitchens and styles rather than staged photography, which makes it easier to picture what would work in your own home.
When you are ready to visit, bring your room dimensions if you have them, a few photos of the existing space, and a rough sense of budget. These three things allow the first conversation to be practical rather than hypothetical.
The formal project timeline begins when you book a design consultation. Everything before that is thinking time - and it is never wasted.
The Six Phases of a Kitchen Renovation
Design and Specification
This is where your kitchen takes shape. We design every kitchen in 3D, so you will see the layout in three dimensions before a single unit is ordered - door styles against your flooring, sinks positioned where they will actually work, storage planned around how you use the space forty-seven times a week rather than how it looks in a brochure.
Revisions are a normal part of this stage. Most clients go through two or three iterations before the design feels settled. What matters is that the specification is locked in before it goes to production - changes after ordering add weeks rather than days to the project.
For a mid-range bespoke project, the design phase typically takes one to two weeks. Premium projects with more complex specifications - perhaps involving specialist finishes, an unusual layout, or a broader appliance package - allow two to three weeks.
Order and Lead Time
Once the design is signed off, the production order goes in. Bespoke cabinets are manufactured to your specification. Worktop materials are sourced. Appliances are ordered.
This phase cannot be compressed - it takes as long as the materials and manufacturing require. For mid-range projects, expect six to seven weeks. For premium projects with specialist materials or more complex cabinetry, seven to eight weeks is typical.
The lead time is not dead time. This is the window to organise any preparation works your kitchen needs - electrical rewiring, plumbing relocation, structural changes - so that everything is ready the day the cabinets arrive. Using this period well is one of the most effective things you can do to keep the overall project on track.
Preparation Works
Not every kitchen project requires preparation works, but many do. Moving the sink to a better position under the window. Adding circuits for a Quooker water tap or a new oven. Relocating a gas supply. Removing a non-load-bearing wall to open the space into a kitchen-diner. These are the kinds of changes that happen before the installation itself begins.
The key is scheduling.
When prep works are arranged to coincide with the manufacturing lead time, they do not add a single day to the overall project. When they are left until the cabinets arrive, they become the delay that everyone remembers.
Something we have learned across forty-eight years of Leicester projects: book your electrician and plumber at the design stage, not the installation stage. Their availability is the most common variable we see in project timelines - and it is entirely within your control.
Kitchen Installation
This is the phase most people picture when they think of a kitchen renovation. The existing kitchen comes out, and the new one goes in.
A typical Glenfield installation takes two to three weeks from start to finish. Within that window: carcasses are fitted, worktops are templated and fabricated, appliances are connected, and the space is brought to a finished standard. Paul, Brad, Steve, and Lewis - our in-house fitting team - are on site throughout, coordinating every element from the first dust sheet to the final adjustment.
Worktop templating deserves a specific mention. Stone and quartz worktops - from suppliers like Neolith and Königstone - are measured after the carcasses are installed, not before, because the template needs to match the exact position of every unit. This adds a short fabrication window within the installation period. It is a normal part of the process, not a delay, but it is worth knowing about in advance so it does not come as a surprise.
Handover
Once the installation is complete, we walk through the kitchen with you. Any snagging items are noted and resolved. Blum soft-close hinges are checked across every door and drawer. Appliances are tested and commissioned. Most of our clients are fully using their new kitchen on the day of handover.
Living Without a Kitchen - How to Plan
The two to three weeks of installation are the period when you will not have a functioning kitchen. It sounds daunting, but with a small amount of planning it is perfectly manageable - and most of our clients tell us afterwards that it was far less difficult than they had imagined.
Setting up a temporary kitchen
The dining room is often the most practical choice in Leicester homes - it usually has nearby sockets and can be separated from dust more easily than other rooms. In smaller homes, a bedroom, landing, or living-room corner works equally well, as long as it is safe and ventilated. Set up a folding table as a makeshift worktop, and keep your essentials - plates, utensils, pantry basics - boxed together in one place rather than spread across the house.
The appliances that make the biggest difference: a microwave, kettle, and toaster will handle the majority of meals. An air fryer or slow cooker extends what you can cook considerably. A portable induction hob is worth having if you want to cook properly. Keep a fridge plugged in wherever you have space - it makes the whole period significantly easier.
