It was supposed to be 2-2.5 months. There have been a lot of delays for materials, and a few weeks of delay due to scheduling, so it's four months so far and looking like at least 5. But it's a really big, highly detailed project, with many custom elements that couldn't be ordered until the base construction was done.

We were supposed to be 2-3 months max. Cabinets came a month late and one cabinet in particular was wrong -- three times. Doesn't matter what it is . . . seems like every job has its delays. In the end, our job ended up taking about 5.5 - 6 months. Our contractor was always on or ahead of schedule and a complete delight! We contracted for the cabinets separately.

Um - three years and counting. I've become the wizard of cooking in the laundry room.

Uh-oh, we haven't started yet and even though I was told 4-6 weeks until the kitchen would be done once started, I was expecting more but was hoping to be done by Christmas---now I'm starting to wonder......

Our son is the contractor--not sure I'm the priority though :)

Well, you can have your husband whisper into your son's ear, gently, but every time he talks to him, that all mom wants for Christmas is a finished kitchen, and that this is the time to show what a fine man his mother raised by having the kitchen ready to make Thanksgiving, and how he can't disappoint his mother on this project--that he needs to give you top priority so that you can brag on him to all your friends. Stuff like that.

Scope of the project is a big factor. They haven't chimed in yet, but there are people who've done the whole thing in three weeks. That's without a lot of construction, and with materials that are available, rather than special ordered.

The more you can buy ahead of time: Appliances, sinks, knobs and pulls, flooring, countertop and backsplash finishes, lighting fixtures, etc. The more you have onsite when they actually start the demolition, the faster it'll go.

Well, it's been a year so far ... but the end is in sight! Luckily my dear spouse built a "galley" kitchen in our utility room - complete with sink and countertop!

-Susan

plllog - I'm not sure my husband would do that, but my daughter-in-law would.

Yes, I'm trying to plan and decide on everything--it is so overwhelming. It really takes over your life--but it is fun planning and looking forward to the finished product. I certainly stumbled on the perfect site to help make all these decisions.

There is no "average time". My neighbors took 31/2 years to renovate their kitchen. Average that with my 4 months. and that's ... don't panic. Yours definitely won't "average" out to more than a year!

Projects are so different, you really can't compare. It depends on whether you selected the cabinets that take 2 weeks or 3 months to arrive, live in an area where subs can come tomorrow or have to fit you in 2 weeks from now, whether you're putting in a floor, taking down a wall -- all kinds of things.

Also, and I'm not being cute, it depends on your meaning of the word "without". Depending on your situation, your desperation, where you live and your exact requirements, you may have a partial kitchen throughout by moving appliances around, to another room, into a garage or relying on an outdoor kitchen. I had a full-size refrigerator through the whole thing -- my contractor just kept moving it around, bless him!

Chances are your contractor will take pity on you and give you a working sink, stove and fridge even while your cabinets, walls and other niceties are weeks, even months away from completion. Or maybe there's some reason, like a gas line is not ready, that he can't.

This keeps the "no-kitchen" time down, even if the "remodel time" goes on and on. So you may not be sitting around your own kitchen table for Thanksgiving dinner, but at least you could could cook some things in your own oven and take them to a relative's.

Your contractor is the best person to ask for a timeline. It may well take longer, but they will know all of the variables I mentioned, plus things that we on the Internet would not know.

Good luck!

We started mid-January 2008 and finally moved back into the Kitchen Independence Day weekend 2008! It was supposed to be a 6 - 8 week project.

We did get to use the sink, DW, & MW by the beginning of June and ovens about mid-June (IIRC), though. We didn't have our cooktop or prep sink until July...the only thing we could use on that side of the kitchen b/f July was the MW.

But, we had quite a few issues to work through...

Measuring errors (every wall in the Kitchen & PR was measured incorrectly by at least 6"!)

Venting issues...Contractor & KD didn't want to vent outside b/c it was "impossible"...it wasn't, but it delayed the project by almost 9 weeks and we had to get a different plumber to fix the so called "unfixable" issues.

Countertop issues...the counter installer irreparably damaged a cabinet so we had to wait for a new one plus they had to fix seams & mis-matched stone height issues.

So, while yes, you can have an issue-free remodel, it's unlikely. So, if the estimate is for 4 weeks, assume 6 weeks at least so you don't get upset or frustrated by the delays. I will say that from what I've seen here, the less complicated & intrusive the project, the fewer delays in general...it makes sense b/c you're doing less work so there's less to go wrong!

A piece of advice...Do not let yourself get to the point where you tell your contractor to do "whatever" just b/c you're tired of the remodel. Be patient, keep making the decisions yourself and don't let the contractor bully you or take independent actions just b/c you want it done. In the end, you have to live with the results of the remodel, the contractor & KD do not. So what if it's delayed a few months (or a year!), you'll be living with it for far longer than that. Plus, you'd be surprised how much you forget when you finally have your finished product! (Kind of like labor, if you've ever had children!)

