Guides Process
How long does a custom kitchen take?
A realistic timeline for a custom kitchen on the Gold Coast - from the design package through fabrication to install - and the things that stretch it.
From your first design meeting to standing in a finished kitchen, plan on roughly three to five months for a custom kitchen. Most of that is design and fabrication - the time your kitchen is actually a building site is short.
Here’s where the time goes.
The timeline, phase by phase
- Discovery call - a free conversation to make sure we’re the right fit. No cost, no obligation.
- Design package (4-8 weeks) - a measure, concept design, 3D renders and material selections. This is where the kitchen is resolved and a firm price is set, before any build commitment. The length depends mostly on how quickly selections are decided.
- Fabrication (6-10 weeks) - your cabinetry is made in the workshop and your stone is templated and cut. This is usually the longest phase, and it’s driven by stone and appliance lead times.
- Installation (1-2 weeks) - the joinery and benchtops go in on site. Longer if it’s part of a full renovation with demolition and trades.
- Handover - a final check and walkthrough, and it’s yours.
What stretches a kitchen timeline
Two identical-looking kitchens can finish weeks apart. The usual variables:
- Stone availability - a specific marble or quartzite slab may need to be sourced or imported, which adds time.
- Appliance lead times - premium appliances (Gaggenau, Sub-Zero) can carry long waits, so we order early.
- Structural work - moving a wall, window or plumbing turns a kitchen into a renovation, with the approvals and trades that brings.
- Selections - the fastest way to stretch a project is to leave decisions open. Locking materials in the design package keeps everything on program.
Supply-and-install vs a full renovation
If we’re supplying and installing alongside your own builder, the on-site phase is short - usually one to two weeks for the joinery and stone. If we’re delivering a complete renovation through 4D Renovations (demolition, plumbing, electrical, trades), the overall program is longer because it covers the whole job, not just the kitchen.
Either way, we set out the timeline clearly in the design package, so you know what’s happening and when before a single cabinet is made. Book a consultation to get a program against your own project.