How Long Does a Kitchen or Bathroom Renovation Take?

Before the build starts: 1–3 weeks for design and preparation

Once you approve the design and fixed-price quote, there is a preparation phase before anyone arrives on site. This covers finalising material and fitting selections, and ordering cabinetry, worktops, tiles, and any bespoke items so they are ready when the build starts rather than holding it up partway through.

For a straightforward like-for-like replacement, this typically takes 1–2 weeks. It extends toward 3 weeks when the project involves a full redesign or demolition of the existing layout — for example, switching to a wall-hung toilet with a concealed cistern (which needs a new stud wall built to house it), or rebuilding out-of-level old walls so new tiling and fittings sit properly. We will tell you upfront which of these apply to your project and how they affect the timeline.

Bathroom renovations: typically 7–16 days on site

A straightforward bathroom refurbishment — replacing a suite, retiling, updating the shower — has taken as little as 7 days on our completed projects. A full renovation involving a layout change, underfloor heating, or a wet room conversion has taken closer to 16 days.

The variable is almost always how much of the existing layout is changing. Keeping pipework and drainage roughly where it already is speeds things up considerably; moving a toilet or shower to a new wall adds time.

Kitchen renovations: typically 15–21 days on site

Kitchens generally take longer because there are more trades involved in sequence — electrical first fix, plumbing, cabinetry, worktops (often templated and cut off-site after first fix), then appliances and finishing. On completed projects this has ranged from around 15 days for a straightforward like-for-like replacement to 21 days for a full open-plan kitchen extension with a bespoke island.

Because cabinetry and worktops are ordered during the preparation phase rather than after the build starts, their manufacturing lead time does not usually add extra days once work is on site.

What affects the timeline

Full redesign or demolition work — stripping out an old layout entirely, building new stud walls (for example, to house a concealed cistern for a wall-hung toilet), or rebuilding walls that are out of level — pushes the preparation phase toward 3 weeks rather than 1–2, since the design and structural work needs to be finalised before materials can be accurately ordered.

Structural changes (removing a wall, moving plumbing or drainage runs) add time for both the work itself and any required building control sign-off.

Highly bespoke or made-to-order items can extend the design and ordering phase further.

Access and property type matter too: a period property with older pipework or wiring can reveal things that were not visible during the initial site visit.

How we keep to the timeline

We give you a written schedule covering both the ordering phase and the build as part of the fixed-price quote, use our own employed trades rather than subcontractors (so there is no waiting on someone else's availability), and send daily updates once work is on site so you always know exactly what stage the job is at.