The kitchen is the hardest room in the house to live without, which makes its timeline the question every homeowner asks first. For a full kitchen renovation in South Florida, plan on roughly six to ten weeks of construction, plus design, ordering, and permitting before demo day. Here is where the time actually goes, week by week, and what quietly decides whether your project finishes on schedule.
Before Demo: The Phase That Determines Everything (4–8 Weeks)
Kitchens are ruled by lead times. Cabinets, the longest-lead item, can take anywhere from a couple of weeks for stock lines to a couple of months for custom work. Appliances, especially panel-ready and pro-style units, have their own schedules. Permits are required for kitchens involving plumbing, electrical, or gas changes throughout Miami-Dade and Broward. The golden rule of kitchen scheduling: demolition should not start until cabinets have a confirmed delivery date. A kitchen demoed too early is just a longer time without a kitchen.
Week 1: Demolition and Surprises
Cabinets, counters, and finishes come out, and the walls tell the truth: prior unpermitted work, corroded valves, aluminum wiring in older homes, slab conditions. Pricing contingencies before this week keeps surprises from becoming disputes.
Weeks 2–3: Rough Trades and Inspections
Plumbing moves, electrical circuits get added (modern kitchens are hungry: dedicated appliance circuits, island power, lighting), and gas lines are run or capped. Rough inspections happen before walls close, a hard gate in the schedule that rewards contractors who manage inspectors well.
Weeks 3–4: Walls, Ceilings, and Flooring
Drywall repairs, ceiling work (recessed lighting patches, removed soffits), and flooring installation set the stage. If flooring runs under cabinets, it goes first; schedule accordingly.
Weeks 4–6: Cabinet Installation
The centerpiece week. Installation pace depends on scope, a galley kitchen differs from a full custom build with tall pantries and an island. Level, plumb, aligned cabinet runs are what separate professional installs, and everything after depends on them.
Weeks 5—7: Countertop Template, Fabrication, and Install
Here is the step first-timers never budget: countertops are templated only after cabinets are set, then fabricated, typically taking one to two weeks, then installed. Sinks and cooktops cannot go live until tops are in, so this window is the mid-project pause that feels slow and is completely normal.
Weeks 7—9: Backsplash, Plumbing Trim, and Appliances
Backsplash tile follows counters; faucets, disposals, and appliances get connected; under-cabinet lighting and hardware go on. The kitchen becomes functional again, usually a joyous week.
Weeks 8–10: Punch List and Final Inspections
Final inspections close the permits, and the punch list, touch-ups, adjustments, that one drawer that sticks, wraps the job. Keep the final paperwork; open kitchen permits surface at sale time.
What Makes Kitchens Run Long
The repeat offenders: starting demo before cabinets are confirmed, mid-project design changes, countertop selections made late, discovered conditions, and slow responses to permit comments. The fixes are boring and effective: decide early, order early, and hire a kitchen remodeling contractor who sequences trades tightly and owns the schedule.
Planning a Kitchen Remodel?
IG Construction delivers full kitchen renovations across Miami-Dade and Broward, permits, trades, cabinets, and counters under one managed schedule. Call (305) 686-9919 or get a free quote and we will map a realistic timeline for your kitchen.