The Right Order for a Kitchen Remodel (and Why We Won't Start Demo Until Your Cabinets Are in the Warehouse)

"What order should a kitchen remodel be done in?" is one of the most-asked questions on r/kitchenremodel and r/HomeImprovement, and the answers there are all over the place because most of the people replying have done exactly one kitchen. We have been building them across Pasadena, Altadena, San Marino and Arcadia since 1998, and the order barely changes. What changes is how badly it goes when someone skips a step.

Here is the sequence we run, why each step sits where it does, and where a Pasadena remodel differs from the generic version you will read elsewhere.

The sequence we run on a permitted Pasadena kitchen remodel. Illustration by Pasadena Remodeler; inspection points follow the City of Pasadena Building & Safety kitchen remodel handout.

Step 1: Design and a fixed scope, before anyone prices anything

The order starts earlier than most people think. Nothing gets demolished, ordered or permitted until the layout is drawn and the scope is frozen: which walls (if any) move, where the sink and range land, and whether the island is new or altered. That last detail matters here specifically, because the City of Pasadena's residential kitchen remodel handout lists a "new/altered island" as one of the things that triggers a permit.

Our judgment call: do not chase three bids on a kitchen that has not been designed yet. Contractors pricing a vague scope pad the number or leave things out, and you will spend the next four months arguing about which one it was. Get the layout settled first, then get pricing. If you want a sense of where a Pasadena kitchen lands, our kitchen remodeling page and FAQ give our actual ranges: cosmetic refresh $25,000 to $55,000, a mid-range remodel (the most common job we do) $65,000 to $135,000, and a full custom or open-concept kitchen from $150,000.

Step 2: Permit and plan check at 175 N Garfield

In Pasadena a permit is required when you remove and replace or relocate cabinets and countertops, the sink or dishwasher, add or alter an island, or change the electrical or exhaust hood. It is not required for a straight countertop swap or for refacing existing cabinets. Most of our kitchens need one.

Simple remodels with complete plans can be reviewed over the counter at the Permit Center (175 N Garfield Ave) in a matter of minutes. Anything with a wall coming out goes behind the counter, and the City says to expect roughly two to four weeks per review cycle. If the wall is bearing, the plans examiner will want to see the existing framing and may require engineering, which is why we cover that in detail in our open-concept wall removal post. Plan for one revision; the City's own guidance says the average project takes three submissions.

Two Pasadena-specific things worth knowing at this stage. First, the permit is valid for 180 days from issuance and stays alive through regular inspections, so a stalled job is a real risk. Second, because a permit was pulled, California Civil Code 1101.4 requires every non-compliant plumbing fixture in the house (pre-1994 homes) to be upgraded to water-conserving models, even the bathroom down the hall. We budget for that up front rather than letting it surprise you at final. Your remodeling contract should show who is pulling the permit; verify the contractor at the CSLB license lookup before signing.

Step 3: Order the long-lead items, then wait

This is the step that decides whether your remodel takes six weeks or twelve. Cabinets are ordered now. Semi-custom lines are commonly quoted at six to ten weeks; full custom can be longer, and we get the ship date in writing before anything else is scheduled. Appliances are ordered now too, because the cabinet run is built around the exact spec sheet of your range, hood and refrigerator, and because Pasadena requires upper cabinets to sit at least 30 inches above the cooktop and the hood to follow the manufacturer's clearances.

Countertops are selected now but not ordered; more on that below. If you are deciding between materials, our countertop comparison and the update on California's engineered stone rule will save you a trip to the slab yard.

Step 4: Demolition, but only once the cabinets have shipped

Here is the rule we will not break: we do not swing a hammer until your cabinets are physically in our warehouse or confirmed shipped with a date. A kitchen that is demoed and then sits for seven weeks waiting on a backorder is the single most common horror story we hear from people who used someone else. The house is unlivable, the permit clock is running, and the crew has moved to another job.

Demo itself takes two to three days for a typical Pasadena kitchen. In a 1920s Craftsman this is also the moment we find out what is really behind the plaster: knob-and-tube, galvanized drains, a sill plate that termites got to first. We write a change order on the spot, in writing, with a price. Your contract should say the same.

Step 5: Rough plumbing, electrical and mechanical, then the rough inspection

Everything inside the walls happens now, and Pasadena's checklist is specific. The kitchen needs at least two 20-amp small-appliance circuits, a dedicated circuit for the range hood, GFCI and tamper-resistant receptacles along every counter run (none more than 24 inches from a point on the wall line), and AFCI protection on the kitchen branch circuits. On many pre-1960 homes that is more than the existing panel can carry, so a sub-panel or service upgrade gets scheduled here, not discovered later.

The hood is ducted now as well, with smooth rigid metal duct to the outside. Recirculating hoods do not pass in Pasadena, aluminum flex duct is prohibited, and the fan has to move at least 100 CFM at 3 sones or less. Under Title 24, hoods below 400 CFM also get verified by a HERS rater. Exterior walls that were opened get R-13 (2x4) or R-19 (2x6) insulation before they close.

Then we call for the rough inspection. The City requires it after the boxes are in and before any device is connected. We will not hang drywall until the inspector signs the card.

Step 6: Drywall, then floors, then cabinets

Drywall goes up and gets finished after rough approval. Flooring is next, and our opinion is that it should run under the cabinets, not up to them; it costs a little more material but means the next owner can change the cabinet layout without a patch. Our flooring post covers which materials handle that.

Cabinets are set and screwed to the studs. This takes two to four days and it is the first day the room starts looking like a kitchen again.

Step 7: Template, fabricate and install countertops

We do not template countertops from drawings. The fabricator comes out only after the cabinets are installed, level and fastened, because a quarter inch of difference between the plan and the real box shows up as a gap against the wall. Fabrication typically takes one to two weeks. During that window the kitchen sits: no sink, no cooktop. That gap is normal and it is built into every schedule we write.

Step 8: Backsplash, plumbing and electrical trim, appliances

Once the tops are in: tile backsplash, then the sink, faucet, disposal and dishwasher get connected, then devices and lighting. Pasadena requires all of it to be high-efficacy (JA8) and under-cabinet lighting on its own switch. Appliances slide in last so nothing gets scratched.

Step 9: Final inspection and punch list

The City's final inspection is scheduled after all work is complete, including those upgraded fixtures elsewhere in the house. We walk the kitchen with you the same week and close the punch list. Then we send photos to our gallery.

So how long is that, start to finish?

Active construction on a full remodel runs eight to sixteen weeks with us. Add design, plan check and cabinet lead times, and most Pasadena kitchens are four to eight months from first meeting to final inspection. Six weeks of construction is realistic only for a cosmetic job with no permit; twelve is normal when a wall moves.

You can live in the house through all of it. Set up a temporary kitchen with a microwave, a hot plate and a utility sink or the laundry tub, and plan for four to six weeks without a real one. If you are also thinking about a bathroom or an ADU, sequencing them into the same permit and crew schedule almost always beats doing them a year apart.

Call (626) 744-0402 or request a free estimate, and we will map your kitchen's actual sequence onto a calendar before you sign anything.

Pasadena Remodeler, a division of Handyman Connection of Pasadena · 110 S Rosemead Blvd Suite G, Pasadena, CA 91107 · CSLB License No. 992200