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How Long Does It Take To Renovate a Bathroom?

June 5, 2023

What’s the Typical Timeline for a Bathroom Renovation?

When planning a bathroom renovation, knowing how long the process might take for your specific space is important.

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The bathroom is one of the most important rooms in your home!

So, how long does it take to renovate a bathroom? Along with the kitchen, the bathroom is one of the most used and touched rooms in your house, so being without a fully functioning bathroom for a long time will be more than just an inconvenience.

According to the Housing Industry Association, a full bathroom installation as part of a renovation takes up to 25 days (on average). It’s worth noting that those days may not be consecutive; there could be a day or two when no one is on-site, such as waiting for waterproofing to set.

At Banana Bathrooms, we average around 3 – 4 weeks for a bathroom renovation. These averages don’t include planning, project quoting, picking out style features for your new bathroom, etc.

Please be aware, though, that these are general guides and averages, and each bathroom renovation has its own set of unique factors, such as;

  • The size of your bathroom
  • How much demolition is required (i.e. knocking out walls, moving windows)
  • Are we using the existing plumbing lines
  • The complexity and availability of chosen materials
  • Coordination of tradespeople
  • Unforeseen events

Before embarking on your bathroom renovation journey, it’s a good idea to have a general understanding of what will happen, when, and how long each stage of your renovation will take.

How Long Does It Take To Renovate A Bathroom At Each Stage

1. Planning and Development

This is the fun part! Spend time researching and choosing a bathroom style. Visit our Showroom for inspiration or Book a Free Design Consultation and Quote for expert design advice. Your consultant will learn the project details, style, functionality requirements, and budget so they can prepare a quote.

Once a quote has been accepted, your contractor will draw up a construction contract agreed upon by all parties. At this stage, you will set a project timetable. You will discuss who is responsible for picking and ordering your fixtures, such as tiles, tapware, and vanities, so they arrive on site before the start date.

Planning and researching your bathroom renovation can take 1 to 6 months.

PRO TIP: Document your inspiration. Use platforms like Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram to create mood boards, pins, and suppliers to show your chosen bathroom contractor. Better yet, visit a Bathroom Showroom where you can touch, feel and immerse yourself in various styles.

2. Demolition

Once your tradies start ripping in, the demolition of your existing bathroom should usually happen quickly—it generally only takes 1 to 2 days.
Testing for asbestos will also be completed, and if found, an additional 1 – 2 days to the schedule for professional removal may be added.

3. Groundwork

Carpentry And Structural Works:

Once your old bathroom has been stripped back to its bare bones, any new structural beams needed to support a change of walls or new windows will be installed. Depending on the scope of work needed, allow 1-2 days.

Plumbing / Electrical ‘Rough In’:

After the bathroom has been structurally set out, Plumbers and Electricians will ‘rough-in’ their plumbing points in the walls and floor wastes and add all the necessary wiring for the power points, exhaust fan, lighting, etc.
This will take 1-2 days.

Sheeting:

Gyprock sheeting of the walls and ceiling is completed.
This will take 1-2 days.

Water Proofing and Tiling:

A cement bedding known as a screed will be laid. The screed aims to give a smooth and level floor to lay your tiles. The thickness of the screed allows it to take up normal variations in flatness and levelness of the base on which it is laid. Screed can take 24 to 48 hours to dry enough to be walked on; however, additives can speed this process up. Tiles are laid according to the design plan.

Arguably, the most important part of your bathroom renovation is the waterproofing!  Proper waterproofing in wet areas is vital – water leaking into the floor and wall spaces can easily rot structural timbers and damage a house. The worst bit about this kind of damage is that you won’t normally realise it’s happening until the worst damage has already been done. A waterproof liquid rubber membrane is applied to create a sealed area. Waterproofing takes at least 24 hours to completely dry. It’s critical that the waterproofed area not be walked as a single pin prick from a bit of debris can render the entire waterproofing useless, resulting in all the tiles being ripped out and redone when the issue is discovered down the track.
Tiling and Waterproofing will take up to 12 days, pending drying time.

4. Fit-Off and Painting

By this time, your bathroom renovation should be taking shape! The final plumbing and electrical fit-off will give you a look at the final product. The plumber will fit off / connect all your chosen PC items, such as your toilet, bath, basin, and tapware, and finish off the drainage underfloor. The electrician will do a similar job and fit off the electrical items where they had already been roughed in. This would include installing the light fittings, switches, fans, and heated towel ladder.
This will take 1-3 days.

5. Cleaning

Your new bathroom will be professionally cleaned of all construction debris, dust and waste.
This will take 1 day.

6. Delivery of Your Dream Bathroom

Your dream bathroom is complete and ready to use!

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Let’s journey together to discover the right bathroom design for you.

Join us in our Newcastle bathroom showroom to find inspiration for your bathroom renovation or new bathroom project. We have 18 complete bathrooms for you to explore and quality bathroom supplies, including vanities, vanity tops, baths, shower glass, hand showers, shower fittings, basins, toilets, bath tapware, shower outlets, mirrored cabinets, tiles and accessories.

Visit Newcastle’s largest bathroom showroom to see a wide range of styles and to touch and compare bathroom products easily.