If you’re thinking about ripping out tiles, changing cabinets and even pulling out your old tub, you’re probably asking yourself, “how long does a bathroom renovation take?” so you can plan for the inconvenience. While it can depend on several factors, you can have a good idea of the duration if you know what you want to do.
Glenco has learnt a thing or two about bathroom renovations in our many years of renovation works. In this article, we outline the phases and factors that can help you answer “how long does a bathroom renovation take?” so you can start planning.
How long does it take to do a bathroom renovation?
Bathroom renovations can help you fall in love with a room you use daily and help you optimise the space, but how long does a bathroom renovation take? The size of your bathroom and the amount of structural changes and plumbing and electrical work needed will impact the duration. So knowing what’s involved in a bathroom renovation can help you project a timeline and have a rough idea of what to expect.
What’s involved in a bathroom renovation?
You can determine a timeline by breaking up the sections of what’s involved and how long each step takes. This is how we can answer the common question, “how long does a bathroom renovation take?” for everyone to apply to their unique renovation. Below we take a look at the steps involved in the process:
1. Demolition
Time frame: 2-5 days
Depending on the material in your old bathroom, the demolition stage can take between two to five days. It will be on the quicker side if your bathroom is made up of timber and sheet walls, but it can take longer to remove the contents if it contains solid bricks. If your renovation involves significant structural changes, the extra beams or walls will be installed at this point, impacting the duration. The demolition is responsible for the complexities in answering “how long does a bathroom renovation take?” because this stage has the most variance.
2. Plumbing and electrical wiring
Time frame: 1-4 days
When your bathroom is stripped down to its core, plumbers and electricians begin installing the essential plumbing lines and electrical wiring to fit the new structure of your bathroom. If you aren’t doing major changes and keeping the sinks, shower and toilet in the same spot, this may only take a day to do. However, for more significant changes, it can take up to four days to install the new systems that allow the facilities in your bathroom to operate effectively.
3. Preparation
Time frame: 1-2 days
Once the plumbing and electrical systems are in place, a builder or carpenter will begin to prepare the structure of your bathroom by building the shower and bath bases, walls, floors and ceilings in preparation for tiling and plastering. If your bathroom is small, this may only take a day to complete, and even for bigger bathrooms, it should only take two days for complete preparation.
4. Plastering
Time frame: 2-3 days
The plasterer can now plaster the structure of the new bathroom. Plastering can take up to three days in bathrooms with a lot of tiles, mirrors or walls removed. If you haven’t installed new walls but still need to plaster where mirrors have been taken off, this may take up to two days to complete.
5. Waterproofing
Time frame: 3-4 days
Waterproofing is a method of applying a leak-proof coating to every section of the walls, floor and ceiling of your bathroom so that the room can be wet without seeping into the building materials. Use a trusted contractor to ensure the waterproofing is executed correctly and thoroughly to protect your home and bathroom. Waterproof coatings need to dry, so while contractors can apply the coating within a day, it can take up to three to four days for this stage to be complete.
6. Tiling
Time frame: 1-3 days
After waterproofing, your bathroom can begin to be built back up, starting with tiling. A tiler will come to install your chosen tiles on the floors and up the walls to match your design. If you’re just tiling the floors, it may only take a day, and if you have a big bathroom or are tiling floor-to-ceiling, it can take up to three days to complete.
7. Cabinetry
Time frame: 1 day
Cabinets are ready to be installed once the tiling is in place and set. Carpenters can usually install your selected cabinets within one day. However, if you’re installing custom cabinets, the planning should be done well in advance to allow time for them to be built.
8. Painting
Time Frame: 1-2 days
After everything is fitted and installed, painters will come in and paint the remaining surfaces of walls, ceiling, cabinets, skirting, windows and doors. This step also requires time for paint drying, so small and large bathrooms will take a similar amount of time, between one to two days.
9. Final fit-outs and touches
Time Frame: 1-2 days
The final fit-out involves installing all the smaller accessories, like mirrors, shower screens, towel racks, toilet paper holders and other trims. Contractors will also install doors and windows if necessary and complete a final site cleanup to make the room clean and ready for use! This can take one day with a proficient contractor that has an efficient process.
How Glenco can help
As you’ve seen, there are ambiguities and variances in the time frame for bathroom renovations. Using a trusted and experienced building contractor like Glenco can help streamline the process and get you back in one of the most important rooms in your house as soon as possible. We’ve helped homeowners create their dream bathrooms for over 20 years! Get in touch today.
