Inside a kitchen renovation: the sequence, week by week
What actually happens between the measured design and the handover walk-through. Workshop build, demolition, services rough-in, install, stone template, and the punch list. Plus where the schedule slips and how we hold it.
Short answer: a Grainline kitchen moves through seven defined stages between the first measured consult and the handover walk-through. Plan on four to six weeks of clock time for a standard Band 2 kitchen once the drawings are signed, with about a week of that being noisy on site. The schedule is locked the day you sign the proposal, not the day the workshop is ready, which is the part that protects your move-in date.
The seven stages, in order
Measured design consult, day 0. A laser measure of the existing kitchen in your home, with a conversation about how you actually cook, what you keep on the bench, and the band you want to work to. About 90 minutes, no obligation.
Drawings and proposal, week 1 to 2. We draw the kitchen to the millimetre, name every material, hardware brand and benchtop slab, and price it line by line. You see the proposal back inside two weeks, with the drawings.
Design sign-off and deposit, week 2 to 3. Any changes are made on the drawings, not after the cabinetry is cut. The signed drawing is the locked specification, and the deposit reserves your workshop slot and install date.
Workshop build, weeks 3 to 6. Three to four weeks in our Noosaville workshop. We cut, edge, drill, assemble and finish the carcasses, fronts, drawers and shelves. Mostly invisible, and the part that makes the install fast.
Demolition and services rough-in, week 6, days 1 to 2. Old kitchen out, plumber and electrician in for any new pipework, drains, gas, circuits or downlights. Water is off for about a day; power for about half a day.
Install and stone template, week 6, days 3 to 5. Cabinetry in, levelled, secured to the wall, drawers and doors hung. The stonemason templates the benchtop once the cabinetry is set, not from a drawing.
Benchtop, services connect, handover walk-through. Benchtop comes back from the stonemason about a week after template, fitted, polished and sealed. Plumber and electrician return to connect the sink, tap, dishwasher and any cooktop or oven that needs hardwiring. Then we walk every surface together and write the punch list.
Living in the house while it happens
The honest truth is the noisiest two days are demolition and rough-in. The rest is quiet workshop and trade work. We sheet off the kitchen with plastic and floor protection, leave at least one tap running in the laundry, set up a temporary kettle and microwave bench, and keep the rest of the house clean and walkable. Most clients eat out the demolition night, use the BBQ for the rest of the week, and find the worst inconvenience is the temporary fridge in the living room.
The week on site is the week you see. The four weeks before it, in the workshop, are the weeks that decide whether the install takes five days or fifteen.
Where the schedule slips, and how we hold it
Schedules slip on three things: late appliance decisions (the model changes after cabinet panels are cut), late selections (the door colour, the benchtop slab or the tap) and surprises behind the wall during demolition. We hold the schedule by locking the appliance models at design sign-off, presenting selections at the consult so they are decided before the workshop starts, and pricing genuine variations as written change orders within 48 hours so the slip is contained rather than compounding. Variations are real and rare; uncontained variations are how a six-week kitchen becomes a four-month kitchen.
Ask this, exactly
"When I sign the proposal, will my install date be confirmed in writing, with the workshop slot reserved, and what is the written process when something has to change?"
The clearest question to ask any kitchen company before signing. The answer is either yes, with the install date confirmed on the contract, or a hedge.
The handover, and what comes after
On handover day we walk every drawer, door, soft-close, light, plug and joint with you. Anything that needs adjusting goes on a written punch list, with a date for resolution inside two weeks. You get the full document pack: registered Blum hardware warranty, registered benchtop manufacturer warranty, our 10-year cabinetry warranty, the appliance documents you provided, and a care card for the surfaces. After that, you have us on the phone for the life of the kitchen. Book a measured consult when you are ready to start the design.
Common questions
How long does a custom kitchen renovation take, start to finish?
Plan on four to six weeks from design sign-off to handover for a standard Band 2 kitchen in the existing footprint. Roughly three to four weeks of workshop lead time after the drawings are signed, then five to eight days on site for demolition, services, install and stone template, and another week or so for the benchtop to come back from the stonemason and be installed. A structural Band 3 build extends that with the build program itself. Lead times move with workshop load; we lock your install slot the day you sign the proposal, not the day the workshop is ready.
Can I stay in the house while the kitchen is being renovated?
Almost everyone does. We set up a temporary kitchenette corner in the dining or living room, sheet off the work zone with plastic and floor protection, leave a hot kettle and a microwave running, and keep at least the laundry tap available each evening. The genuinely disruptive window is two to three days around the rough-in and the install, when water and power are off. Most clients eat out those nights or use the BBQ.
When do the plumber and electrician come in, and do I have to organise them?
No, we organise the licensed plumber and electrician we work with on every project, and we schedule them around the install sequence so the trades never hold each other up. Their work is itemised in the proposal and they bill us, not you. The only thing on your list is the appliances, which we ask you to buy ahead of time so the spec is locked when we cut the panels.
What happens when the design is signed off but before demolition starts?
The workshop lead time, usually three to four weeks. That window is when we cut, edge, drill and assemble the carcasses, machine the door fronts, paint or veneer them, and hang the doors and drawers. The benchtop slab is also confirmed in this window, with a template visit after the cabinetry is in. You see almost nothing from the outside, and that quiet stretch is doing the work that makes the install fast and clean.
What is on the punch list at handover, and how is it resolved?
A short, written list of any final adjustments, walked through with you on the handover day: a drawer to align, a soft-close to ease, a touch-up if the painter left a mark. We expect a punch list on every kitchen because we look at every surface with you. Items get scheduled and resolved within two weeks, in writing, before the project closes. A kitchen with no punch list usually means nobody walked it properly.
Grainline