A kitchen renovation is an exciting way to give your house a facelift. The kitchen is where your family spends most of their time, so updating it can make your entire home livelier and more cheerful. It can also give your house some eye-catching pop for visitors and future buyers alike. Kitchen renovations are time-consuming, however, and they require careful planning so that your routine is disrupted as little as possible.
Building the Timetable
The actual renovation, from demolition to finished project, should take between four and 10 weeks, but planning ahead can stretch your timetable out several months, depending on the materials and the extent of custom details you choose. Custom cabinets can take up to four months to build and ship to your contractor or home, and some countertop materials may need to be imported from overseas. Feel free to take your time and build your timetable around all the features you want.
Once you’ve chosen the start date for your kitchen renovation based on the schedule that works best for you and your family, your construction team in Scarsdale will carefully stagger the stages of work to allow you to stay in your home through the process. Here are five stages of the kitchen renovation process, along with approximately how long each stage can take:
Preparation (~1 week)
This is when your construction team will acquire permits for renovation and run through a final schedule with you. Demolition preparation will be finalized: your kitchen area will be isolated to keep dust pollution from entering the rest of your house, and a dumpster will be brought in. Immediately before demolition begins, the electricity to your kitchen will be cut off. Gas and water will also need to be cut off at this point in the process and through the demolition, but your construction team will give you a timetable as precise as possible so you and your family can work around the brief inconvenience.
Demolition (~2-3 days)
Removal of all old cabinets, countertops, appliances, tile and flooring will begin. Anything you’d like to preserve, such as flooring, will be protected by your construction team. After all old portions of the kitchen are removed entirely, your team will evaluate the walls, ceiling and floor for any areas that need repair. Plaster may be removed from the walls and ceiling at this time, as agreed upon in your renovation agreement. All debris will then be removed completely from the old kitchen space and your team will prepare to begin the renovation process.
Mechanical/Electrical Installation (~1 week)
All electrical fixtures will be mapped out at this point. Your construction team will check and double-check exactly where all lighting fixtures, appliance hook-ups and outlets will be located. As the week continues, mechanical installation will begin. Installation of heating and cooling, electrical wiring, and plumbing for your drains will usually take between 4 and 5 days. Before your team proceeds, the city of Scarsdale will conduct an inspection to check framing and mechanical work. If everything looks good, the renovation will move on to…
Drywall and Cabinet Installation (~2-3 weeks)
By now, you’ll be anxious to see your new cabinets and countertops! Before that, however, your team will install drywall and flooring (if you’re not keeping your existing floors). Then the fun begins: cabinets will be installed and a specific template will be created for your countertops. This can take close to two weeks, but you’ll be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel when your countertops are fitted into place and your new kitchen is starting to really come together.
Finishing Touches (~1-2 weeks)
Your kitchen renovation is nearing the finish line. Plumbing fixtures and appliances will be installed. Backsplash, trim and molding will be put into place. Finally, a fresh coat of paint will be applied over your kitchen’s new drywall, and your team will do one last cleanup and walkthrough. Then you’ll be ready to enjoy your brand-new kitchen for many years to come!
Filed Under:
