Lead times broke in 2021 and never fully recovered. The freight situation has eased, the supply chain has stabilized, but the actual order-to-delivery windows for renovation materials in Ottawa right now are still longer than the 2019 baseline most homeowners remember.
Here is what we are actually seeing in April 2026, broken out by material category. These numbers come from real orders we placed in the last 90 days for active jobs.
Cabinets: 1 to 14 weeks depending on the path
Stock cabinets (in stock at the box store)
1 to 7 days. IKEA Sektion, Home Depot Hampton Bay, certain Cabinets To Go lines. Walk in, pick up, install. The trade-off is sizing flexibility and quality.
Semi-custom cabinets
4 to 8 weeks for most Canadian shops we use. You pick from a fixed door style and material list, sizing is built to your kitchen plan, and the boxes are typically plywood. This is the sweet spot for most mid-range and full kitchen renovations.
The 4 to 6 week shops are running tight. The 6 to 8 week shops are common right now because they are running at 80 to 90 percent of capacity.
Custom cabinets (in-house cabinet shop)
8 to 14 weeks from order to delivery. Includes shop drawings, your sign-off, build, finish, packing, and delivery. We run our own shop so we control the back end of this; cabinet shops we have used historically that are not in-house are running 10 to 16 weeks right now.
European custom (Poliform, Boffi, Bulthaup)
14 to 26 weeks. Containers from Italy, customs clearance, GTA distribution, then delivery to Ottawa. Plan accordingly. We do not normally specify these unless the client specifically requests the brand.
Why we run our own cabinet shop
Lead time control is the primary reason. When we depend on outside cabinet suppliers, we cannot promise our clients a project end date with confidence. With our in-house shop we know what is in production, what the load is for the next 6 weeks, and exactly when your kitchen will be ready to install. The lead time is still 8 to 14 weeks; the difference is we can guarantee it.
Tile: 1 to 8 weeks depending on origin
Domestic and North American
1 to 3 weeks for most North American manufacturers. Daltile, MSI, Mohawk, Anatolia, Olympia. If your local supplier shows it in stock at the warehouse, you can have it in Ottawa within 5 business days.
Italian and Spanish porcelain
3 to 6 weeks. The good European porcelain comes in containers; if the line you want is between containers you wait for the next one. We typically reserve a 5-week window for any Italian tile order and pad it by another week if the project schedule allows.
Specialty handmade ceramic and zellige
6 to 12 weeks. Cle Tile, Riad, Mosaic House, Heath. These are made-to-order or small-batch and the wait is part of the deal. Worth it for the look but never order them at the back of a project schedule.
Natural stone slabs (marble, quartzite, soapstone)
2 to 8 weeks depending on the slab. If your fabricator has slabs in their yard, 2 to 3 weeks from selection to install. If the slab needs to be sourced from the importer, 4 to 8 weeks.
The single most common cause of project delay we see is tile. Either the colour is back-ordered, or the homeowner changes their mind on tile selection at week 6, or the natural stone slab they picked got chipped at the warehouse and needs replacement. Order tile early and confirm in stock before sign-off.
Appliances: 1 to 16 weeks by brand
Stock domestic brands
1 to 3 weeks. GE Profile, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Frigidaire, LG, Samsung. Most models in standard finishes (stainless, black stainless, white) are warehoused regionally and ship within 10 business days.
Specific colour finishes (matte black, custom panel-ready) can extend to 4 to 6 weeks.
Bosch, Miele, Fisher & Paykel
3 to 8 weeks. Bosch dishwashers are typically in stock at distributors. Bosch ovens and ranges run 4 to 6 weeks. Miele runs 6 to 8 weeks for kitchen appliances. Fisher & Paykel column refrigerators run 6 to 10 weeks.
Wolf, Sub-Zero, Cove
8 to 16 weeks. The Sub-Zero column refrigerators we ordered in February 2026 are arriving in May. Wolf ranges in custom finishes are running 10 to 12 weeks. The Sub-Zero ice machines are running 14 to 16 weeks because of the way their factory schedules low-volume models.
Plan ahead. If your kitchen demo is in 8 weeks and you want a Sub-Zero column, the appliance ordering happens before demo, not after.
Range hoods (custom canopy hoods)
4 to 10 weeks. Most stainless inserts are in stock. Custom plaster canopy hoods or wood-wrapped hoods need to be built to fit your range and run 6 to 10 weeks.
Windows and doors: 6 to 16 weeks
This is where renovation projects with envelope work get held up. Real numbers right now:
- Stock vinyl windows (standard sizes, white): 4 to 6 weeks
- Custom vinyl windows (non-standard sizes or colours): 6 to 10 weeks
- Wood-clad windows (Pella, Marvin, Andersen): 10 to 16 weeks
- European tilt-and-turn (Loewen, Schuco): 14 to 22 weeks
- Exterior doors, stock fibreglass: 4 to 6 weeks
- Exterior doors, custom (oversized, custom glass, custom lite cuts): 8 to 14 weeks
- Interior doors, paint-grade: 1 to 3 weeks
- Interior doors, stain-grade or custom: 4 to 8 weeks
Plumbing fixtures: 1 to 12 weeks
- Moen, Delta, Kohler stock finishes: in stock to 2 weeks
- Riobel, Brizo, Grohe: 2 to 5 weeks
- Brizo Litze and similar premium lines in less common finishes: 5 to 8 weeks
- Waterworks, Lefroy Brooks, Lacava: 6 to 12 weeks
- Toto smart toilets: 6 to 10 weeks for top models
- Freestanding tubs: 2 to 6 weeks for stock acrylic, 8 to 14 weeks for stone resin or copper
How we sequence orders
Lead time management is the single most important project planning skill we have. Here is the order we typically place commitments:
- Week 0 (contract sign): place cabinet order, place window order, place premium appliance order (Sub-Zero, Wolf, Miele if applicable)
- Week 1: finalize and order tile selections (gives 8-12 weeks before tile-set phase)
- Week 2: order plumbing fixtures, finalize lighting selections
- Week 3: order standard appliances if not already done
- Week 4-5: demo begins on site, parallel work in shop continues
The key principle: anything with a lead time longer than half the project duration is ordered at contract sign. Anything with a shorter lead time is ordered when its decision becomes time-sensitive.
What this means for your project planning
Three takeaways for any homeowner planning a 2026 project:
First, make finish selections early. The slowest part of most renovations is not the construction. It is waiting for the homeowner to confirm tile, hardware, paint colours, or appliance models. The professional you hire can buy you back 2 to 4 weeks if they push selections to the front of the schedule.
Second, do not specify Sub-Zero or Wolf for a project starting in 6 weeks. The math does not work. Either start the project later or pick a comparable performance brand with shorter lead times.
Third, build a 2 to 4 week schedule buffer into any project that depends on imported materials. A 14-week project quoted at 14 weeks is fragile. A 14-week project planned for 16 to 18 weeks is realistic.
Want to plan a project right? Call 613-862-4555. Free consultation, real lead times for your specific selections, and a fixed-price quote with a delivery schedule we can stand behind.