Every contractor gives you an estimate. Few explain what goes into that timeline, what causes delays, or how to tell if the estimate is realistic. This guide covers actual timelines for different remodel scopes, the phases that make up those timelines, and why projects almost always take longer than initial estimates suggest.

The Bathroom Remodel Timeline

Bathroom complexity varies enormously, from simple fixture swaps to complete gut renovations. Here’s what to expect for each level.

Cosmetic Refresh: 1-2 Weeks

Scope: New paint, light fixtures, mirrors, hardware, and accessories. No plumbing or electrical changes. No tile work.

Why this timeline: No permits required. No inspections. Work proceeds sequentially without waiting for other trades.

Day 1-2: Removal of existing fixtures, prep work. Day 3-5: Painting, any wall repairs. Day 6-8: New fixture installation. Day 9-10: Final details and cleanup.

What can delay it: Discovering damage behind removed fixtures. Custom-ordered items delayed in shipping. Painter needing extra coats.

Partial Remodel: 2-4 Weeks

Scope: New vanity, toilet, and fixtures in existing locations. New flooring. Possibly new tile in tub/shower area. Minimal plumbing changes. New lighting on existing circuits.

Why this timeline: Some permit work, but limited scope. Trades can work efficiently without extensive coordination.

Week 1: Demolition, any plumbing rough-in adjustments, subfloor prep if needed. Week 2: Tile installation (if applicable), flooring installation, rough electrical. Week 3: Vanity and fixture installation, painting, trim work. Week 4: Final connections, punch list, cleanup.

What can delay it: Permit delays. Subfloor damage requiring repair. Tile backordered. Inspection scheduling.

Full Gut Remodel: 4-8 Weeks

Scope: Complete demolition to studs. All new plumbing and electrical. Layout changes. New tile throughout. Custom vanity or special-order materials.

Why this timeline: Multiple phases requiring sequential completion. Inspections between phases. Custom materials with lead times.

Week 1-2: Demolition, structural assessment, begin rough plumbing and electrical. Week 2-3: Complete rough-in, waterproofing, inspections. Week 3-4: Tile installation, which takes significant time in bathrooms with complex layouts. Week 5-6: Vanity installation, fixture installation, flooring outside tile areas. Week 6-7: Painting, trim, mirrors, accessories. Week 7-8: Final inspections, punch list, cleanup.

What can delay it: Hidden damage (rot, mold, plumbing issues) discovered during demo. Permit processing time. Custom vanity lead times (often 4-8 weeks themselves). Inspection scheduling. Tile setter availability.

Luxury or Complex Bathroom: 8-12+ Weeks

Scope: High-end finishes, custom everything, complex tile work (large format, intricate patterns, heated floors), steam showers, multiple fixture installations.

Why this timeline: Custom materials have long lead times. Complex work takes longer to execute. High-end clients expect perfection, which means more time for details.

This timeline varies too much by specific scope to provide a detailed breakdown. The key is that custom materials often arrive 6-12 weeks after ordering, and the work itself is more painstaking.

The Kitchen Remodel Timeline

Kitchens are more complex than bathrooms because they involve more components, more trades, and longer material lead times.

Cosmetic Refresh: 2-3 Weeks

Scope: Cabinet refacing or painting, new hardware, new countertops on existing cabinets, new faucet, lighting fixture swaps, paint.

Why this timeline: No layout changes. No permits. Limited disruption to existing infrastructure.

Week 1: Cabinet painting/refacing, prep for counters. Week 2: Counter installation (template, fabrication, install), backsplash if changing. Week 3: New hardware, light fixtures, paint touch-up, cleanup.

What can delay it: Cabinet painting needing more coats than expected. Counter fabrication delays. Backsplash material availability.

Moderate Remodel: 6-10 Weeks

Scope: New cabinets, countertops, backsplash, and appliances in the existing layout. New flooring. Updated electrical (additional outlets, under-cabinet lighting). Plumbing fixtures in same locations.

Why this timeline: Cabinet lead times dominate. Custom and semi-custom cabinets take 4-8 weeks to arrive after ordering. Work before and after cabinet delivery adds to total timeline.

Pre-Cabinet Phase (2-3 weeks): Week 1: Demolition, rough electrical and plumbing adjustments. Week 2-3: Flooring installation (easier before cabinets), painting walls and ceiling.

Cabinet Lead Time (4-8 weeks): This overlaps with pre-cabinet work if you ordered cabinets before starting demo.

Post-Cabinet Phase (2-3 weeks): Week 1: Cabinet installation. Week 2: Counter template, fabrication (typically 5-10 business days), installation. Week 3: Backsplash, appliance installation, final electrical and plumbing connections, trim, punch list.

What can delay it: Cabinet delays (extremely common—add 2-4 weeks to any estimate for buffer). Counter fabrication backlog. Appliance availability (supply chain issues). Inspection scheduling.

Full Gut Remodel: 10-16 Weeks

Scope: Complete demolition. Layout changes. All new cabinets, counters, and appliances. New plumbing and electrical throughout. Structural modifications. New flooring. New lighting plan.

Why this timeline: Everything takes longer. Structural work adds time. Extensive electrical and plumbing work requires multiple inspection phases. More coordination between trades.

Phase 1 – Demo and Structural (2-3 weeks): Week 1: Demolition. Week 2-3: Structural modifications, beam installation if removing walls, initial framing.

Phase 2 – Rough-In (2-3 weeks): Week 3-5: Rough plumbing, rough electrical, HVAC modifications. Schedule and pass rough inspections.

Phase 3 – Walls and Floors (2-3 weeks): Week 5-7: Drywall, flooring installation, priming.

