What order do kitchen remodel trades work in for an Irvine home

Everyone expects the new cabinets to arrive first and the kitchen to look finished in a week. Mostly the opposite happens, because the first stretch of a kitchen renovation in Irvine, CA is walls and pipes that nobody photographs. The breakdown sitting on kitchen renovation irvine sounds for synth lists the trades in order, and the order is not negotiable once the old room is gone.

Demolition and what it uncovers

Demolition comes first and it is quick: cabinets, counters, old flooring in the work zone, and any wall being moved. The point of doing it fully before anything else is the survey. Once the drywall is open, the crew sees where the supply lines run, how the drain is vented, and what the wiring looks like in a tract house in Irvine, whether it sits in Woodbridge or Turtle Rock. Decisions made with the walls open are cheap in time. The same decisions made after cabinets are hung mean cutting into finished work.

Rough plumbing and rough electrical

The plumber moves the sink drain, the dishwasher supply and any gas line for the range. The electrician adds the circuits the plan needs: dedicated runs for the microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator, countertop outlets, and the range hood. Both trades work inside open walls, so they go before insulation and before drywall. A range hood duct to the outside has to be settled here, since it crosses framing that will be closed up in a few days.

Inspection, then drywall

In most Orange County jurisdictions the rough work is inspected before the walls are closed. Drywall follows, then texture and primer. This is the dusty phase, and it is the right moment to seal the doorway to the rest of the house with plastic and a zip door. Paint goes on the walls and ceiling before cabinets, so the cabinet boxes never get overspray.

Flooring and cabinets

Flooring in a kitchen on the old Irvine Ranch is usually laid before the cabinets when the plan is a full floor swap, and it stops at the cabinet line when the existing floor is staying. Cabinets then go in from the corner outward, with uppers hung first or last depending on the installer. The island sets last because it is placed to the finished floor and the layout lines, not to a wall.

Countertops, backsplash and finish trades

Countertops cannot be measured until the cabinets are set and level, so the stone or slab fabricator templates after the install and cuts afterward. That gap is a week of waiting that no crew can compress. The backsplash goes up after the counters. The plumber and electrician return for the final hookups: faucet, disposal, dishwasher, cooktop, light fixtures and cover plates. Final inspection closes the permit, and the kitchen is a kitchen again.