When homeowners ask us how long their kitchen remodel is going to take, the honest answer is that it depends on the scope. A light refresh can be done in two weeks. A full gut with structural changes can run seven or eight. Most LaGrange kitchens we complete land somewhere in the middle, around four to six weeks from demo day to final walkthrough.
But the real question isn't the total number of weeks. It's what happens during those weeks, and which parts feel fast and which parts feel like nothing is happening at all. Because here's the thing nobody tells you before your first remodel: there are going to be days when you walk into the kitchen and it looks exactly the same as yesterday, and you're going to wonder if the crew actually showed up. That's usually because the work that day was invisible. Waterproofing. Rough electrical. Drying time on thinset. It all counts, but it doesn't look like progress.
Here's what a typical four to six week kitchen remodel actually looks like in our experience, based on 500+ completed projects across Troup County and the surrounding area.
Before week one even starts, there are usually two to four weeks of planning, design, material selection, and ordering. Cabinets often have a six to eight week lead time on their own. Most of the timelines below assume materials are already on site or arriving on schedule.
Week one: demo and discovery
The first week is the loudest. We pull permits, protect adjacent rooms with zip walls and floor covering, and then tear everything out. Cabinets, counters, flooring, appliances, sometimes drywall, sometimes the ceiling. By Friday of week one, the kitchen looks like a construction site, because it is one.
This is also the week where we find all the surprises. In an older LaGrange home, demo week almost always turns up something: rotted subfloor where a dishwasher leaked five years ago, aluminum wiring that needs to be dealt with, a drain line that's been leaking into the crawlspace for who knows how long. The good news is that finding these things now is much better than finding them after the new cabinets are installed. We document everything, walk you through the findings, and give you a clear change order before fixing anything.
Week two: rough systems
Week two is when the bones get rebuilt. If we're moving plumbing, the new supply and drain lines get run. If we're moving electrical, new circuits get pulled. Gas lines get relocated if the range is shifting. HVAC gets modified if a soffit is coming out or a vent is getting relocated.
This is the week that looks the least like progress from the outside. You'll walk in and see pipes coming through the floor, wires hanging from the ceiling, and what looks like chaos. But this is the most important week in the whole project, because everything that comes next sits on top of what happens now. We schedule rough inspections at the end of the week: the county electrical inspector, the plumbing inspector, and the building inspector all have to sign off before we close anything up.
Week three: close in and prep
Once the rough inspections pass, we insulate where needed, hang drywall on any new framing, and start floating and sanding. At the same time, flooring prep begins. If the old floor is coming up, it comes up now. If a new subfloor is going in, it goes in now. If there's any leveling work to do, this is when it happens.
Painters come in toward the end of week three to prime and put down the first coat of paint on the walls and ceilings. We prefer to paint before cabinets go in because it's faster, cleaner, and the cut lines are invisible once everything is installed.
Week four: cabinets and the big transformation
Week four is the week it starts to look like a kitchen again. Cabinets get delivered, inventoried, and installed. For most kitchens, cabinet installation takes two to four days depending on how many boxes there are and whether we're doing any custom modifications on site. We level, shim, fasten, and trim everything in. Crown molding, light rail, and toe kick go on last.
While cabinets are going in, our counter fabricator comes out to do a template. This is a laser measurement of the finished cabinet layout, and it's how they cut your counters to fit exactly. Template happens on a Wednesday or Thursday of week four. Counter fabrication then takes seven to fourteen days depending on material and fabricator backlog.
Week five: counters, tile, and trim
Week five is when everything starts coming together. Counters get installed. The sink and faucet get hooked up. Tile backsplash goes in, which is usually two to three days of work for a typical kitchen. Appliances get delivered and installed. Electrical trim-out happens: the electrician comes back to hang pendants, install the range hood, put in outlets and switches, and connect any hardwired appliances.
This is also the week we do touchup paint, install hardware on cabinets, and hang any cabinet doors that came off during install. By Friday of week five, the kitchen is about 90% done.
Week six: punch list and final walkthrough
Week six is what we call the punch list week. There's almost always a list of small things to finish: a drawer that needs adjustment, a cabinet door that needs to close a little better, a section of caulk that needs redoing, a piece of trim that came in wrong and had to be reordered. We walk the kitchen with you, write down everything either of us notices, and knock it all out.
The final walkthrough happens when the punch list is complete. We go through the kitchen together, show you how everything works, hand over warranty documents and manuals, and make sure you're happy with the result. That's the end of the project.
When projects take longer than six weeks
Not every kitchen fits in a four to six week window. Here are the things that stretch the timeline:
- Structural changes. Removing load-bearing walls adds a week or two for engineering, permitting, and careful framing work.
- Custom cabinets. Stock cabinets can arrive in a week. Semi-custom runs four to eight weeks. Full custom can be twelve weeks or more.
- Counter material backorders. Common quartz colors ship in a couple weeks. Imported stone and specialty slabs can take a month or longer.
- Surprises found during demo. Rotted framing, old wiring that needs rerouting, and undisclosed water damage all add days or weeks depending on severity.
- Change orders mid-project. Every time you change your mind about something, there's a ripple effect on ordering and scheduling. We'll always accommodate changes, but they move the finish line.
- Holidays. Thanksgiving week, Christmas week, and the Fourth of July all slow things down. Suppliers are closed. Inspectors are off. Sub trades are out. Plan accordingly.
How to make your remodel feel shorter
The honest truth is that a six week project is a six week project. You can't really compress it without cutting corners you don't want cut. But you can make it feel shorter in a few ways.
Set up a temporary kitchen somewhere else in the house. A folding table with a microwave, coffee maker, toaster oven, and a cooler for perishables covers most meal needs. Washing dishes in the bathroom sink gets old by week two, but it beats eating out for six weeks straight.
Plan meals around crockpots, sheet pans, and grills. Anything that doesn't need a stovetop. You'll get creative.
Schedule your remodel when you have something to look forward to. If you can overlap part of the construction with a vacation, the kitchen will be a lot further along when you get home.
Don't check on the work every day. Trust us, it makes the time crawl. Check in every few days, not every few hours.
Thinking about a kitchen remodel? We'll walk the space with you, talk through a realistic timeline for your specific project, and give you a written estimate within 24 hours. Free, no pressure.