How To Do A Kitchen Renovation in 3 Weeks

We did it. We renovated the kitchen in our brand new house in 3 weeks before we moved in. We refaced the cabinet doors, put new hardware on the cabinets, installed backsplash, a new faucet and a new countertop. PHEW. (PS: we also painted and refinished our floors!) The key was planning ahead and sticking to a strict timeline. Here’s how to do a kitchen renovation in 3 weeks!

1. I played contractor

To get this done and not spend an arm and a leg on it, I played contractor and project manager myself. I contracted and coordinated the different vendors for the job. It all started with quotes! I hounded people I knew in Denver for recommendations and read a lot of reviews. From there, I narrowed in on 2-3 vendors for each part of the process and worked to gather quotes.

2. I gathered 2-3 quotes per task

I scheduled the quotes for the inspection day at our new house. Yes, it was a bit chaotic but it was super efficient. I spent the day meeting folks at the house and talking them through the parts of the project. At the end of the day, it was pretty easy to decide which vendor to go with. Instinct goes a long way. So does availability and (of course) price. Since we were on a strict timeline, this was the first priority.

3. I planned ahead

In order to book vendors when they have availability it is crucial to plan ahead! We planned about 4 weeks in advance which worked out pretty well. It was far enough in advance that local company’s still had openings. Perhaps more importantly, this gave the cabinet vendor enough time to order custom cabinets. Cabinets take a while to get in (2-3 weeks) so that could have really stalled our timeline if we didn’t plan ahead.

3. I made a timeline

1. DEMO: On the day after we closed on our new house we had our cabinet company remove 2 cabinets (to install shelves) and we had the countertop folks remove the old countertop.
2. PAINT: The interior painting went first. Painter said he needed about 5 days for the job so we held him to this.
3. COUNTER INSTALL: The day after the paint was done, we had the countertop fabricators install the new quartz countertop and large single basin sink, which took no more than 3 hours.
4. FLOORS: We decided to refinish the hardwood floors on the main level of the house, including the kitchen. This was the most cost-effective option, about half the price of replacing the hardwood altogether. This took about 3 days. (Yes, we found a very speedy floor company!)
5. BACKSPLASH: We took the weekend to let the floors fully dry and then the cabinet company was in the kitchen getting the backsplash in which took 2 days. We didn’t have any before this, so luckily there was nothing to remove beforehand.
6. THE CABINETS: It took only a couple days to install the new cabinets, hardware, toekicks, and side panels for our kitchen island.
7. THE FAUCET: When the cabinets were all done I scheduled a plumber to come install the new faucet, re-hook up the dishwasher, refrigerator and garbage disposal. This took a bit longer than I anticipated which was about 5 hours. (Hopefully that means he did a good job!)

PROTIP: Send a reminder to each vendor the day before the job (email + text) to remind them of the obligation AND the time!

I hope this was helpful! You got this!

Write me a comment if you’re looking for any recos!