Our kitchen remodel was pretty straight-forward...
- Demo right down to the walls.
- Cabinets installed.
- Granite templated (via laser).
- Plumbing and lighting installed.
- Sink and granite installed.
- Backsplash selected (original backsplash became unavailable).
- Wood flooring installed.
- Appliances installed.
- Backsplash installed.
- Walls painted.

We had a working kitchen (i.e., working appliances and sink with running water) in two weeks. Completed kitchen with backsplash and painted walls, another week for a total of three weeks from demo to completion.

We got very lucky and found a very organized and efficient contractor.

Jodi-

Our contractor told us 8 weeks and by the end of that time we were back in the kitchen. We did have to move out for another week the next month while the floors were being refinished. And we didn't run into any major problems. Our kitchen is not huge -- 20 x 15 or so -- but it was gutted to the studs and one wall removed and rebuilt as a half wall; we also replace one window and replaced an exterior door with a window.

We gutted our kitchen, moved gas, electric and water lines, laid new tile, put in new cabinets / appliance / countertops, redid our powder room, and it took 5 1/2 weeks. We were told it would take 5 to 6 weeks, and we told ourselves it would be more like 6 to 8 weeks. I was just commenting to my wife the other day that I can't believe we finished a project of this size in such a short time, especially since we had a solid week where no work was done because we had to wait for our backordered farmer sink. Only thing left now is backsplash (next week) and then painting a few weeks after that. Best of luck and hopefully it doesn't go too far past the estimated date.

We were told eight weeks and that's what it ended up being. We had a makeshift kitchen downstairs with our old fridge, a microwave and I ended up buying a hotplate so I could simmer soups, etc. since it was winter. We also ate out and got take out quite a bit. It went by pretty fast. Washing dishes in a small bathroom sink was the worst part.

Going on 5 months here, but ours is DIY! We cooked on the barn range and grilled, but have had access to the cooktop, sink and dishwasher for about a month. DH says 2 more weeks. I am saying 2 more months so I am not disappointed. Moving all dishes, pots, pans, junk back in tomorrow! Woo Hoo!

We are on month 11. The old fridge is in the middle of the "new" kitchen and we have a hot plate and microwave so things aren't too bad. We are doing a lot of the work ourselves and have been a bit remiss over the last few months. The warm weather is here and it seems a shame to waste it inside working :)

Our contractor told us 8 weeks - it actually took 12. It was the cabinet maker that held things up for 4 weeks but it was worth the wait! Actually, for all the work that they did: gutted kitchen & 2 other rooms (1 wall was gutted down to the horse hair, mud and straw mixture), masonry work on old stone fireplace & repoint 2 chimneys, remove 2 walls and add headers, jack up 200+ year old house and add steel pillars in cemented support areas on dirt basement floor, refinish 120+ yr old hardwood floors in 2 rooms, replace 1 window, drill through 2 ft. of solid stone wall in one of the double chimneys for hood exhaust, rip out old heating ducts and replace; also work done on existing stairwell & attic landing, as well as totally new footprint in kitchen.

I can relate to "pasture19" in that I became quite accomplished with 2 hot plates, a microwave, a crockpot, and a refrigerator in the laundry room. (When I came home from work some days the workers were salivating from the delicious aroma drifting from the crockpot in the laundry room.)

As strange as this may sound, it reminded me of childbirth in that when it was all over I quickly forgot how much of a pain it was going through it. I suspect after you're in your new kitchen, the long wait will just be a dull memory that fades with each day.

Best of luck for a timely remodel!

We've benn in demo stage for one year! It's an accurate reflection of our lives ; )
Good luck!

12 weeks and counting. The KD said 10 - 12 weeks from start to finish. The job included taking down a short but load-bearing wall and relocating the door to the basement, and tearing out everything in the kitchen to the studs. It went according to schedule until the countertops. Then things were delayed - the countertops were ready 10 days late, then came in unsealed and it took a week to convince the KD to remove them and have them properly sealed on all edges. They're sitting in my family room on trestles but at least I can see the progress. Once they're back in, next step is tile, floor refinishing and paint.

Luckily for us, we have a little kitchen in the basement, and have become adept at cooking etc. on the little stove, storing stuff in an under-counter fridge, carrying plates of hot food upstairs to eat - and eating out too often (cut some of this eating out/take-out is due to schedules that mean that one or other of us only gets home after 9:30 p.m. and so we don't feel like cooking then).

I'm hoping that, as others have said, once it's over, we'll forget the discomfort and enjoy our lovely new kitchen.

Good luck

Thanks for all the responses. It really helps to prepare myself for what might happen and be realistic with a time frame.

In our case, its "how long have we been without a master bedroom". We relocated our kitchen to the south end of our house where our MB was located, so we didn't have to tear out our existing kitchen while we worked on our new kitchen. We have been working on the kitchen for two years or so, since we are mostly DIY as the finances allow. We are about 95% done now, and have had all the appliances hooked up and usable since May. We did go without an oven and a dishwasher for months, though, since those appliances in the old kitchen didn't quite make it until our new kitchen was done. My kids really appreciate the new dishwasher, after handwashing dishes for our large family for months! :-)

Almost a year. Hate to even think of the 3 years I read above.