6 Min Read
Remodeling your home is a chance to bring new life, beauty, and purpose to the spaces you live in every day. But lasting results don’t happen by chance. They’re shaped by a clear process, thoughtful planning, and a deep understanding of what it takes to do the job well.
This guide breaks down the full timeline of a luxury whole-home remodel in Middle Tennessee using the design-build method. You’ll learn what factors impact scheduling, how your location plays a role, and what you can do to keep your remodel on track.
Here's what we're covering in this blog:
- What Is the Average Timeline for a Whole-Home Remodel?
- Why Luxury Remodels Take Longer
- How Location Affects the Timeline
- What Stages Are Involved in a Luxury Remodel?
- What Factors Affect How Long a Remodel Will Take?
- What You Can Do to Help Keep the Remodel on Schedule
What Is the Average Timeline for a Whole-Home Remodel?
Whole-home remodels are meaningful projects that touch nearly every part of how a home looks, feels, and operates. A luxury whole-home remodel could take 5 to 8 months. This might sound like a long span of time, but this includes the entire design-build process, from design through construction.
At the luxury level, they require thoughtful design, structural precision, and a commitment to craftsmanship. In Middle Tennessee, timelines often depend on the home’s age, location, and the scope of transformation.
Why Luxury Remodels Take Longer
Luxury whole-home remodels are the ultimate way to reimagine how your home works, feels, and supports the way you live. These projects involve custom layouts, high-performance materials, and architectural details that take time to plan, source, and build with care.
Level of Customization
Customization naturally adds complexity. From handcrafted cabinetry to specialty millwork and curated fixtures, many elements are made to order or require longer lead times. Rushing them risks undermining the quality you’re investing in.
Your Home's Age
Older homes, especially in places like Franklin, Columbia, or Cookeville, can introduce hidden conditions like outdated wiring or structural inconsistencies.
These discoveries aren’t setbacks. They’re opportunities to build something stronger. But they do require time and thoughtful attention.
A Higher Level of Expertise
Coordinating a luxury remodel also takes expertise. With multiple trades, inspections, and phases happening across the home, the process has to be carefully staged and sequenced.
At Doxa Custom Homes, this coordination is treated as a craft in itself, ensuring every phase flows smoothly and every detail builds toward the next. It creates not just a beautiful result, but a home that feels cohesive, intentional, and made to last.
How Location Affects the Timeline
Not all parts of Middle Tennessee move at the same pace:
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Rural towns like Lewisburg or Baxter may take longer due to distance from suppliers or slower permitting processes.
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High-growth suburbs such as Franklin or Nolensville often have stricter HOA or architectural standards that add approvals to the timeline.
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Legacy neighborhoods in Columbia or Tullahoma may reveal surprises behind walls that require extra time and care.
Where your home is located plays a meaningful role in how quickly work can begin and how smoothly it can progress.
What Stages Are Involved in a Luxury Remodel?
The length of a luxury remodel is shaped by every phase that leads up to the first swing of a hammer. At Doxa Custom Homes, we approach each project with detailed design, structured planning, and a commitment to clarity because that’s what establishes a remodel that runs smoothly, predictably, and without the costly surprises that come from rushing or guessing.
Here’s a closer look at the design-build phases that define your remodel timeline:
1. Discovery
The Discovery phase is where your remodel kicks off. This is not a rushed sales conversation. It’s a thoughtful dialogue about what you’re trying to achieve with your home, how you live in it, and what success looks like to you. Your design-build team at Doxa will walk through the space, listen carefully, and begin evaluating the overall scope.
It may include:
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Project walkthroughs
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Site or structural observations
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Early budget and timeline ranges
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Clarifying your goals, must-haves, and design style
The stronger the discovery phase, the more aligned the entire project will be.
2. Pre-Construction Planning
This is the heart of the entire remodel timeline. Pre-construction is where ideas are tested for feasibility, where key decisions are made before they become expensive to change, and where trades are consulted for real-world input. It’s also when we develop a clear roadmap for how your remodel will be executed.
This phase includes:
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Layout planning and structural review
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Gathering early selections
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Pricing checks with trade partners
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Scheduling groundwork
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Building a realistic, fixed-price proposal
For a whole-home remodel, skipping or shortcutting this phase often leads to mid-project delays, change orders, and confusion. Done well, it keeps the entire remodel grounded and predictable.
