A kitchen remodel is less a single project than a relay: a dozen trades, each of which can only start once the one before it has finished. Knowing the order, and roughly how long each leg takes, makes the whole thing less mysterious. Here is how a full kitchen remodel typically runs in the Tucson area, with the local details that move the schedule.
Before demolition
1. Consultation
The first visit is a conversation in the kitchen you have now: how you cook, who is in the room at once, what frustrates you, what has to stay, and what you are comfortable spending. Measurements and photos happen here. It is usually a single visit.
2. Design and selections
Measured drawings and layout options come next, then the long list of selections: cabinets, counters, sink and faucet, tile, flooring, lighting, hardware, appliances, paint. This phase commonly takes several weeks and is worth not rushing. Cabinets and appliances often have the longest lead times in the project, so they are ordered before demolition starts. Locking every selection before a wall comes down is the best way to keep a remodel on schedule; most mid-project stalls trace back to an undecided tile or a backordered range. Skyline draws and prices the design before demolition for this reason.
3. Permitting and approvals
Whether a permit goes through the City of Tucson, Pima County, or a surrounding town depends on where the house sits, and what needs a permit varies by jurisdiction and scope. Swapping cabinets and counters in the same footprint often does not require one; moving plumbing, adding circuits, relocating a gas line, or removing a wall generally does. Your contractor should handle the application. Some communities also require HOA approval, especially for anything visible from outside such as a new window, a hood vent, or a dumpster in the driveway. Review times vary, so this step usually overlaps with ordering.
Construction, in order
4. Demolition
Demo is fast, often a few days, and loud. Dust containment goes up first: plastic barriers, sealed doorways, and covered returns so drywall dust does not travel through the air handler. If the home was built before 1978, the crew should follow EPA lead-safe work practices during demolition and sanding, which means a certified firm, containment, and specific cleanup steps. Block-wall homes, common across Tucson, add time here and in rough-in, since chasing new wiring or plumbing through masonry is slower than through wood framing.
5. Rough-in
Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are run to their new locations, and this is where layout changes earn their schedule. Moving a sink in a slab-on-grade home means either cutting the slab to reroute the drain or running supply lines overhead through the attic, and both take longer than a like-for-like swap. New appliance circuits often mean a trip to the panel. Rough-in commonly runs about a week, longer with slab work.
6. Inspections
If the project is permitted, an inspector checks the rough plumbing and electrical before anything is covered. Scheduling depends on the jurisdiction and can add a few days of waiting; nothing gets closed until it passes.
7. Drywall and paint
Patches and new walls are hung, taped, and textured. Matching the existing texture, frequently knockdown or orange peel in Tucson homes, is a skill worth asking about. Prime and paint follow, since both are easier before cabinets go in. Including dry times, this is often about a week.
8. Cabinets
Cabinet installation commonly takes a few days to a week depending on the kitchen. Level and plumb matter more than speed, because everything that follows rests on them.
9. Countertops
Once cabinets are set, the fabricator templates the tops and cuts them off-site. There is typically a gap of a week or two between template and install, and the kitchen is not usable during it; this is the pause people are least prepared for. With an undermount sink, the plumbing hookup waits until the tops are in.
10. Tile and backsplash
Backsplash tile goes on after counters so it can sit cleanly on the finished surface. A few days, including grout and sealing.
11. Fixtures and appliances
Plumbing trim, lighting, outlets and switches, hardware, and appliance installation. The sink finally works.
12. Punch list and final inspection
A walkthrough with the contractor produces the punch list: touch-up paint, a drawer that rubs, a missing cover plate. Permitted work gets a final inspection.
How long is all of that?
For a full kitchen with a layout change, construction commonly runs two to three months, with design and ordering adding several weeks before that. A cosmetic refresh in the same footprint can be considerably shorter. The variables that move the schedule most are lead times, slab plumbing work, inspection scheduling, and changes made after demolition. Ask for a written schedule and updates when something shifts.
Living through it in Tucson
Set up a temporary kitchen near a sink: a microwave, a toaster oven, the refrigerator, and paper plates. Summer remodels bring a specific challenge: dust barriers restrict airflow and doors open constantly for deliveries, so the house runs warmer than usual and the air conditioner works harder. Crews often start early to beat the heat, and monsoon afternoons can delay deliveries and exterior work such as a new vent. Expect noise during working hours.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Who pulls the permit and schedules inspections?
- How are changes priced and approved once work is underway?
- Who is the single point of contact, and how often will you hear from them?
- What is excluded from the scope?
- Is the contractor licensed in Arizona, and lead-safe certified if the house predates 1978?
If you are weighing a kitchen project, the home remodeling page explains how the drawing and pricing stage works, and if the plan involves pushing out a wall, additions follow a similar sequence with a longer permitting leg. Remodel estimates are free; reach out when you are ready.
Related service: Home Remodeling — Remodel estimates are free; tell us what you have in mind and we will walk the space with you.