How Long Does it Take to Remodel a Bathroom in Delaware

While they may not be the most glamorous projects, bathroom remodels are unsurprisingly popular in terms of increasing the comfort of household members and boosting the resale value of a home. In this blog, we talk about how long it takes to remodel a bathroom. This can be particularly valuable to know so you can make living arrangements during remodeling.

You spend plenty of time in your bathroom carrying out many personal tasks, such as bathing, shaving, dressing and preparing for bed, so it’s important your bathroom space is designed for convenience, efficiency, and relaxation. If any of those areas are lacking, or certain bathroom features are simply becoming outdated, you may want to consider a bathroom remodel to fix existing problems and spruce up the overall appearance of the space.

What Is the Scope of Your Bathroom Remodel?

To figure out an estimated time for how long your bathroom remodel will take, first consider the scope of your project. The scale of a bathroom remodel can fall along a wide spectrum depending on what specific projects you plan to undertake, such as changes to the existing bathroom floorplan; moving or installing a new shower or bath; replacing or moving the toilet; updating cabinets/vanity and countertops; replacing or adding new sinks; and updating the flooring. These various individual tasks can significantly affect both the overall time and cost of the project.

How Long Does a Bathroom Remodel Take?

Full-scale tear-out-and-rebuild remodels on small bathrooms generally take about 23 days, which translates to about a month if you assume work won’t take place on weekends. Material availability and homeowner change orders could affect the project’s timeline.

Additionally, there is plenty of work required before demolition and new construction can take place, including obtaining permits and shopping for the best contractor in the Delaware area.

If everything goes as planned, here is what a general bathroom remodel itinerary will entail during the construction phase and the approximate allotted time for each task:

1. Demolition

Make sure you’ve laid tarp to protect any fixtures that are staying in the bathroom before your building team takes a sledgehammer to the space. Demolition usually takes a day or two, depending on the size of your bathroom and how extensive your renovation is.

2. Rough Carpentry

This step may not be necessary depending on the state of your bathroom’s underlying structure but can take about two days.

3. Plumbing and Electrical Rough-ins

Plan about two to four days for professionals to run new electrical lines and install plumbing infrastructure. If you are moving your bathtub, shower, or toilet, this step may take longer.

4. First Inspection

While the initial inspection won’t take long to complete, you have to set up a time with the city or county inspector. Depending on their schedule, your inspection may not take place for several days or even weeks.

Related: Invest in a Home Addition, Move, Remodel or buy a New Home?

5. Insulation and Drywall

Insulating generally doesn’t require too much time in a small space like a bathroom, so the professionals can start the drywall as soon as the insulation is complete. Once the drywall is hung, you will need to allow time for applying joint compound and sanding. Overall, these projects take about three to four days.

6. Painting

Most likely your remodel project will include painting, which is a simple and easy task that generally only requires a day or two.

7. Flooring

The length of this step—which may not be included in your project—depends on the type of floor: tile, engineered wood, or plain vinyl. Tilework involves an “applying and drying cycle,” and as with engineered wood, takes a bit longer than vinyl. In general, you should expect floors to take about four to five days. Make sure you compare flooring and other bathroom materials’ cost to stay on budget.

8. Final Inspection

As with your first inspection, the real impact to your timeline depends on how quickly you can get the inspector to visit your worksite and complete the inspection.

9. Hookups and Fixtures

The final few days of the construction phase include hooking up electrical fixtures, installing new shelves or lighting, and placing new hardware. Finally, the remodel site—or bathroom—will be cleaned so it is ready for use.

Planning a Bathroom Remodel

If you look at each step in a vacuum, the bathroom remodel process seemingly should take no more than 2-3 weeks. Once you have spoken with professional builders in Delaware to manage the project, they can give you a more detailed and accurate estimate for how long your bathroom remodel will take. We have a great resource that may be helpful, Strategic Savings Guide Part 3.

Sources

“How Long Does It Take to Remodel a Bathroom?” The Spruce. Accessed online at https://www.thespruce.com/how-long-to-remodel-small-bathroom-1821360

“How Much Does It Cost to Remodel a Bathroom?” HomeAdvisor.com. Accessed online at https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/bathrooms/remodel-a-bathroom/

“How Long Does a Bathroom Renovation Take?” Sweeten Blog. Accessed online at https://blog.sweeten.com/renovation-101/how-long-does-a-bathroom-renovation-take/