How a renovation works
How long a full renovation takes: a real week-by-week timeline
· 2 min read
A full renovation of an 80–100 m² flat takes between 8 and 10 weeks with the property empty. If you are living in it, budget 12 to 16 weeks, because the work has to be phased. What lengthens a project most is not the building work: it is lead times on materials ordered late and client decisions that arrive late.
Timeline of a 90 m² full renovation
| Week | What happens | What you have to decide |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Protection, demolition and rubble removal. The property is stripped back to brick. | Nothing: it is all decided before starting. |
| 2 | Setting out new partitions and marking chases and light points. | Confirm sockets and light points on the marked walls. |
| 3 – 4 | Complete electrical and plumbing installations. False ceiling if there is one. | Nothing, but this is when sanitaryware should already be chosen. |
| 4 – 5 | Partitions, door frames and first coats of plaster. | Final choice of wall and floor tiles. |
| 5 – 6 | Bathroom and kitchen tiling, and flooring throughout. | Confirm the joinery and its finish. |
| 7 | Skimming and first coat of paint. Kitchen units fitted. | Choose the paint colour if not already decided. |
| 8 | Sanitaryware, taps, switches, doors and finishing. | Nothing. |
| 9 | Builder's clean, snagging and handover with a joint inspection. | Review and sign off the snagging list. |
What actually delays a project
Material lead times
A made-to-measure worktop can take three weeks. Thermally broken aluminium windows, four to six. If those orders are placed when it is time to install them, the job stops with the whole crew inside. That is why long-lead materials are ordered in week one, even though they are not fitted until week seven.
Decisions that arrive late
This is the number one cause, and it is almost never mentioned. If the tiling is chosen in week five instead of week three, you lose the days it takes to arrive and the crew stands idle. On site, a decision that takes a week usually costs a week of programme.
Community approvals
If the façade needs to be touched, windows changed or a communal soil pipe altered, authorisation from the community of owners is required, and that depends on when they meet. It is requested before starting, not halfway through.
Can you live at home during the renovation?
During a partial renovation — one bathroom, one kitchen — yes, with some discomfort. During a full one it is inadvisable: there are days without water, without power and with grinder dust throughout the property. If there is no alternative, the work is organised by zones and the programme lengthens by roughly 50 %. It is worth doing the maths: renting for two months is sometimes cheaper than paying the extra cost of phased working.