Tips For Eco-Friendly Kitchen Renovations

Mar 29, 2023 |  Written by Kate

How long will it take to renovate my kitchen?

We always get the same question from new homeowners planning a major kitchen makeover. But no two kitchens are the same, and the renovation timeframe is not set in stone.

To answer this question, we should look at all relevant factors in a kitchen renovation project, such as the goal of renovating, the scale of the project, sustainable solutions included, the budget and location of the household, etc.

Besides, as more homeowners adapt to changing trends in interior design and invest in energy-efficient kitchen appliances, making a pin-point estimate becomes more unpredictable.

But while we cannot give a fixed time frame for every kitchen renovation we deal with, we can help you understand the renovation process and determine the average time it takes to complete a kitchen makeover project.

The Kitchen Makeover Marathon: How Far is The Finish Line?

Unlike renovating your living room, bedroom, or study, tearing down and building a kitchen back up requires a careful synergy and holistic work coordination between electricians, rubbish removalists, carpenters, plumbers, and other subcontractors.

In other words, a kitchen renovation comes in phases—your mason will first demolish old walls before your carpenter can furnish or install the cabinets and for other subcontractors to install tiles, plumbing, environmentally-friendly additions, and finishing touches.

But we know you’re here for an answer, so let’s get down to it.

Kitchens come in all shapes, sizes, and complexity, and so is the difficulty of renovating, furnishing, and upgrading them. From our decades of experience cleaning up after renovations, we estimate that the average kitchen makeover covers about 6-9 weeks.

However, refurbishing larger kitchens may take anywhere between 10-12 weeks. Remodeling the entire space, on the other hand, is a labor-intensive project and will take about 3-6 months.

These are only rough estimates; the real deal can be far-flung from those ranges. Yet, we see them as good benchmarks to determine how long your kitchen renovation will take.

Besides, if you’ve decided to DIY everything in your kitchen, you’re in for a lengthy reno project.

Kitchen Renovation 101

Kitchen makeovers significantly vary in scale, complexity, and expected duration. But regardless of what you need to be done in your kitchen, it should follow the following sequence of steps:

Planning & Consultation

Every kitchen renovation begins with an expert looking around before cranking the jackhammers. It starts by inspecting every nook and cranny of the physical location and renovation plan.

That includes preparing your budget, materials list including any sustainable add-ons, and estimated project period. Besides, you should aim to match the renovation plan to your home’s architectural design.

Organising Materials and Orders

After nailing the planning phase, it’s time to start gathering materials and placing orders for your project. Depending on your kitchen renovation, your contractor should hand you a list of all materials and appliances needed.

If undertaking a full-scale renovation, you will likely need to purchase various materials, including flooring, sinks, tiles, lights, appliances, and cabinets. To ensure you obtain the best products for your project, it's important to know where to source these items.

For instance, for high-quality flooring options, you can check out popular home improvements stores like Home Depot or Lowe's or even specialized flooring stores like Lumber Liquidators. If you're in the market for a new sink, online retailers like Amazon or Wayfair can offer a range of options, or you can visit a local kitchen and bath showroom for a more personalized experience. And, if you’re specifically search for sustainable appliances, you can get some great ideas from Green America.

For tiles, consider browsing options from Home Depot or Floor & Decor, which offer an extensive selection of tiles in various materials, colors, and sizes. If you're looking for cabinets, you can check out major home improvement stores like IKEA or buy from an online retailer like BestOnlineCabinets.com.

By knowing where to source the materials and equipment needed for your kitchen renovation, you can obtain the best products for your project, whether aiming for a specific design or simply looking for high-quality, functional items.

Out With the Old (Demolition)

As said, if it’s a total kitchen makeover, you may need to strip the entire room down to bare walls so you can work with a clean slate. If it’s only minor repairs and renovations sans structural changes, your contractor may finish the job in a few days.

However, you’ll set yourself back a few weeks to a month if your renovation includes demolishing a few walls, pipelines, and electrical wiring.

In With the New (Renovation & Construction)

Tearing down wallpapers or old paint and demolishing your kitchen is faster than building it back up. Since the construction stage breaks down into different phases, it typically takes up the most time throughout the project.

For instance, the plumbing and electrical work usually consumes an entire week. Moving your sink and appliances to another spot might require more work to reconnect utility lines in new locations.

Let’s not even start with the plasterwork. Removing an old tiled splashback, relocating plumbing and electrical systems, and basically, any kitchen renovation work will most likely damage the plaster.

So your contractor will need to reinstall it, which takes several days.

Kitchen construction will also include setting down the new tiles, cabinets, accent and primary lights, splashback, and benchtops, including the finishing touches. Depending on the kitchen size, the floorwork could take more than a week, while cabinets can be installed within three days.

Splashbacks and benchtops can take about two weeks, especially for heavy marble benchtops. Installing kitchen lights (accent lights, cove lights, pendant lights), on the other hand, only take about a day or two; while installing your eco-friendly appliances should only take a few hours to complete.

Lastly, clearing up all the rubbish and rubble from construction only takes one day with same-day rubbish removal.

Conclusion

So there you have it! We hope the above points helped plan your next kitchen makeover project.

Remember that kitchen renovations are unique to every homeowner. Thus, contractors must evaluate the project first, but at the end of the day, you’re only given a ballpark figure and not a fixed timeframe.

The more complex, detailed, and massive the project is, the more work it will take and the longer it will take to finish. What matters is saving as much time as possible by finding a reliable contractor for each renovation phase.