How Long Each Job Takes, Phase by Phase

Before day one. Design, selections and permits, and the cabinet order. Cabinet lead time drives the calendar more than construction does. Semi-custom cabinets arrive in weeks and full custom takes months, so I order early and build the schedule backward from the delivery date.

On site, in order. Demolition. Rough work: wiring, plumbing changes and any structural change, then the rough inspection. Cabinets. Countertops and backsplash tile. Finishing: appliances, fixtures, paint and the walkthrough.

What adds time. A layout that moves, a wall that comes out, or an electrical panel upgrade that needs utility sign-off. The kitchen remodeling page covers the work itself.

Before day one. Custom vanities, glass enclosures and specialty fixtures need lead time, so they are ordered before demolition.

On site, in order. Demolition, a day or two. Rough plumbing and electrical. The rough inspection. Waterproofing. Tile. Then the finish: vanity, fixtures, glass, lighting and the walkthrough.

What sets the pace. Tile. A large-format shower with a niche and a bench takes days of careful layout alone, and the mortar and grout cure on their own schedule. If the house has a single bathroom, we plan the shutdown window with you and keep the toilet working as long as the work allows. See bathroom remodeling.

Design and engineering come first. Plan check follows, and it runs on the building department's clock.

After the permit issues, construction moves in a fixed order: foundation, framing, roof tie-in, rough trades with their inspections, insulation, drywall, then finishes. Framing moves fast and looks dramatic. Finishes take longer than most owners expect, because that is where the matching and the punch work happen.

You are often living in the house while we build. We stage the job to keep a working kitchen and at least one bathroom running, seal the work zone behind temporary walls and dust barriers, and clean up every day. A single move-in date promised on day one is a guess. You get the stage-by-stage schedule with your estimate instead. See room additions and garage conversions and ADUs.

1. Site assessment. A walk of the parcel and a written read of conditions before anyone talks about design.

2. Debris clearance records. The clearance file the permit needs, assembled with you.

3. Soils and foundation evaluation. The engineer's report, read before anyone draws a line.

4. Plans and engineering. Architect, structural engineer, energy compliance and the fire-hardening details in one coordinated set.

5. Permits and plan check. The submittal, the corrections and the answers to plan check.

6. Construction. Grading, foundation, framing, roof, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, then finishes, with weekly written updates.

7. Inspections and certificate of occupancy. Every rough and every final, scheduled and met.

I will not give you a permit date for a rebuild. The agency controls that calendar, and anyone quoting a firm permit date is guessing. What I control is a complete submittal, so nothing stalls on our side. In unincorporated Los Angeles County, a permit expires if work has not started within 12 months of issue or stops for more than 180 days after it starts. Plan the start against that date. The fire damage rebuild page covers each stage; when a rebuild stalls covers the takeover.

Selections made late. Long-lead items are locked before demolition, and every selection carries a decision date.

What sits behind the walls. When opening a wall shows rot, a failed pan or old pipe, I stop, photograph it and show you. The repair is priced as its own line and waits for your written approval.

Changes to the scope. A change goes in writing and you approve it before work continues.

Inspections. A stage waits for its inspection to pass before the next one starts. Who pulls the permit and what the inspector checks is its own page, and how a job runs from the first walk to close-out shows the whole order.