The Most Common Question We Hear Before a Kitchen Remodel
“How long is this going to take?” It’s the first thing most Belleville homeowners ask when they call us — and for good reason. A kitchen remodel means living without your primary cooking space, navigating around contractors, and managing day-to-day life in a home that’s temporarily turned into a job site. Knowing the timeline upfront isn’t just nice to have — it lets you plan meals, manage kids, schedule time off work, and set realistic expectations with your family.
The honest answer: most kitchen remodels in Belleville, IL take 6 to 10 weeks from the first planning meeting to the final walkthrough. That range depends on the size of your kitchen, the scope of changes, material lead times, and how quickly decisions get made. Here’s how every phase breaks down.
Phase 1: Planning and Design — 1 to 3 Weeks
Before a single cabinet comes down, you need a plan. This phase covers everything from your first consultation with a kitchen remodeling contractor to finalizing your material selections and locking in a project schedule.
During this phase, we’ll:
- Walk your existing kitchen and take measurements
- Discuss your goals, wish list, and hard limits (budget, layout, must-keeps)
- Develop a design plan with cabinet layout, fixture placements, and material options
- Help you select cabinets, countertops, tile, appliances, and hardware
- Produce a detailed scope of work and written contract
Where homeowners lose time: decision fatigue. There are a lot of choices in a kitchen remodel. If you can narrow down your style preferences before the first meeting — even just a few photos from Pinterest or Houzz — you’ll move through this phase faster. We guide you through every decision, but the faster approvals happen, the faster materials get ordered.
Phase 2: Permits in St. Clair County — 1 to 2 Weeks
Most kitchen remodels in Belleville require permits — especially when the project involves electrical work, plumbing changes, or any structural modifications. We handle permit applications on your behalf, but approval timelines are set by the City of Belleville and St. Clair County, not by us.
Typical permit turnaround in this area runs 7 to 14 business days. We submit the application as soon as the design is finalized, so this phase often overlaps with material ordering. While permits are being processed, cabinets and specialty items may already be in transit.
Skipping permits is never worth it. We cover this in detail in another post, but the short version: unpermitted work creates serious problems at resale and can void your homeowner’s insurance. We pull every required permit, period.
Phase 3: Demo and Rough-In Work — 3 to 5 Days
Once permits are approved and materials are on-site or confirmed for delivery, the physical work begins. Demo is usually the fastest-moving phase — what took years to build comes down in a matter of days.
This phase includes:
- Removing existing cabinets, countertops, and appliances
- Tearing out flooring (if being replaced)
- Rough-in plumbing work — moving drains or supply lines if the layout is changing
- Rough-in electrical — adding circuits, relocating outlets, running wiring for new lighting
- Rough-in HVAC if needed (range hood venting, for example)
After rough-in work is complete, inspections are scheduled. This is a city inspector — not us — so scheduling is outside our control, though we work to get inspections on the calendar as early as possible.
Phase 4: Cabinets, Countertops, and Tile — 2 to 3 Weeks
This is the longest active construction phase, and it’s where your kitchen really starts to take shape.
Cabinet Installation
Cabinets go in first. A full kitchen cabinet install typically takes 2 to 4 days depending on the complexity and size of the layout. Custom or semi-custom cabinets require more precision fitting than stock units.
Countertop Templating and Fabrication
Most stone countertops — quartz, granite, or marble — can’t be templated until cabinets are installed. After templating, fabrication typically takes 5 to 10 business days before the countertops return for installation. This is one of the most common timeline factors homeowners don’t anticipate. We account for it during scheduling so it doesn’t create unnecessary delays.
Tile Work
Backsplash tile and any floor tile get installed during this window, often while countertops are being fabricated. Tile work varies from 1 to 3 days depending on complexity — simple subway tile moves fast, intricate patterns take longer.
Phase 5: Appliances, Fixtures, and Final Touches — 1 Week
The finish line is in sight. This phase includes:
- Appliance delivery and installation (range, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave)
- Plumbing fixture installation (sink, faucet, garbage disposal)
- Lighting fixture installation
- Hardware installation on cabinets and drawers
- Touch-up painting, caulking, and trim work
- Final cleaning
We do a detailed walkthrough with you before we consider the project complete. If anything isn’t right, we address it before we close out.
Total Timeline: 6 to 10 Weeks
To summarize:
| Phase | Timeframe |
|---|---|
| Planning and Design | 1–3 weeks |
| Permits | 1–2 weeks |
| Demo and Rough-In | 3–5 days |
| Cabinets, Countertops, Tile | 2–3 weeks |
| Appliances, Fixtures, Finishes | 1 week |
| Total | 6–10 weeks |
Smaller kitchens with straightforward layouts and no plumbing or electrical changes land toward the lower end. Larger kitchens with full layout changes, custom cabinetry, and specialty materials take longer.
How Frame to Finish Keeps Projects on Schedule
Timeline slippage usually comes from one of three places: late material deliveries, slow decisions, or unreliable subcontractors. We’ve built our process around all three.
We pre-order materials before demo begins so they’re on-site and ready when we need them. We guide you through selections early so decisions aren’t being made in the middle of construction. And every trade — plumbing, electrical, tile — is coordinated by us, not left to you to manage independently.
When you work with Frame to Finish Construction, you get one point of contact who knows where every piece of your project stands on any given day. That’s not standard in this industry — it’s something we’ve made a priority because we know how much it matters to you.
Ready to Get Your Kitchen Started?
If you’re planning a kitchen remodel in Belleville or anywhere in the Metro East, let’s talk timeline, budget, and scope before anything else. Call Frame to Finish Construction at (618) 971-0142 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation. We’ll give you a realistic picture of what your project looks like — no pressure, no guesswork.