Since my own DIY remodel is going s..l..o..w..l..y, I am continually tweaking. But it's down to more small tweaks now. I expect things to trickle out soon. I'm sure we're not the only ones!

Seriously, since February or March of 2014. Before that, I just daydreamed about it.

Designing? ~9 months. Re bookcases, this nowhere meets your need to house 5K books, but we added bookshelves flanking the desk area in the kitchen, and it's worked out well. Having my cookbooks in the kitchen was a requirement, for me. I remember searching for inspiration pictures of books in the kitchen was really fun, this can add so much character to a kitchen!

Remember - the more you put into the kitchen design, the better it will be. Take your time!

We had pretty much determined our layout - but then came here and went through both a GW critique and analysis (with great comments and suggestions) and then hubby and I sat down and went through "New to Kitchens" and all the linked threads in there too.

Luckily - space was not a concern - so we had enough room in the galley kitchen, room for island seating, etc - but we HAVE made changes in the sink (added a prep sink), and the layout. Then - AGAIN, last night - we added a foot to the island to get back some of the precious prep and clean up storage that we lost when we went from 36" of sink base cabinet (which I think are basically useless for "real" storage) to 72". I really didn't WANT to grow the island - but that space is so vital - having dish and classes storage, and then on the other end to have a larger 36" drawer for prep bowls and hand prep tools, etc... that we decided to add it back.

Now - we are on to interior fitment and making sure that we get the "right" cabinet selection. I expect we will end up making changes in the drawer stacks - and there will be trade offs between the aesthetics I am looking for in symmetry, etc and what the actual configuration ends up being.

So - short answer (ha!) I expect we'll be making tweaks all the way to the end, but they will continue to be smaller and smaller tweaks. But - as was mentioned - it will make things BETTER!

Probably about six months of actually working on it with graph paper off and on. But we hired a gc and once the cabinet order went in, that was it. I didn't even look at it again.

10 years or so (off and on). I dreamed about a new kitchen, but I was dealing with an odd shape, and I couldn't come up with a good solution. I came up with a LOT of ideas, including moving the kitchen, and nothing was "the one".

Finally, I hit on an idea that solved all my previous problems. From the time I had that epiphany until cabinets were ordered (which included making the decision to redo the kitchen, developing a budget, figuring out where the money was coming from, finding the right cabinet maker), was about 4 months.

4 years of researching,planning, drawing. One summer to finalize cabinet order. 6 weeks of construction. No mistakes and no regrets!

My inlaws spent about 6 years planning and researching (1993-1999). In 1999 they had the shell of an addition built off the kitchen. They have been tweaking and working on the kitchen ever since. For nearly 17 years. They have floors, counters, appliances, and cabinet boxes (all DIY), but have yet to decide on doors, backsplash, venting... or to replace their circa 1979 microwave...

This all seems a little excessive to me! I've reno'd two kitchens in the last 5 years (thanks to a relocation for work), and in both cases I probably piddled around with designs for a month or so while we were under closing on a house or otherwise not quite ready to move forward. Then probably put in 10 hours over a weekend of intense designing once I got the exact measurements, with probably another 10 hours here and there with follow up items over the next week. Then probably a couple hours here and there over a couple months while we wait for permits etc, then another big push over a weekend of probably another 10 hours finalizing. In both cases, there have been no mistakes!

In my case, it would be a disaster if I started planning a kitchen 5 years ago and was still working on the same plan today. There are many trends and needs from 5 years ago that aren't relevant to me today, but some items would inevitably carry over from your initial designing (because we get psychologically stuck on things if we don't start fresh) and then the final design wouldn't be a clean version of what it would have been had I'd just done a good job in designing it all at once. But that's just me!

10 months.

We bought a used house August 2014. Moved in September 2014 after repainting and reflooring most of it due to extensive dog damage. The kitchen was a dark, dog eaten, poorly functioning space and we knew going in we would redo it. Lived in it for 6 months before starting to plan new configuration. No wall moving or major structural changes. No KD. No architect required. We redid a kitchen but kept perimeter cabs in 2008, so had some idea of how things work and GW.

Had a plan that is pretty close to the final product and found a GC we could trust through a mutual friend in May 2015. GC sense of time was disappointing but the goal was completion by thanksgiving and the longer things went the less we could switch horses mid project. First cabinet guy didn't offer what we wanted, but second one hit the mark. Contracts signed end of sept with assurance nov 16 completion. Hahahahahaha. We sure learned that lesson the hard way!

As of yesterday, it is basically done except for redoing damaged flooring and final touch up painting.

ah. I just retread the question. After 6 months living in it, had a basic design in about a week evenings playing with photoshop. Spent a few hours with the first cabinet guy and realized wasn't a good fit after getting drawings a few weeks after meeting him. Found next guy in August and had the plan after 3 meetings and me spending a few hours between meetings. So - 40 hrs tops to design spread out over a few months. But thought about it a lot which is impossible to calculate.

Dreamed for 5, researched products for 2 and designed for 1.

@funky and all. So glad other people are tweaking their design constantly too.

The basic design is still the same but the details kept needing tweaks due to things like city ixnay on the oven cabinet or my impromptu splurge on wall ovens.

Whenever one cabinet box change, the whole wall changes top and bottom so it's a constant juggle to keep it looking centered/attractive, functional and in the right place for plumbing, electrical.

Beacham, you are not alone. The other day, I realized that I didn't account the window trim. Had to add 3 inches to a cabinet or my hood/range will look all wonky.

Also, after picking slabs, I learned that my bake center may be causing me to have to buy 2 full slabs, leaving over 3/4 unused. The bake center is costing enough without adding the price of a full marble slab. It may need to go. So, I'll have to readjust for that.

(Hijack) Wendy - OT - I don't know if it's any cheaper but instead of using 1/4 slab of marble and having to buy the whole thing what about incorporating a wooden counter top to your bake center.

2 years, which included saving up the funds and researching everything since ours was 100% DIY. I am really glad that we had the time to look at all the possibilities. We are very happy with the finished product.

Diane