Kitchen Renovation Timeline: What Usually Happens When?

A kitchen renovation timeline is the working order of decisions, products, trades and records. It is not a fixed promise from a supplier or a single calendar date. The most useful version is a project record that shows which decisions are still open, which products are needed and which professional checks may apply.

This Supporting guide sits beside the kitchen renovation stages cornerstone. Use it for the wider stage framework, then use this timeline for a more detailed view of what usually happens when. For the full planning picture, read The Complete Kitchen Renovation Planning Guide.

When you are ready for a live record, start through Start your project.

This table is a planning structure. Confirm the actual order with your fitter, supplier or relevant qualified professional. You can revisit it whenever a date slips or a new supplier joins the project, because the useful question is rarely only when something happens.

It is also what must be decided before the next step can move.

Early planning is where you define why the kitchen is changing and what success looks like. Record how you cook, storage pain points, lighting issues and whether the layout is staying similar or changing. Also note whether plumbing, electrics or gas may move, whether the floor or walls are changing, whether products are already bought and whether access could affect delivery.

This stage connects to The Complete Kitchen Renovation Planning Guide and The Kitchen Renovation Checklist Guide.

Measuring turns early ideas into room facts. Record dimensions, window and door positions, services, boiler or consumer unit locations if visible, stop tap and waste routes if known, and photos of each wall. Note appliance positions you are considering and island clearance if relevant.

Confirm final dimensions with your fitter, designer or supplier before ordering. A small assumption can affect cabinet depth, worktop overhang and door swings.

Design is where layout, storage and visual direction become clearer. Decisions often include unit runs, tall housing, corner solutions, worktop direction, splashback approach, lighting zones, door style and internal storage, even if exact models come later.

Record the design version number or date if provided, and note provisional items such as filler widths or panel sizes. Design and measuring often loop back if the room reveals a constraint on site.

Quotes turn design direction into supplier specific scope and price. Record supplier name, date, inclusions, exclusions, delivery and fitting assumptions, payment terms and expiry if shown. Compare quotes like for like, because one may include appliances or waste removal while another does not.

Ordering is where saved options become confirmed commitments. Check compatibility between cabinets, appliances, sinks, taps, waste kits, worktop cut outs and ventilation. Record order dates, lead times, deposit terms and model numbers.

Add products you already own as bought elsewhere items so they stay visible beside supplier supplied goods.

Delivery planning needs clear access, storage and someone to receive goods. Record dates per supplier, contacts, time windows, parking, stair access and where goods will sit before fitting. Note partial deliveries too, because a missing panel or wrong appliance can delay the fit even when cabinets arrive on time.

Strip out removes the old kitchen and prepares the room. Record what is coming out, whether flooring or walls are affected, how waste leaves the property and any temporary living arrangements. Confirm scope with your fitter or builder, because unexpected services discoveries here can shift first fix.

First fix usually means behind the scenes preparation before finished surfaces and visible fittings are complete. In kitchen projects this often includes electrical routes, plumbing routes, ventilation preparation, boarding or plastering, and other work that will later be covered by units, worktops or finishes.

The label can vary between trades, so record the term but confirm the task list with each person. If your fitter uses first fix to mean cabinet carcass installation, note that clearly so your project record matches site language.

Record certificate or completion documents you may need later. Where electrical or gas work applies, confirm requirements with a qualified person. See Useful external references for official sources.

Fitting is when cabinets and related components go in. Track units, panels, plinths, fillers and appliance housings, and record missing items immediately with photos. Note who installs products bought elsewhere and who connects appliances, sinks and ventilation, because split responsibilities are a common source of delay.

Worktops often create a pause when templating happens after units are fitted. Record material, edge profile, cut outs, template date, installation date and whether sink, tap or hob models must be on site. Note temporary work surface needs if installation is later than templating.

Second fix usually means visible final fittings and connections after preparation work and main surfaces are in place. Typical items include sockets, switches, lighting, appliances, taps, handles, plinth details and other items that need a finished room to fit correctly.

Confirm scope with each trade, because second fix can be split across electrician, plumber, fitter and appliance installer. Record what is connected, what needs a return visit and what still depends on another person. Pocketa checklist statuses help here because a missing waste kit or handle pack can pause second fix as easily as a late worktop.

Finishing covers sealant, trims, handles, splashback completion, decoration touch ups and snagging. Use Kitchen Finishing Details Checklist for late decisions. Photos with short notes are enough for many follow ups if you record the date and who you told.

Records belong throughout the timeline, but are often completed after the main fit. Save receipts, warranties, manuals, certificates where relevant, delivery notes and final photos while details are fresh. See How To Keep Receipts, Warranties And Certificates Organised During A Kitchen Renovation.

No two kitchen renovations follow the same calendar. Lead times, trade availability, site discoveries, approvals where relevant and several suppliers can all shift the order. Treat any timescale as a project estimate, not a guarantee, and ask each supplier and trade to confirm dependencies.

Recording risks early does not mean expecting failure. It means making dependencies visible before they become urgent on site. A worktop template date, a gas booking or a narrow stairwell access photo can save more time than a perfect Gantt chart that nobody updates.

Some delays are caused by big decisions. Others are caused by small details that were not visible in the plan.

The safest approach is to make uncertainty visible. If a detail could affect fit, compliance, safety or cost, add it to the project record and confirm it with the right supplier, fitter or qualified professional.

• Planning Portal: Building regulations for kitchens and bathrooms
• Planning Portal: Building regulations and electrical work
• Gas Safe Register
• Electrical Safety First: Kitchen safety

Confirm what applies to your project with the relevant qualified professional.