A bathroom renovation can be one of the most rewarding projects to undertake in your home. The feeling of having fresh new fixtures, paint and accommodations can make you feel more comfortable mentally and physically. However, it is important to know the details of the project before you even start to think of your preferred fixtures or accessories. One of the most important details to consider is the amount of time it will take to complete your bathroom renovation. This includes labor, lead times for online purchases, time of year and so many other factors. This guide will go through everything you should know about how long a bathroom renovation should take.
Know the Size of the Bathroom
Before you do anything permanent, it is important to know the size of your current bathroom design. This is important for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the size of the bathroom will ultimately dictate how much space you are working with, which can in turn lead to the overall length of the project itself. In addition, it will also affect the cost, but that is a separate topic altogether.
To figure out the size of your bathroom, you can personally measure it, or hire a professional, which is the recommended way to go. You should know the square footage, including the floors, walls and ceiling. It is also important for you to know the dimensions of your planned bathroom design. If you don’t plan on expanding the space, this won’t be as important, but it is still a crucial piece of information to keep in mind.
What is the Current State of Your Bathroom?
After you record the basic measurements and layout of your bathroom, take some notes on the current state of your bathroom design. Know what you want to replace, what you want to keep and if you are making any adjustments to certain aspects of the design. These things should be written down and ordered from most to least important. They can also be listed in terms of priority. In general, all of these should be accounted for to know how and when each renovation should be performed.
It is also crucial to know if there are any damages in your bathroom design. These damages can come in the form of leaky pipes, rotting, defective fixtures and essentially any other potential issue. Your contractor or whoever is performing the renovation should know all of these issues ahead of time to make the project go as smoothly as possible. This is something that can be done by whoever is doing the renovation, but do as much as you can to understand the current state of your bathroom.
The Process of Hiring Your Contractor
Hiring a contractor can be one of the most important steps in the bathroom renovation process. This particular process could take a bit if you don’t know where to start, so the research is important in this regard. There are several things that you should know about this step before you jump into it. First, the contractor you hire should have a good reputation and work history. This will ensure your bathroom renovation is done properly and in a timely manner. If you go with the cheapest option, you could be in for a pretty rough bathroom renovation process.
Secondly, you should know your budget, and the bid each contractor gives you. Don’t jump on the first deal you get from a contractor because it is important to take each one into consideration. Some can be dismissed rather quickly, but some of the more serious bids should be weighed for pros and cons in order to choose the best possible option for your bathroom renovation.
Time of Year
One of the most overlooked factors of planning a bathroom remodel is the time of year in which it will be done. This may not seem too important at first, but it can make a pretty big impact on how much time it is going to take for the remodel process. Each season will have its pros and cons so it is important to know about each one. First, spring and early summer are two great points in time to remodel a bathroom because it is in a part of the year that is low on holidays. This means less contractors and suppliers will be taking vacations, making availability at its highest.
On the other hand you can go with one of the later seasons. For example, the colder seasons such as fall and winter have their benefits as well. Winter is great because it is one of the most cost efficient times to remodel a bathroom design. In addition, because many remodels will happen in the warmer months, resources can also be quite abundant. Of course, everything will ultimately depend on supply change status and raw material availability.
Resource and Material Availability
Resources are key for a bathroom remodel, and arguably the most important aspect of the process. These materials are typically used in high quality bathroom vanities and other similar fixtures. If no materials are readily available, this will definitely be something you should expect to affect the timetable of your bathroom remodel. Before planning out your bathroom renovation, make sure you will be able to acquire all of the necessary materials for the project. If you aren’t sure if you’ll have the resources you need, ask your contractor to see if they have them available. If not, you may want to schedule your bathroom remodel for a different time.
Potential Delays in Shipments
To go along with resource availability, you should also be aware of delays in the shipment of said materials. This can be something that can make or break your bathroom remodel for a number of reasons. Before you make any decisions on your remodeling plan, do a bit of research regarding the status of raw materials that are needed for construction. These materials can include different types of wood, stone or precious metals. In addition, know which materials will need to be shipped from overseas, as they have the highest possibility to experience delays in shipment.
Intensity of the Bathroom Renovation
It is also key to know the difficulty of the renovation process. Depending on certain factors surrounding the bathroom itself, the process might be a little more intensive than you may have originally thought. For example, issues having to do with plumbing connections, electrical access and other similar issues could impact the overall duration of your bathroom renovation. To get an accurate estimate of how long the renovation could take and what issues might arise, consult a hired professional to assist you. This is especially important if you do not have any experience or training in this regard.
In addition to any potential technical issues, consider the amount of renovations that will actually be taking place, regardless of any bumps in the road you may encounter. For example, if any walls are being torn down or built, it could significantly impact the duration of the remodel. On the other hand, there may be smaller things such as fixture placement and bathroom accessories to choose and install as well. Whether it is a big renovation or a small change, everything will need a certain amount of time and attention to complete the bathroom renovation in a timely manner.
Is the Bathroom Commercial or Residential?
Another key difference that could affect the timetable of your bathroom remodel is whether the bathroom renovation in question is commercial or residential. At first, it may not seem like there are too many differences between the two, but there are quite a few. Firstly, residential bathroom renovation will typically be shorter, mainly due to the fact that they are generally smaller and need less fixtures, bathroom accessories and materials in general.
Commercial bathrooms will sometimes require much more attention and time to complete for a number of reasons. One of the most obvious reasons is due to the amount of traffic commercial bathrooms see. They generally require more fixtures, more space and above all, they will need to follow more regulations than most residential bathrooms will need to abide by. This will mainly include sanitary regulations and ADA bathroom requirements.
Approximate Time to Complete a Bathroom Renovation
When everything is planned out as much as possible, sit down or have a phone call with your contractor and anyone else involved, and begin to figure out how long your bathroom renovation will take. In general, a bathroom remodel will take about 3-4 weeks. This is assuming that everything goes smoothly and no unlikely problems come to the forefront. Because this could be somewhat of a lengthy process, it is important to plan for accidents and problems, no matter how unlikely they may be. It is surprisingly common to see bathroom renovation go on for a bit longer than originally planned.
If you are working with a large bathroom, you may end up seeing this renovation take closer to 4-6 weeks. This is mainly due to the larger floor space, but also because of the amount of resources and materials needed to completely finish the project.
In Conclusion
In general, a bathroom renovation can range in terms of how long you can expect to take depending on several important factors. Whether it is the size of the bathroom, the necessary materials or a variety of other reasons, no bathroom renovation can be done quickly. It is extremely important to plan out your bathroom renovation carefully and precisely, as there are several things that can go wrong. However, it can be one of the most rewarding updates you can perform, so plan accordingly and you will have an amazing addition to your home.