For washing up, a bathroom or utility sink with a tub for dirty dishes is the simplest solution. It is not elegant, but it works.
Food Planning
Batch-cooking a few meals before the installation begins is the single most useful thing you can do. Beyond that, lean into one-pan meals, simple suppers, and the kinds of food that need minimal preparation. Most households find they mix home cooking on portable appliances with a few takeaways or meals out - and that the novelty of eating differently for a fortnight is not as bad as the anticipation of it.
If the weather allows, outdoor cooking - a barbecue or portable hob in the garden - is a good option during summer renovations. If friends or family nearby are willing to lend their kitchen for the occasional larger meal, it is worth taking them up on it.
Reducing the disruption
Box up anything you will not need during the installation and store it out of the way. Label what you keep accessible. Protect floors in adjacent rooms from dust - a sheet of plastic across a doorway makes a real difference. It is also worth asking your kitchen company whether the sink or hob can remain in place for as long as possible during the sequencing, which can shorten the period of full disruption.
Why Kitchen Timelines Vary - and What Actually Causes Delays
A kitchen renovation involves more trades than most homeowners anticipate. Carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, worktop fabrication, and often plastering and decorating - each requires its own scheduling window, and the overall timeline depends on how those windows are sequenced.
When each trade is arranged independently, availability does not always align. A plumber available in week eight may not have an opening in week twelve when the installation actually needs them. An electrician booked at the last minute may push the start date by a fortnight. These gaps compound - and they are the primary reason kitchen projects overrun.
Here are the most common sources of delay, and what you can do about each.
Design changes after ordering.
Any revision to the specification once the production order has gone in restarts part of the manufacturing cycle. The solution is straightforward: take the time you need at the design stage, and commit to the specification before it goes to production.
Structural discoveries.
Hidden pipework, old wiring, or an unexpected load-bearing element can emerge once work begins. A thorough site visit before the design is finalised reduces this risk significantly - it is something we carry out as standard, and it is precisely why we do it.
Appliance lead times.
Some premium appliances - particularly range cookers from brands like Britannia, and specialist extraction systems - have long order windows. Confirming your appliance choices at the design stage, not afterwards, prevents the appliance becoming the thing the project waits for.
Worktop fabrication.
Stone and quartz worktops are templated after carcasses are fitted, which adds a fabrication window. This is a planned part of the process, not a surprise - but it catches homeowners off guard when they have not been told to expect it.
Preparation works left too late.
Electrics and plumbing should be booked at the design stage, scheduled to coincide with the manufacturing lead time. If they are not arranged until the cabinets arrive, the installation cannot begin until those works are complete.
Worth knowing: the single most useful question you can ask any kitchen company before committing is "who coordinates the trades, and what happens to the timeline if one of them is not available on the day?" The answer tells you a great deal about how that project will be managed.
Timing your renovation
Timing the installation to coincide with a family holiday is a good approach - the work happens while you are away, and you come back to a new kitchen rather than a building site. Summer is the most popular period for exactly this reason: longer days, children on school break, and the option to eat outside while the kitchen is out of action.
Frequently Asked Questions
A typical Glenfield installation takes two to three weeks from the day we begin on site to the day we hand the kitchen back to you. That includes fitting the carcasses, templating and installing the worktops, connecting all appliances, and completing any final adjustments.
A simple like-for-like replacement with the same layout and standard worktops - possibly. A bespoke kitchen with stone worktops that require templating and fabrication: no. Two weeks on site is a realistic minimum for a properly fitted bespoke kitchen.
Summer and early autumn are the most popular periods - longer days, children on school break, and the option to eat outside while the kitchen is out of action. If you are planning a premium project, bear in mind that design and lead time alone account for nine to eleven weeks, so working backwards from your preferred installation date is the most practical way to plan.
Two to three weeks of full disruption during the installation phase - you will not have a working kitchen during this period. If preparation works (electrics, plumbing) are scheduled during the manufacturing lead time, disruption before installation day is minimal. Most of our clients tell us the anticipation was worse than the reality.
