How Long Does a Kitchen Renovation Take in Windsor? (Week-by-Week Timeline, 2026)

The most common question before a kitchen renovation is simple: how long will I be without my kitchen? The honest answer for a Windsor-Essex kitchen is 2–3 weeks for a same-layout refresh and 5–8 weeks for a full custom kitchen with layout changes — but the total project timeline is longer because cabinet and countertop lead times run in parallel before demolition starts. Here's the week-by-week schedule we follow so you know exactly what's happening and when. This is the timeline behind every custom kitchen renovation in Windsor-Essex we deliver.

Kitchen renovation timeline at a glance (Windsor)

Phase zero — design, selection, and ordering (weeks before demolition). The single biggest cause of kitchen delays is starting demolition before the cabinets and slab are on order. Semi-custom cabinetry takes 4–6 weeks from order to delivery; fully custom takes 8–12 weeks. A quartz slab from a Toronto-area supplier can carry a 5–7 week lead time in Windsor-Essex's spring season. We finalize the design, order the cabinets, and order the slab before a single wall comes down — so the longest-lead items arrive as the on-site work reaches the point that needs them. This phase also includes the City of Windsor permit submission, which takes 10–15 business days to review.

Week-by-week: full custom kitchen (5–8 weeks on site)

Week 1 — demolition and rough-in. This is the noisiest, dustiest week. We protect the floors, seal the work zone with zip-wall barriers, run a HEPA air scrubber, and remove the old cabinets, countertops, appliances, and drywall. The plumbing and electrical rough-in happens the same week — relocating the sink supply and drain, adding dedicated appliance circuits, running a new 200-amp panel if the home needs it (common in pre-1980 Walkerville and South Windsor homes), and the ESA electrical inspection. By Friday the kitchen is down to the studs and the rough-in is signed off.

Weeks 2–3 — electrical, plumbing, and drywall. The rough-in continues: under-cabinet lighting circuits, a dedicated range circuit, a hood fan vent, the dishwasher and disposal circuits, and the sink plumbing to the new location. Drywall hangs, taping and mudding to a Level-4 finish, and sanding. We maintain dust containment throughout because most Windsor families stay in the home. A temporary kitchenette — a microwave, a hot plate, and a fridge relocated to the dining room or basement — keeps the household functional.

What's happening while you wait (the parallel timeline)

Week 4 — cabinet installation. The semi-custom or custom cabinetry arrives and installs over 3–5 days. We level the base cabinets to the floor (Windsor's older homes often have floors out of level by 1/2 inch over 10 feet), scribe the fillers to the walls, and set the upper cabinets to the cabinet line. The sink gets set into the countertop template. By the end of the week the kitchen looks like a kitchen again — just without the countertop.

Week 5 — countertop template and slab fabrication. The countertop fabricator visits to laser-template the cabinet run — every seam, the sink cutout, the cooktop cutout, the radius corners. The quartz slab goes to the shop for cutting and edge profiling (we default to a 1/4-inch eased edge; waterfall islands are a 1-week add). This is the week where nothing visible happens on site, but the most precise work is happening off site.

Week 6 — countertop install, backsplash, and paint. The fabricated quartz lands, gets set and seamed, and the sink is mounted. The backsplash tile installs (subway, herringbone, or a full-height slab), grouts, and seals. Paint goes on the walls and ceiling — bathroom- and kitchen-grade washable, low-VOC paint. Our interior painting for kitchen walls and ceilings finishes the room.

Week 7 — final trim, hardware, and punch-list. Cabinet hardware installs, the crown moulding and light rail go up (our finished carpentry for custom trim and built-ins), the appliances get set into their cutouts, the under-cabinet lighting connects, and we walk the kitchen with you on a punch-list — every door, drawer, hinge, and tile joint checked. The kitchen is fully functional by the end of the week.

How to keep a Windsor kitchen renovation on schedule

• Order cabinets + slab before demolition — the #1 cause of delays is waiting on materials
• Submit the City of Windsor permit early — 10–15 business days review
• Confirm the panel can support the new range — a 200-amp upgrade adds a week
• Hold appliances until after the countertop — never install the range before the stone
• Accept the countertop template week — it's a quiet week, not a stalled project
• Set up a temporary kitchenette — you'll live out of it for 5–8 weeks

The faster version — a cabinet-and-countertop refresh (same layout) — collapses this to 2–3 weeks of on-site work. We keep the existing plumbing and electrical, swap the cabinets and countertop, and finish with a new backsplash and paint. The cabinet and slab lead times still apply, but the on-site disruption window is cut to a third. For a kitchen where the layout already works and the goal is a modern finish, this is the right scope.

The bottom line: a Windsor kitchen renovation takes 2–3 weeks on site for a refresh and 5–8 weeks for a full custom build, but the real timeline starts the day you order the cabinets and the slab — not the day demolition starts. Call 519-566-0436 for a free on-site estimate and we'll map your kitchen timeline from selection through handover.