Ask ten homeowners about their renovation and the complaint is almost never the finished work. It's the not knowing: why nothing happened last Tuesday, why the tiler came before the plumber finished, why week six looked exactly like week five.
So here is the honest schedule for a mid-size island renovation — a kitchen plus a bathroom, wall removal, about $140,000 — from the first phone call to the last touch-up. Bigger projects stretch each phase; smaller ones compress it. The sequence does not change.
Weeks 0–3: talking, measuring, deciding
Nothing visible happens and this is the phase that determines everything. A site visit, a measure-up, a discussion about what you actually want the house to do. Then design: two or three options, a walkthrough, revisions.
What you should be doing: making decisions. The single biggest cause of schedule slip in our projects is selections that arrive late. Tile, fixtures, cabinet finishes, paint, hardware and appliances should all be locked before demolition — not because we're inflexible, but because a tile chosen in week eight is a tile that arrives in week twelve.
The rule we ask every client to accept
Every decision made before demolition costs a conversation. The same decision made after demolition costs a change order and, often, a week. This isn't a scare tactic — it's the arithmetic of a trade sequence where six people's schedules are already booked.
Weeks 3–8: the quiet weeks
Permit review and material lead times run in parallel, and from your side the project appears to stop. It hasn't. In these weeks we are answering plan-checker comments, placing the cabinet order (5 to 8 weeks for custom), confirming appliance dimensions against the drawings, and booking trades into a calendar that is usually full six weeks out.
You should still hear from us weekly, even when the update is "still in review, no change." Silence is a contractor problem, not a permit problem.
Week 8: protection and demolition
The loudest, most dramatic, and shortest phase — usually three to five days for a kitchen and bath. Before anything comes out: floor protection along the route, plastic dust walls with zippers, negative-air machines where warranted, and the temporary kitchen set up wherever you've agreed.
Demolition is also when the house tells the truth. Roughly one project in four reveals something: a rotten sill under the window, knob-and-tube in a wall we didn't plan to open, a "non-structural" wall carrying a purlin. You get photos the same day and a written change order before anything is repaired.
Weeks 9–10: structure and rough-in
Framing, the engineered beam if there is one, then the trades in a strict order: plumbing first (biggest pipes, least flexibility), then HVAC, then electrical, which can weave around everything else. Blocking goes in for cabinets, grab bars, TVs and glass panels.
Then everything stops for inspection. Framing, plumbing and electrical are inspected before insulation, and on the island you generally book 48 hours ahead. A failed inspection costs two or three days, which is why good site supervision matters more here than anywhere else in the project.
Weeks 11–12: closing up
Insulation, vapour barrier, another inspection, then drywall: board, tape, three coats of compound with sanding between, then prime. Drywall feels slow because it is — each coat needs to dry, and in an island January that takes longer than the schedule says. Heaters and air movers help; rushing it produces joints you will see for the next fifteen years under raking light.
Weeks 13–15: the transformation weeks
This is the fun part, and it moves fast. Flooring, then cabinets, then counter template. Counters go away to be cut and come back seven to ten days later — plan for that gap, because it is the single most common source of "why is nobody here?"
Then backsplash tile, plumbing trim, appliances, light fixtures, hardware, mirrors and glass. A room that looked like a construction site on Monday looks like a kitchen by Friday.
Weeks 16–17: finishing and the punch list
Paint touch-up, trim, adjusting every door and drawer, silicone, cleaning. Then the deficiency walk: you, the project manager, and a notepad, going through the whole space in daylight. Everything gets written down — a scuff on the trim, a drawer that catches, a light that isn't quite centred.
Deficiencies typically take one to two weeks to close, because they often wait on a replacement part. Your final payment should be tied to that list being complete, and no reputable island contractor will object to that.
Where schedules genuinely slip
| Cause | Typical delay | Can it be avoided? |
|---|---|---|
| Late client selections | 1–4 weeks | Yes — entirely |
| Permit review comments | 2–5 weeks | Partly — a complete application helps |
| Hidden conditions (rot, wiring) | 3 days – 3 weeks | No, but contingency absorbs it |
| Custom cabinet lead time | Built into schedule | Order early; it runs parallel to permits |
| Countertop template-to-install | 7–10 days | No — it's fabrication time |
| Special-order tile or fixtures | 2–6 weeks | Yes — choose in-stock alternatives |
| Ferry and freight delays | 2–10 days | Partly — island reality, buy local where possible |
Living through it
- Set the temporary kitchen up properly. Fridge, microwave, kettle, toaster oven, a sink you can reach and somewhere to sit. Two hours on day one buys you two months of sanity.
- Agree on hours and access in writing. Ours are 8:00 to 4:30 weekdays, with a lockbox and a text before anyone arrives. Whatever the arrangement, have it agreed before week one.
- Move the fragile and the sentimental out. Dust travels much further than the dust wall suggests, and a house under renovation vibrates.
- Ask for one weekly written update. What happened, what's next, what we need from you. It resolves most of the anxiety in most renovations.
- Plan a break. If you can be away during demolition week or the week the counters land, take it.
What "on schedule" honestly means
In residential renovation, finishing within 10 per cent of the original schedule is a good outcome, and any contractor who promises to the day on a 1960s house has not opened enough walls. What you should expect is not perfection but visibility: a schedule that is updated when it changes, and a reason attached to each change.
Talk it through with someone who builds these
We give straight answers on the phone whether or not you hire us. If this guide raised a question about your own house, get in touch — or read about our kitchen remodeling service.
Written by Tom Kealey, Site superintendent at Island Home Renovations.
