A bathroom remodel is an exciting venture, enhancing comfort, upgrading spaces, and adding significant value to your home. But the transformation isn’t overnight. Depending on the type of work you want done, the materials you’re using, and the condition of your bathroom, a typical bathroom remodel spans about three to six weeks. If you’re planning on a bathroom remodel any time soon, this blog breaks down each stage and helps you create a realistic mental timeline for your project.
Bathroom Makeovers: The True Time From Tired To Renewed
Whether you’ve got an outdated bathroom that requires upgrades or you just want to fit your bathroom with some customized features for easier access, there is an entire process that happens from planning to the final inspection.
Read along as we go step-by-step and explain how long each phase takes
- Phase 1: Planning, Estimation & Paperwork
The way any home improvement project starts is at the planning stage. This is when you decide what you want your new bathroom to look like. From material selection to consultations with experienced architects to determining a timeline for the actual construction phase, the time the planning and paperwork stage takes can be anywhere between 2 and 8 weeks.
- Phase 2: Initial Inspections
Before any actual work can start, your remodeling contractors do a detailed inspection of your bathroom’s current condition. From checking for damaged pipes to assessing the condition of the wiring to ensuring no water damage requires fixing, this stage can vary in timeline.
- Phase 3: Acquiring Permits
Now that your bathroom remodelers know what they’re dealing with and the extent of work that needs to be done, they may need to acquire approvals from the local government if the work is major. Depending on the extent of work and where you live, expect this phase to last anywhere from two weeks to a few months.
- Phase 4: The Demolition
Once everything is finalized, it’s time to take down the old bathroom. The crew takes anywhere from a day to two to remove all the decorations, fixtures, and even tiles. This creates a smooth base for your renewed bathroom.
- Phase 5: Rough-In
This includes laying down the framework for the new bathroom. Carpenters create the base for the walls, ceilings, and floors, after which the pipes and wiring are added. The total process should take about a week or so to complete.
- Phase 6: First Inspection
Once all the rough-in work has been done—which should take about a week to complete—it’s time to do an initial sweep of the work. This phase only takes one day and exists to make sure the initial installations are correct to avoid future costly repairs.
- Phase 7: Insulation, Drywall, and Painting
The next phase takes about 2 to 3 days to complete. The new insulation is installed to ensure that your bathroom doesn’t experience water damage from future use. This takes about half a day, after which the new drywall is hung. Between installation and completion, this can take about two days. Once that’s done, the painters are brought in and they take about a day to paint the walls and ceilings.
- Phase 8: Tilework & Flooring
Now this is where your bathroom starts to take shape. It takes about two days for your bathroom remodeling contractors to tile the walls and floors, including underlayment, waterproofing, etc., then the rest of the time is just the wait for the tiles to set and dry.
- Phase 9: Cabinetry & Trim
Next, it’s time to finish up the walls and floors. It only takes about a day to get done, but this is a crucial step to secure all the hard work that just went in.
- Phase 10: Fixture Installation
Finally, the fixtures are added to your newly formed bathroom. A bathtub is set up and connected to the main water supply, but if you opted for a walk-in shower instead, this is when the threshold and enclosures will be set up. Your vanities and toilets should also only take about a day or two for smooth installation.
- Phase 11: Final Inspections & Finishing Touches
Your contractors will do a final inspection to ensure everything has been carried out up to building and safety codes. You step in, ask for any necessary changes, and the contractors are done. All that’s left now is to clean up the space, bring back your shampoos and towels, fill in the medicine cabinet, and your bathroom is ready!
Conclusion
A bathroom remodel can take anywhere from a few weeks to more than two months. Several factors, like the size of the bathroom, the extent of the remodel, and the availability of materials, play a part. Though the above timeline estimates it to be about two and a half months, it’s important to remember that several things can go wrong, like delivery delays, weather conditions, and local holidays, which can stretch the timeline.
FAQs
How much does a bathroom remodel cost?
An average bathroom remodel can cost anywhere between $6600 and $1800
Can I DIY my bathroom remodel?
With prior experience, things like changing cabinetry, painting, and minor tilework can be DIYed, but for major renovations like electrical and plumbing work, only trust professionals.
What are some trends in bathroom colors this year?
Pale pinks, sea blue, and even navy blues are trending bathroom colors in 2025