How to plan a kitchen renovation
About twelve weeks from design to a finished kitchen: sixteen activities across the homeowner, the supplier, three trades and an inspector, with three milestones. The three views below show the same plan and stay in step.
Gantt chart: when the kitchen is ready
Every activity on its own row, its name on the left and colored by who does it; the arrows show what waits for what.
The longest bar is not on site. Cabinet production takes six weeks after Order cabinets, and the old kitchen stays in use until Strip out old kitchen on April 12, so the walls and floor are ready the day the cabinets arrive. Drag Order cabinets a week later and everything that waits for it, from production and the strip-out to the trades and inspections, moves five work days later, and so does Kitchen handed over. Choose tiles and flooring stays where it is: it waits for the design, not the order. Starting the strip-out earlier would not bring the cabinets sooner; it would only add days without a kitchen.
Board: who has what
The same activities by who does them and their status.
Ordered is the column for things you have paid for and are waiting on: the cabinets and the appliances. The design and the order are Done, the tiles are In progress, and every trade is still Planned. Drag Choose tiles and flooring to Done and the Gantt chart shows the change.
Flowchart: where trades work side by side
Lanes show who does the work; arrows cross between them at each handoff. A diamond marks where work splits, and every branch runs.
After the strip-out the plumber and the electrician work at the same time, and Rough-in inspection waits for both before the walls are closed. The electrician sets that date; the plumber finishes a work day earlier. They meet again for the connections once the worktop is fitted, and Final inspection waits for both. Cabinet delivery waits for two chains, the supplier's production and the site work, and both end on April 27, so a day lost in either moves the handover. Choose tiles and flooring and Appliance delivery could finish a few days later without delaying anything, but dragging one keeps its gap and moves what follows; see Moving dependency chains.
Make it yours
- Choose Open in Tidigar under any view to get your own copy, dated from this week. It is free, needs no account and stays on your device.
- Enter your supplier's real lead time as the length of Cabinet production.
- Drag Kitchen design to your own start; the work after it follows, keeping its work days.
- Share → Send a copy gives your builder an independent snapshot that your later changes do not reach. Or print the Gantt chart for the fridge door.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a kitchen renovation take? Here about twelve weeks from design to handover, and about five and a half weeks without a kitchen. The cabinet lead time is usually the largest part.
When should I order the cabinets? As soon as the design is fixed. The order sets the delivery date, and every site activity is arranged around it.
Why are the inspections activities? The inspector's visit takes time and the next work waits for it: the walls cannot be closed before the rough-in is approved.