A typical full kitchen remodel with us takes 2-4 weeks, and you should know before day one which days hurt: the middle stretch without a sink. Here is the honest week-by-week — including the countertop gap that surprises almost every first-time remodeler — as it runs on our own written schedules.
Week 1: demolition and what walls confess
Demolition itself moves fast; the first days are about what it reveals. In 1980s-90s North Atlanta kitchens the usual confessions are wiring that needs updating behind the range wall, plumbing that predates the current owners, and soffits hiding nothing but air. Licensed trades do their rough work now — this is the week that decides whether the schedule holds, which is why we field-verify before demolition, not after.
Week 2: cabinets go in — the fast, visible part
Cabinet installation itself usually takes 2 days. The photo above is that stage: tall pantry wall standing, hood surround framed, counters still to come. Then, the step that defines your timeline: countertop templating. Fabricators measure the installed cabinets — never the drawings — and take several days to about a week to cut the stone.
| Stage | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Demolition + trades rough-in | 3 – 5 days |
| Cabinet installation | ~2 days |
| Countertop template → install | 4 – 7 days (fabrication) |
| Tile, plumbing reconnect, finish | 3 – 5 days |
| Walkthrough + punch list | 1 day |
Week 3: the quiet week that tests patience
After counters land, backsplash tile, plumbing reconnection and finish work close the project — and this is when “almost done” impatience peaks, because the kitchen looks finished before it works. Grout cures, caulk sets, hardware gets aligned. A crew that rushes this week leaves the punch list you live with; ours schedules it as real work, not a victory lap.
What stretches a timeline — and what never should
Legitimate stretchers: layout changes that move plumbing or gas, back-ordered appliances, and stone slabs awaiting approval. Illegitimate ones: waiting on a subcontractor who serves five bosses, and parts stuck in a shipping queue — the two we structurally avoid by using our own crew and local warehouse stock. The Alpharetta remodel ran demolition to finished photos on exactly this sequence.
What we’d tell a friend
Ask for the schedule in writing with the no-sink window marked, then plan that fortnight like a camping trip: microwave meals, paper plates, and the grill earning its keep. A remodel with a written schedule is an inconvenience; one without is an open-ended hostage situation. Ours comes with the design and quote, before you commit to anything.