Phase 4 – Cabinets and Counters (3-4 weeks): Week 7-8: Cabinet installation. Week 8-9: Counter template and fabrication. Week 9-10: Counter installation, backsplash.

Phase 5 – Finish (2-3 weeks): Week 10-12: Appliance installation, final electrical, final plumbing, painting, trim, hardware. Week 12-13: Final inspections, punch list, cleanup.

Cabinet lead time warning: The timeline above assumes cabinets arrive on schedule. Semi-custom cabinets often take 6-8 weeks; custom cabinets can take 10-14 weeks. If cabinets are delayed, the entire post-cabinet schedule shifts.

Major Renovation: 16-24+ Weeks

Scope: Moving walls, relocating kitchen entirely, high-end custom cabinets, complex appliance installations (built-in refrigeration, commercial ranges), custom millwork.

Why this timeline: Custom everything has long lead times. Structural complexity requires engineering and more intensive permitting. The scope of work is simply larger.

These projects require detailed scheduling specific to their scope. Generalizations aren’t useful—work with your contractor and designer to build a realistic project-specific timeline.

What Causes Delays (And How to Minimize Them)

Understanding delay sources helps you plan realistically.

Material Lead Times: The Biggest Variable

Cabinets dominate kitchen timelines. Expect 4-8 weeks for semi-custom, 8-14 weeks for custom. Order as early as possible—ideally before demolition begins.

Countertops require 1-2 weeks for fabrication after templating. Templating happens after cabinets are installed. This sequence can’t be shortened.

Tile, especially large-format, natural stone, or imported tile, may have long lead times. Order early and verify stock before committing to a design.

Appliances face variable availability. Supply chain disruptions have made appliance lead times unpredictable. Order early and have backup choices.

How to minimize: Order long-lead materials before demolition. Build buffer time into your schedule. Have backup selections identified.

Permit and Inspection Delays

Permit approval takes days to weeks depending on jurisdiction and project complexity. Some areas require plan review before permits issue.

Inspection scheduling varies by inspector availability. In busy periods, you might wait days for an inspection appointment.

Failed inspections require correction and re-inspection, adding time.

How to minimize: Submit permits as early as possible. Maintain good relationships with your building department. Have your contractor request inspections promptly when work is ready.

Discovery of Hidden Conditions

Demolition reveals problems: water damage, mold, outdated wiring, improper plumbing, structural issues. These must be addressed before proceeding.

Hidden conditions are unpredictable by definition. No amount of planning prevents discovery of rot in a wall you didn’t know had moisture problems.

How to minimize: Build contingency time into your schedule (2-3 weeks). Budget for contingency costs (15-20% of budget). Accept that surprises happen in remodeling.

Contractor Scheduling

Your project competes with the contractor’s other projects. If the previous project runs long, yours starts late.

Subcontractor availability affects specific phases. If the plumber is backed up, plumbing waits.

How to minimize: Get start dates in writing. Discuss how the contractor handles schedule conflicts. Ask about their current workload.

Decision Delays

You cause delays when decisions aren’t made in time. If the cabinet installer arrives but you haven’t selected hardware, work stops.

Design changes mid-project restart decision processes and may require re-ordering materials.

How to minimize: Make all selections before construction starts. Stick to decisions unless changes are truly necessary. Respond promptly to contractor questions.

Weather (For Projects With Exterior Components)

If your remodel involves exterior work (venting range hood through wall, window replacement), weather can delay those phases.

How to minimize: Schedule exterior-dependent work during favorable seasons. Accept that some delays are uncontrollable.

Reading Contractor Timeline Estimates

When contractors give timeline estimates, understand what they’re actually saying.

“6-8 Weeks”

This is a range because the contractor doesn’t know exactly how long your project will take. It depends on material arrivals, inspection schedules, and discovery of issues.

Assume the longer end of any range for planning purposes.

“Starting in April”

This means beginning demolition in April, not completion in April. Clarify the expected completion date.

Timeline Doesn’t Include Pre-Construction

The weeks quoted usually start at demolition. Design, permits, and material ordering happen before that. A “10-week kitchen remodel” might take 5 months from first design meeting to completion when pre-construction time is included.

Be Skeptical of Unusually Short Estimates

If three contractors say 10-12 weeks and one says 6 weeks, the fast contractor is either cutting corners, doesn’t understand the scope, or will slow down once work begins.

Unrealistically short timelines should concern you, not attract you.

Creating a Realistic Expectation

For planning purposes, use this framework:

Bathroom refresh: 1-2 weeks of work, minimal pre-construction.

Bathroom remodel: 4-6 weeks of work plus 2-4 weeks of design and material selection.

Full bathroom gut: 6-10 weeks of work plus 4-6 weeks of design, permitting, and material ordering.

Kitchen refresh: 2-3 weeks of work plus 2-4 weeks of design and ordering.

Moderate kitchen remodel: 8-12 weeks of work plus 6-10 weeks of design, permitting, and cabinet lead time.

Full kitchen gut: 12-18 weeks of work plus 8-14 weeks of design, permitting, and custom material lead times.

These are realistic estimates, not optimistic ones. Plan for the longer end.

The Value of Patience

Rushing a remodel leads to poor decisions, missed details, and compromised quality. Projects that allow adequate time for proper execution turn out better than projects forced into unrealistic schedules.

If your contractor says a project takes 12 weeks and you demand it in 8, something will suffer—quality, attention to detail, or your sanity.

Build a realistic timeline, communicate it to everyone affected (family, anyone sharing the space), and accept that good remodels take time. The weeks of construction are temporary. The kitchen or bathroom you create lasts decades. Getting it right matters more than getting it fast.