A kitchen remodel is really six or seven smaller projects that have to happen in a strict order. Understanding that order is the best way to judge an estimate, plan your budget, and know how long you'll be eating takeout.
Everything starts with the layout and cabinet order. Cabinets have the longest lead time, often four to eight weeks, so they get ordered before demo. Countertops come next in the planning: they can't be templated until the cabinets are set, and fabrication takes another one to two weeks after that.
Demo is quick, usually one to two days. Then rough-in: any plumbing or electrical that moves, new circuits for appliances, recessed lighting, and under-cabinet power. Drywall repair and paint follow, because it's far easier to paint a kitchen before the cabinets go in than to cut around them later.
Cabinets are installed, leveled, and trimmed with crown and fillers. The counter fabricator templates, and during that wait the flooring can go in if it runs under the cabinets, or the backsplash prep can start. Once counters are set, the backsplash tile goes up, the sink and faucet are connected, appliances are installed, and hardware and trim finish the room.
A good crew builds that sequence into the written estimate with dates attached. If you're comparing estimates, ask each contractor who does the drywall, paint, tile, and flooring. The fewer subcontractors in the chain, the fewer gaps in the schedule.