How Glenfield Keeps Leicester Projects on Schedule
Over forty-eight years and hundreds of Leicester kitchen projects, certain patterns become impossible to miss. The projects that run to schedule share a common feature: one team manages every element, rather than multiple independent trades arriving at different points and hoping the schedule holds.
That is how we have always operated. Our fitting team - Paul, Brad, Steve, and Lewis - carries out every installation, and we coordinate all associated trades in-house. Plumbing, electrical work, and carpentry are scheduled together rather than arranged separately. There are no gaps in the timeline waiting for a different contractor to become available.
We also use the manufacturing lead time actively. While your cabinets are being produced, any preparation works - rewiring, plumbing relocation, structural changes - are completed and signed off. When the cabinets arrive, the installation begins immediately.
The result, across our Leicester projects, is a consistent ten to fourteen weeks from first design consultation to handover - with the installation itself running two to three weeks. The most common cause of delays we see is homeowners waiting too long to sign off the design. Once the design is finalised and the order goes in, the timeline is in our hands, and we protect it.
Free Download: Your Kitchen Project Timeline Planner
Free download:
A printable phase-by-phase timeline you can fill in for your own project. Includes a living-without-a-kitchen checklist and a trades coordination sheet - used by Leicester homeowners planning kitchen projects with us.
Download it free and use it before you speak to any studio.
Ready to visit our showroom?
We are at 120 Station Road, Glenfield, Leicester LE3 8BR. Contact us on the number below to book a consultation. We hope to see you with our checklist in hand.
Call: 0116 287 1551
Explore further: How much does a new kitchen cost? · Bespoke kitchen design in Leicester · Kitchen styles gallery
Planning a Kitchen in Leicester?
If you are thinking about a kitchen renovation and would like to understand what a realistic timeline looks like for your home and budget, we are happy to talk it through. After forty-eight years of Leicester projects, there are very few questions we have not already answered - and a first conversation costs you nothing.
Free download: The printable Showroom Evaluation Checklist
If you have made it to the bottom of this checklist, you are ready to visit a showroom in a way most homeowners are not. Bring it with you - to ours, or to anyone else's.
Free download:
The printable Showroom Evaluation Checklist
A one-page version of these 19 questions, designed to fit in your bag for showroom visits. Includes space to write down each studio's answers so you can compare them honestly afterwards.
Ready to visit our showroom?
We are at 120 Station Road, Glenfield, Leicester LE3 8BR. Contact us on the number below to book a consultation. We hope to see you with our checklist in hand.
Call: 0116 287 1551
How Long Does a Kitchen Renovation Take?
A Realistic Guide
The on-site installation of a new kitchen typically takes one to three weeks. The full project - from your first design conversation through to handing the kitchen back to you - usually runs between ten and fourteen weeks for a bespoke kitchen, including the design phase, manufacturing lead time, and fitting.
That range exists because a kitchen project involves more moving parts than most homeowners expect: multiple trades working in sequence, material lead times that can't be compressed, and a design process that needs to be properly resolved before anything is ordered. This guide breaks down each phase, what affects the timeline, and how to plan around it - based on forty-eight years of kitchen projects across Leicester and Leicestershire.
Kitchen Renovation Timeline at a Glance
Before the detail, here is how a bespoke kitchen project typically breaks down. These figures are drawn from our Leicester projects - the same benchmarks we share in our kitchen cost guide.
Kitchen Type | Typical Cost | What's Included |
|---|---|---|
Entry-level (flat-pack / DIY-fit) | £5,000–£20,000 | Flat-pack or semi-fitted units, standard worktops, budget appliances — typically self-installed or with basic fitting |
Mid-range (bespoke fitted kitchen) | £20,000–£45,000 | Bespoke cabinetry designed for your space, quality worktops, integrated appliances, professional in-house fitting |
Premium bespoke | £45,000–£70,000+ | Full bespoke design, premium worktop and appliance specification throughout, specialist finishes, complex structural work if required |
The installation phase - the period when your existing kitchen comes out and the new one goes in - accounts for two to three weeks across both tiers. The remainder sits in design and manufacturing, where the timeline depends on the complexity of your specification and the lead times of the materials you choose.
