Trying to estimate the exact time it will take to complete your bathroom remodeling can be quite a task that is prone to error.
However, the bathroom is also where you can estimate the remodeling duration since the family wants their bathrooms up and running within the shortest possible time.
If you are not one of those who own mansions with multiple bathrooms in them, you will surely be concerned about the time it will take to complete your bathroom so you can start using it again.
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how Long Does A Bathroom Remodel Take?
When it comes to remodeling a bathroom, it takes between two to three weeks, depending on the size of your bathroom and how you plan to renovate it.
The time it takes to remodel a bathroom also depends on how often you plan to do this exercise, whether you will be working on it on weekends, with family members, and whether you will hire someone to do the bathroom remodeling for you.
Now let’s dive into all you need to know about bathroom remodeling, the factors to consider when remodeling your bathroom, complications, and many more.
Factors That Determine The Duration Of A Bathroom Remodel Project
Several factors affect the remodeling duration of your bathroom. One thing to note is that it is quite rare for the bathroom to remodel projects to go exactly as planned.
Several factors can disrupt your efforts to complete the remodeling project on time.
Is the remodeling project just a cosmetic one, or is it a strip-to-the-studs makeover? The nature of the remodeling project will determine how long it will take to complete it.
So the remodeling of your bathroom can take anywhere from a few days to several months.
Another factor determining when the job will be complete is whether you intend to carry the remodeling process out by yourself or leave it to the professionals.
When you decide to handle the work yourself, you can end up spending probably a year or less on it.
However, leaving it to the professionals reduces this timeframe to just months or days, depending on the project.
When you decide to give out the project to a professional, is the professional an owner-operator, or is he bringing on board different professionals like electricians, plumbers, and carpenters?
If you are looking for a cheap way to give the job to a professional, then you can work with an owner-operator.
However, they will probably juggle the job with other people as they try to do everything themselves.
What happens is that a job that should have taken just 15 days may end up taking over a month or more before it is finally completed.
So the best way to go here is to choose a professional who brings his professionals on board to speed up the work.
Another factor that can dictate how long the project takes is the materials used for the remodeling project.
Are all the materials ready in the house for the job? Are they special–order materials that will make you wait before they are delivered?
How long do you have to wait for some imported goods to arrive before continuing the job? It will certainly affect the timeframe of the job.
With that being said, it’s advisable to create a rough estimate of the duration the remodeling process will take when you hire a skilled general contractor along with their competent subcontractors.
A small bathroom can take about 23 days on average when in favorable circumstances. If no work is done on the weekends, this will then extend the completion time by a few more weeks.
However, unexpected circumstances and downtime in the actual world will certainly happen while the project continues. Such situations could double the timeframe of the bathroom remodeling process by almost ten weeks.
Preparing For Unexpected Events
We will take a look at a timetable with the assumption that the bathroom remodeling project is being carried out by a competent general contractor and his competent subcontractors.
Assuming all the workers show up on time for work and none get sick during the project, all the necessary materials needed for the work are readily available. The homeowner, you, are not issuing any change orders while the project is going on.
Please note that this is an idealized timetable for the project.
The timetable has the assumption that the minute a worker is done, the next worker will immediately take over.
Do not be surprised that the reality is double the schedule of this idealized timetable. Here is the timetable below.
The Design
Before you begin remodeling your bathroom, you need to undertake some preliminary measures first.
You should know exactly what you want from the remodeling project before meeting up with the contractor who will handle the project. You will also need to go over the plans you have for the bathroom with the contractor.
He will have to measure out the bathroom space, know the features you want to have there, and then work alongside you to choose the best location for each of them.
All these will also help the contractor estimate your remodeling project’s cost.
The design phase will take about 1 to 4 weeks to complete.
Ordering The Materials
After you finish with the design phase and agree with the contractor concerning the price, the next step would be to order the materials you will use for the project.
You will have to keep some things in mind, such as ordering materials that will be shipped from abroad.
This can cause a longer duration of the step of the project. So concerning this, you can work together with the contractors and suppliers to create a schedule that will be suitable with fewer gaps in between.
This stage can take 1 to 8 weeks.
Construction
The first stage of the construction deals with demolishing the old bathroom space. This can take just a day or two at most.
It will include things like the preparation of the site, floor protection (that is if you are not redoing the floor), and installing dust barriers to protect the rest of the home.
Following the demolition of the old bathroom, the next steps involve framing and backing for the layout. This phase includes translating the design outlines into the physical space of the new bathroom.
The plumbing and electrical works will also commence in the next few days. The shower or bathtub and some ventilation and exhaust fans are also installed during this time.
The drywall is then applied after the guts of the new bathroom have all been put in place. You will install moisture-resistant boards during this time around sensitive areas in the bathroom, such as the shower or bathtub.
Tiles are also installed after walls have been put in place. On average, this can take about one week.
It may take a bit longer if the drywall has been done extensively, especially if the temperature in the room does not reach mud to dry fast.
Maybe the ceilings are getting changed as well.
As soon as the drywall is done, the floor and the wall tiles can be installed, grouted, and finally sealed.
This can take about five days or a bit more. The bathroom walls can then be primed after the tiles have been set completely, and you can then paint the walls with an initial coat.
Vanity cabinets, counters, electrical fixtures, and plumbing are finally added. This is normally the final stage of the construction phase.
Some more paints are applied to the walls and accessories such as towel racks, and others are installed.
After the construction is finally done, there will still be some small important details that have to be undertaken to make sure that the bathroom can be ready for use.
The area will need to be cleaned by the contractor, and you will inspect the electrical and plumbing works.
This is to make sure that you can use the bathroom without any leaks or inconvenience right after the remodeling project.
All these phases have been completed. You can now make use of your new bathroom.
The construction period can take from 2 to 5 weeks, depending on the size of the bathroom.
Complications To Be Aware Of When Remodeling A Bathroom
It would help if you kept in mind that some things affect the schedule of the bathroom remodeling project.
- The demolition stage may reveal some hidden problems such as rot and mold that will have to be resolved before the remodeling project can continue.
- The materials for the project may also arrive later than the stated time, and they could even be damaged upon arrival, meaning that they will have to be replaced.
- Keep in mind that special order items may also have longer delivery times, and it’s possible to wait for over eight weeks for materials before commencing the project.
- The contractors could also have scheduling conflicts that could delay the work on the bathroom remodeling.
All these factors can extend the duration of the bathroom remodeling project.
So you should keep these in mind, and you should always be prepared for any of them.
Conclusion
With this outline, you are presented with a baseline indication of how long it can take for your bathroom remodeling project to be complete by looking at how long each phase of the process can take.
If the bathroom you are remodeling is fairly small, the project will probably take lesser time, especially if it is not a full-scale remodeling process.
Setting timeline expectations in advance can help you keep track of time and stay on it to get the job done while making room for all the factors that can prolong the remodeling project.
