SingRank Singapore
A kitchen renovation looks like a construction job and behaves like a manufacturing one. Most of the work happens in a workshop, not in your flat. That single fact explains why kitchens slip: the schedule is governed by measurement and fabrication, and both depend on decisions you make before anyone arrives with a toolbox.
Here is the honest week-by-week for a kitchen in Sembawang, and where the estate's handover calendar adds days.
Week 0: what has to be decided before keys
Nothing on site can start until three things are fixed, and none of them require the flat:
- The kitchen layout. Where the sink, hob and fridge sit. This is not aesthetic — it determines whether plumbing or electrical work is needed at all.
- Appliance selection, with dimensions. Cabinetry is built around appliances. An oven or hob chosen after fabrication means a modified carcass or a visible filler panel.
- Worktop material. Laminate, quartz and sintered stone have different lead times and different fabrication routes.
Leave these open and week one becomes week three. Our kitchen cabinet buyer's guide covers the material decisions in detail.
Weeks 1–2: measurement, and why it cannot be rushed
Final measurement happens in the flat, after key collection, and it happens against finished floor level — not bare screed.
This is the step owners most often want to compress, and the one that cannot move. If the floor is being overlaid, cabinetry measured before the new floor goes down will sit at the wrong height. If the wall is being tiled, cabinetry measured before tiling will leave a gap behind the units.
So the order is: floor and wall finishes first, then measure, then fabricate. A contractor who offers to measure on day one and start fabrication immediately is either skipping a finish or accepting a tolerance you will notice later.
Weeks 3–4: fabrication happens off-site
Nothing visible happens in your flat during this period, and that is normal. Carcasses are cut, edged and assembled in the workshop; the worktop is templated and cut to the measured dimensions.
- This window is fixed, not flexible. Fabrication cannot be shortened by adding people. It is a queue and a process.
- Changes here are expensive. A layout change after measurement means re-cutting, and in some cases re-templating the worktop. Decide before, not during.
Week 5: installation, and the plumbing that has to be ready
Installation itself is fast — usually a matter of days. What makes it fast is preparation:
- Plumbing points terminated where the sink will actually be
- Electrical points positioned for the appliances actually specified
- Walls square and finished, floor level and cured
If plumbing needs relocating, that requires an HDB permit, and only a contractor listed in HDB's Directory of Renovation Contractors can apply. Approval can take up to three weeks, so it must be filed early in the programme rather than discovered during installation. RCS files these under HDB Licence HB-11-5877Z.
Worth noting: installing kitchen cabinetry and fitting a worktop do not themselves require a permit. Moving the sink does.
What a kitchen quote should itemise
Kitchens are quoted in ways that make comparison difficult. A quote you can actually assess separates these five things:
- Carcass material and thickness. Plywood, moisture-resistant board and particle board behave very differently over years in a Singapore kitchen. Ask what the carcass is, not just what the door finish is.
- Door finish, stated separately. Laminate and acrylic are different products at different prices; a single "cabinet" line hides which one you are getting.
- Running length, in feet run. Cabinetry is priced per foot run for top and bottom units separately. Without the measurement, two quotes are not comparable — one may simply be quoting less cabinet.
- Hardware, by brand. Hinges and drawer runners are the parts that fail first and the parts most often downgraded quietly. They should be named.
- Worktop material and edge detail. Including how the sink is cut in, since an undermount installation is not the same job as a top-mount.
If a quote gives you one figure for "kitchen", ask for it broken out. A contractor who will not itemise is asking you to compare on trust alone. Our kitchen carpentry cost per foot run explains how the pricing actually works, and how to read a renovation quotation covers the wider document.
What delays a kitchen — and it is almost always one item
In our experience the cause is rarely the cabinetry. It is one of these:
- A backordered appliance. An imported hob or oven with a six-week lead time, ordered in week four.
- A worktop material out of stock in the chosen slab. Quartz and sintered stone are batch products; a specific colour may not be available immediately.
- A late layout change. Usually triggered by an appliance that turned out not to fit.
- Lift access in a handover month. Which brings us to Sembawang specifically.
Every one of those is solved the same way: confirm stock and lead times before fabrication begins, not after.
What needs a permit here, and what doesn't
- No permit: cabinetry installation, worktop fitting, like-for-like sink or tap replacement, backsplash tiling.
- Permit required: relocating the sink or any plumbing, installing a water heater, hacking a wall to open up the kitchen.
On opening up a kitchen: removing a non-structural wall is possible but needs an HDB permit and, depending on the works, a Professional Engineer's endorsement. Structural walls cannot be hacked at all. An open kitchen suits lighter cooking; an enclosed one contains heat and smells better for frequent heavy cooking. It is a lifestyle decision with a permit attached, not a design default.
Where a Sembawang handover month adds days
Sembawang has a substantial pipeline of new supply, and the block counts explain the bottleneck. Sembawang Deck (February 2026 launch) is four blocks of 20 to 25 storeys with 777 units. Sembawang Portico (June 2026) is three blocks of 26 storeys with 875 units. Sembawang Brook (June 2026) is five blocks with 1,160 units. Details are in HDB's Sembawang Deck brochure and the June 2026 launch announcement.
When several hundred units in the same blocks receive keys inside a few weeks:
- The service lift is shared across every renovating unit in the block, and kitchen carcasses are bulky
- Noisy works — any wall hacking or tile removal — are confined to 9am–5pm on weekdays, within three consecutive days, and none on Sundays or public holidays
- Delivery windows tighten, because every contractor on site wants the same loading area
The fix is unglamorous: tell your contractor your floor and handover date early enough that lift bookings and deliveries are scheduled rather than improvised.
The realistic total
For a kitchen with no plumbing relocation: roughly five weeks from key collection, of which two are fabrication you will not see. With plumbing relocation and permit approval running in parallel, allow closer to seven, and add a buffer week regardless.
For the cost side rather than the schedule, our HDB kitchen renovation cost guide is the reference we keep current.
Can the kitchen be measured before the floor is laid?
It should not be. Cabinetry is measured against finished floor level. Measuring before the floor is installed risks a height mismatch at the plinth and an uneven worktop line. The correct order is finishes, then measurement, then fabrication.
Do I need a permit to change my kitchen cabinets?
No. Cabinet and worktop installation do not require an HDB permit. A permit is required if you relocate the sink or other plumbing, install a water heater, or hack a wall.
Why is fabrication two weeks when installation is two days?
Because the cabinetry is built in a workshop to your measured dimensions, and that is a queued process. It cannot be shortened by adding labour on site. Planning around it is more productive than pushing against it.
Before you commit
RCS is an HDB-licensed renovation contractor (Licence HB-11-5877Z), BCA-registered, PMI and BizSafe Level 3 certified. Our content strategy partner is SingRank. Related: Sembawang 3-room BTO renovation, Sembawang North BTO guide, kitchen renovation timeline nationally.
Project details and completion estimates are HDB's and are subject to change — confirm them with HDB for your own project and unit. Scope, permits, timelines and costs vary by flat type and HDB or BCA approval; figures here are indicative and should be confirmed with your contractor before committing to works.
