How Long Does a Kitchen Renovation Take in 2026? (UK)
A typical UK kitchen renovation takes 3–6 weeks on site in 2026 — but the design, ordering and lead time beforehand adds another 6–10 weeks, and that is where most projects actually lose time. Cabinet and stone-worktop lead times, not the fitting itself, are the usual bottleneck. Templating a quartz or granite worktop also forces a deliberate mid-job pause of 7–14 days. Here is the realistic end-to-end timeline, the delays that catch people out, and how to sequence trades so the job never stalls.
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Kitchen renovation timeline, stage by stage
| Stage | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Design, sign-off & ordering | 2–3 weeks |
| Cabinet & appliance lead time | 4–8 weeks (before site) |
| Strip-out of old kitchen | 1–2 days |
| First fix (electrics, plumbing, plastering) | 4–6 days |
| Cabinet installation | 3–5 days |
| Worktop template & fabrication pause | 7–14 days |
| Worktop fit, splashbacks & second fix | 3–5 days |
| Flooring, decoration & snagging | 3–5 days |
Why lead time, not fitting, sets the clock
The physical install is quick; the wait is not. Bespoke and mid-range cabinets routinely carry 4–8 week lead times, and a stone worktop cannot be cut until the cabinets are installed and templated on site — forcing a deliberate 1–2 week gap mid-project while the slab is fabricated. Plan around these two waits and the rest of the job flows.
The right order of trades
Strip-out, then first-fix plumbing and electrics, then plaster, then cabinets, then worktop template, then worktop fit and tiling, then flooring and decoration, then appliance connection and snagging. Getting this sequence wrong — for example tiling before the worktop is fitted — is the most common cause of rework.
Delays that catch people out
- Worktop templating can only happen after cabinets are in — build in the fabrication pause.
- Appliance back-orders on integrated ovens and ranges.
- Moving plumbing or gas for a relocated sink or hob.
- Hidden damp or wiring revealed at strip-out.
- Decorator availability at the tail end of the job.
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