How Long Should a Kitchen Renovation Take? (And What Your Contract Should Say About Timing)

You have chosen the units, agreed the layout, and your builder has a start date. The obvious question: how long is this going to take?

Realistic timelines

Cosmetic refresh (new doors, worktops, splashback, no layout changes): 3-5 days. The existing layout stays. No plumbing or electrical changes. This is the fastest option.

Standard refit (new units, same layout, minor plumbing/electrical): 1-2 weeks. Strip the old kitchen, fit new units, reconnect plumbing and electrics, tile, and make good. Most straightforward kitchen refits fall into this category.

Full renovation with layout changes: 3-6 weeks. Moving the sink, adding an island, relocating the boiler, knocking through a wall — all of these add time. Plumbing and electrical first fix comes before the kitchen goes in. Plastering needs to dry. Multiple trades need coordinating.

Extension or structural work involved: 8-16 weeks. If the kitchen is part of a larger project — a rear extension, a knock-through into the dining room — the kitchen itself may only take two weeks, but the structural work, building control inspections, and finishing trades push the overall timeline much longer.

What makes kitchens run late

• Hidden surprises. Rotten joists under the floor, unexpected pipework routes, asbestos in old textured ceilings. You do not know until you start.
• Delivery delays. Bespoke worktops, specific tiles, and specialist appliances have lead times. If something arrives late or damaged, the whole schedule shifts.
• Changes during the project. Moving the hob to the island, adding extra sockets, choosing different tiles after the originals are ordered. Every change has a time impact.
• Trade coordination. A kitchen refit involves a builder, plumber, electrician, plasterer, tiler, and potentially a gas engineer. If one trade is delayed, it cascades.

What your contract should say

Your contract should include three things about timing:

1. A start date. The date work begins on site. This stops the project drifting into "I'll start when I've finished the other job."
2. An expected completion date. Not a guarantee — delays happen — but a clear expectation that both sides have agreed to.
3. A delay notification process. If the builder is going to miss the completion date, they must tell you in advance and provide a revised date. No silent overruns.

This is not about penalising the builder. Delays are a normal part of building work. It is about communication. A builder who tells you "we have hit a problem with the subfloor, the completion date is moving from Friday to the following Wednesday" is managing the project. A builder who just keeps showing up with no end date in sight is not.

For a full list of what should be in your building contract, see our plain-English contract checklist. And for more on why written agreements matter, see our guide on whether builders need written contracts.

The bottom line

The best builders agree timelines in writing. If your builder uses TradeContract, the completion date is right there in the agreement — along with a process for handling delays. Learn more.