A kitchen renovation Cape Town homeowners actually enjoy is decided long before anyone lifts a crowbar. Almost every disaster on a kitchen job traces back to a decision that was left open when work started.
This is the planning guide: what to scope, what to decide, and in what order the trades should come through your house. Costs are covered separately in our cost breakdown.
Six steps to planning a kitchen renovation Cape Town homes need
The six steps below run in order. Skipping one does not save time, it just moves the problem later into the build where it costs more to solve.
Step one: define the scope honestly
There are three genuinely different projects, and calling yours the wrong one is where budgets break.
- Facelift: new doors, handles and countertop on the existing carcasses
- Refit: all new cupboards and tops, same layout, same plumbing and electrics
- Remodel: new layout, relocated services, possibly walls moved
Moving from a refit to a remodel is not a small step. The moment the sink or stove moves, plumbing, electrical, tiling and flooring all join the job. Our kitchen renovations Cape Town guide prices each of those bands.
Step two: decide the layout before you price anything
Work through the practical questions first, not the aesthetic ones.
- Where do the sink, hob and fridge sit relative to each other?
- How many people cook here at once?
- Where does the natural light fall, and where do you need task light?
- Which appliances are staying, and what are their exact dimensions?
- Do you need an eating surface in the kitchen itself?
Answer those and the cabinet layout largely writes itself. Cabinetry specification and per-metre pricing then follows from our kitchen cupboards Cape Town guide.
Cape Town specifics worth planning for
- Damp on external walls: check behind the existing units before finalising anything
- Older homes: walls are rarely square, so allow for custom rather than modular
- Body corporate rules: sectional title schemes often restrict noisy work hours
- Load shedding: factor it into installation timelines during winter
Step three: lock every decision before demolition
Write these down and sign them off. Changing any of them mid-build costs money and days.
- Cabinet layout and door swings
- Board type, door finish and colour
- Edging thickness and hardware brand
- Countertop material and edge profile
- Sink, mixer and their exact cut-out sizes
- Appliance models and their electrical requirements
- Splashback tile, floor finish and grout colour
- Socket and light positions
The appliance list matters more than people expect. Cabinet openings are manufactured to those exact dimensions, so a late change of oven usually means a remade cabinet.
Step four: sequence the trades correctly
The order below is not negotiable on a full remodel. Getting it wrong means redoing work.
- Strip out and dispose of the old kitchen
- First-fix plumbing and electrical — pipes and cables moved while walls are open
- Plaster and make good walls and ceilings
- Floor tiling, if the floor is being replaced
- Cabinet carcass installation
- Countertop template, fabrication and fitting
- Splashback tiling, once tops are in and the true height is known
- Second-fix plumbing and electrical — sink, taps, appliances, sockets
- Doors, handles, painting and snagging
Wall repairs after strip-out fall to plastering, and both fixes belong to plumbing and electrical. Templating a countertop before carcasses are level is the classic expensive mistake.
Step five: build a realistic timeline
- Design and decisions: two to six weeks, entirely up to you
- Cabinet manufacture: two to six weeks after the site measure
- Strip-out and first fix: two to four days
- Carcass installation: three to four working days
- Countertop template to fit: about a week
- Tiling, second fix and snagging: three to five days
On site, a straightforward refit is about two to three weeks. A full remodel is four to six. The lead time on cabinets and stone is the part people underestimate.
Step six: plan for life without a kitchen
- Set up a temporary station with kettle, microwave and fridge in another room
- Pack the kitchen fully before strip-out day, not during it
- Agree working hours and site access in writing
- Confirm who removes rubble, and how often
- Budget for takeaways — it is a real line item
Choosing who runs the job
A kitchen touches five trades. Either you coordinate them or one contractor does. Handovers between separate contractors are where delays and blame appear. Board and timber product standards are published by the South African Bureau of Standards.
We run cabinetry, plastering, tiling and services in-house under our carpentry services, with tiling handled by our flooring and tiling team. Assessments are free and there is no call-out fee.
Send us your plans, photos and appliance list and we will map the sequence and timeline for your kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a kitchen renovation take in Cape Town?
On site, a straightforward refit takes about two to three weeks and a full remodel four to six. Before that, allow two to six weeks for cabinet manufacture after the site measure, plus however long your design decisions take. Countertop fabrication adds roughly a week after carcasses are installed.
What order should trades work in during a kitchen renovation?
Strip out, then first-fix plumbing and electrical while walls are open, then plastering, then floor tiling, then cabinet carcasses, then countertop template and fit, then splashback tiling, then second-fix plumbing and electrical, and finally doors, handles, painting and snagging. Templating a countertop before carcasses are level is a costly mistake.
What should I decide before a kitchen renovation starts?
Cabinet layout and door swings, board type and door finish, edging thickness and hardware brand, countertop material, sink and mixer cut-out sizes, exact appliance models, splashback and floor finishes, and socket and light positions. Cabinet openings are built to appliance dimensions, so a late appliance change usually means a remade cabinet.
Should I change my kitchen layout or keep it?
Keep it unless it genuinely does not work. The moment the sink or stove moves, plumbing, electrical, tiling and flooring all join the project and the cost steps up sharply. A refit in the existing layout delivers most of the visual improvement at a fraction of the disruption and expense of a remodel.
Can I live at home during a kitchen renovation?
Most people do. Set up a temporary station with a kettle, microwave and fridge in another room, pack the kitchen fully before strip-out day, and agree working hours, site access and rubble removal in writing. Expect to be without a working kitchen for two to six weeks depending on scope.