3. Design Development
Once the big-picture plan is confirmed, the design team moves into detailed documentation. This is where your vision gets translated into plans and specifications that builders, trades, and vendors can all follow. It’s also the phase where the look and feel of your future home becomes real.
This includes:
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Finalized floor plans
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Cabinetry and millwork drawings
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Electrical, plumbing, and lighting plans
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Material and finish selections
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Interior detailing and architectural elements
Because luxury remodels often involve custom selections or specialty materials, your design team works ahead of the build phase to finalize decisions, place orders, and ensure everything is ready before construction begins.
4. Build Phase
This is where the physical transformation happens, but it only runs smoothly when everything before it is buttoned up. With designs locked in, materials ordered, and trades scheduled in advance, the construction team can focus on executing each phase cleanly and efficiently.
During the build phase, your home may undergo:
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Demolition and structural work
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Framing and layout changes
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Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing updates
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Material installation and fine finish work
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Final walkthroughs and handoff
The more rooms and systems being updated, the more important sequencing and coordination become.
What Factors Affect How Long a Remodel Will Take?
No two whole-home remodels follow the exact same timeline. Even with a structured process in place, several key factors can influence how long the project takes from planning through completion. Understanding these variables can help you set realistic expectations and make informed decisions along the way.
Scope of Work
The more rooms you remodel, the more complex the changes, the longer the timeline. Structural reconfigurations, system upgrades, and custom finishes add layers to both the planning and build phases.
Age and Condition of the Home
Older homes in areas like Franklin, Columbia, or Cookeville often reveal outdated wiring, undersized framing, or water damage behind walls. These hidden issues require additional care and time to resolve properly.
Design Complexity
Luxury remodels with custom cabinetry, intricate tile layouts, advanced lighting plans, or unique materials take more time to design, order, and install, especially when working with handcrafted or made-to-order pieces.
Material Lead Times
High-end finishes and specialty fixtures often require extended lead times, sometimes weeks or even months in advance.
At Doxa, we work closely with trusted vendors to plan ahead and minimize delays, but it’s important to recognize that supply chain factors can still influence the schedule. Proactive ordering is key to keeping the project on track.
Permitting and Inspections
Each Middle Tennessee county has its own permitting process and review timelines. Remodels in Franklin or Murfreesboro may require more formal approvals than rural projects in Lewisburg or Columbia.
Trade Partner Availability
Luxury remodels depend on highly skilled trades working in the right sequence.
At Doxa, we rely on a curated network of trusted trade partners who understand our standards and processes, allowing us to schedule efficiently and avoid the gaps or delays that can derail a project’s momentum.
Unexpected Discoveries
Even the most thorough planning can’t see behind every wall. Once demolition begins, issues like mold, pests, improper past repairs, or code violations may surface and require additional time to address.
What You Can Do to Help Keep the Remodel on Schedule
A strong builder will lead the process, but homeowners play an important role, too. How efficiently you make decisions and how clearly you communicate can significantly affect the project timeline.
Here’s how you can help your remodel stay on track:
Make and Finalize Selections Early
The sooner you finalize materials, fixtures, and finishes, the sooner your builder can order them and avoid delays caused by backorders or long lead times.
Approve Design Decisions on Time
Delays in approving drawings, layouts, or design elements can ripple through the entire schedule. Timely feedback helps keep momentum strong and trades aligned.
Keep Communication Open
Remodeling is a collaborative effort. Staying engaged and responding promptly to questions allows your builder to move forward without unnecessary pauses.
Trust the Process
Luxury remodels follow a step-by-step process for a reason. At Doxa, our structured system is designed to eliminate guesswork, reduce surprises, and create a smoother, more predictable build from start to finish. Trusting that process is key to a successful outcome.
Choose the Right Builder From the Start
Ultimately, the best way to keep your remodel on schedule is to partner with a builder who combines local expertise with a proven design-build approach. Well-organized planning systems, a vetted trade network, and solid communication tools will do more to protect your time than anything else.
Set the Pace for a Smooth Remodel
Luxury remodels take time, but they don’t have to feel unpredictable. With the right planning, the right builder, and the right expectations, the entire experience can be smooth, clear, and deeply rewarding. It all starts with a process built for clarity and efficiency.
If you're ready to start planning your own remodel, now is the perfect time to take the first step. Contact us to schedule a consultation, and we'd be happy to answer any questions about our process, costs, and more.
