Kitchen Renovation · Cambridge
How Long Does a Kitchen Renovation Take in Cambridge?
Most Cambridge homeowners renovating a kitchen have a date in mind: before the holidays, before the baby, before the house goes on the market. So this guide works backwards from the deadline instead of forwards from demo.
Start with the date you need it done
Call it D-day. Everything below is counted back from it. For a full same-layout kitchen with semi-custom cabinets, the honest total is 12 to 16 weeks from approving the design to cooking dinner. For a cosmetic refresh, four to six. For a layout change with a wall coming out, 16 to 20.
D minus 16 weeks: design approved, cabinets ordered
This is the date that matters most, and the one most people miss. Semi-custom cabinets take six to eight weeks to arrive; custom can be ten or more. The countertop cannot be templated until the cabinets are in, and fabrication is another one to two weeks after that. So the cabinet order date sets your finish date more than anything that happens on site. Appliances get ordered the same week, especially anything panel-ready or non-standard.
D minus 8 weeks: permit in hand, demo booked
If a wall is moving or the sink is relocating, the City of Cambridge building permit should be issued by now. If not, demo waits. Rough-in inspections are booked against the demo date.
D minus 6 weeks: demolition and rough-in
Week one on site. Old kitchen out, new circuits in, plumbing moved if it is moving. In Cambridge's older housing stock this is the week that finds aluminum wiring, a 60-amp panel or a cast iron drain, and it is why we hold a contingency and pull the permit early.
D minus 5 weeks: inspection, drywall, paint, floor
The room is empty, so this is when painting and flooring are fastest and cleanest.
D minus 4 weeks: cabinets installed, countertop templated
Two to four days to install. The templater comes the day the bases are level. Countertop fabrication starts now and takes one to two weeks. This is the wait that cannot be compressed.
D minus 2 weeks: countertops in, sink connected, backsplash
You get a working sink back. Dishwasher connects. Backsplash tile goes up once the counters are in.
D minus 1 week: finals
Electrical finals, trim, toe kicks, hardware, appliance placement, touch-ups, walkthrough. Build in a few slack days here; every kitchen has a back-ordered handle or a panel that needs a second cut.
The two dates that decide everything
- Cabinet order date. Miss it by a week and the finish moves a week. No amount of site labour recovers it.
- Countertop template date. Set by cabinet installation. Fabrication after it is fixed at one to two weeks.
For what the job costs, see the Cambridge kitchen renovation cost guide, or book a free in-home quote and get a dated schedule counted back from your deadline.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead do I need to start a kitchen renovation in Cambridge to be done for the holidays?
Approve the design and order cabinets 14 to 16 weeks before the date you need the kitchen. For a December deadline that means the design is signed off in August.
What is the shortest realistic kitchen renovation?
A cosmetic refresh (refacing, new counters, backsplash) is one to two weeks on site and four to six weeks including ordering. A full cabinet replacement is not realistically under 12 weeks end to end.
Can the countertop be ordered before the cabinets are installed?
The material can be reserved, but it cannot be templated and cut until the cabinets are installed and level. Templating from drawings leads to gaps and re-cuts, so we do not do it.
Serving Cambridge and surrounding areas. Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote specific to your project.