How Long Does A Major Renovation (Actually) Take?

You know how on TV shows, the homeowner meets the designer and the next day they walk in and they see all these 3D walkthroughs and pretty samples with a lovely voiceover and the client just says yes to everything and they start construction the following week? 

That’s not how it works at all, not even a little bit. 

Because reality TV doesn’t actually depict reality, timelines are often something that those outside of the industry don’t tend to have a realistic grasp on. As a result, we in the building and design industry need to tell a lot of people things they don’t necessarily want to hear. We honestly hate being the bad guy. But, it’s better to know how long renovations actually take so that you can mentally prepare for what’s ahead and you can actually enjoy the process. 

The first mistake is that most homeowners and business owners are only thinking about how long construction takes. There are a lot of things that need to happen before construction. 

Interior Design | 8-12 weeks

Anyone that sees the value in a higher level renovation experience involving an interior designer understands that doing things right requires a ton of planning and preparing for curveballs. It’s sort of like planning a wedding. Except, instead of being a one day event, we’re planning for a completed project that should last for many years. 

To be clear it doesn’t take 8-12 weeks for us to design several rooms. It’s all the other necessary things that extend the timeline that we don’t have much control over.

We need to source products, compile pricing, request quotes from vendors, often ask for adjustments or clarifications on those quotes, make showroom visits, order material and finish samples, wait for them to arrive, hope that they look just as fantastic in person, and sometimes order more samples. 
All those things need to happen before we can complete our design package so that all the information presented is as accurate as possible. 

Our clients also need time during this process. If we’re proposing a design to you, you’ll need time to digest the presentation and make a lot of important decisions. Renovations are a huge investment—you want to make sure you’re spending in parts of the design that make the most sense for your needs. If any refinements are requested, we need to dedicate time to updating your design package accordingly. 

Contractor Walkthroughs | 2-3 weeks

After our Preliminary Design presentation, the design is far enough along that it makes sense to start scheduling contractor walkthroughs for our Full-Service Design clients. Most of our clients are quite busy, so imagine how difficult it is to schedule 2-3 contractor walkthroughs that each involve 3 parties—the client, designer and prospective contractor. 

Reviewing Contractor Estimates | 2-8 weeks

I’ve only met one contractor so far that turns around his estimates in a matter of days….that’s not at all the norm. Most contractors take weeks or months to put together an estimate. Unless it’s a larger company that has a full-time estimator on staff, you’re usually working with an owner operator that is onsite all day and writes their estimates on a dedicated day of the week, in the evenings, or on the weekends. 

Once we receive contractor estimates we check them against our design package to evaluate if anything is amiss. Usually there are a few things in the estimate that need to be added, removed or changed. Then the contractor needs to update their estimate and resend it. Then we send it to the client for review. The client usually has their own set of questions that need to be answered. You can imagine how long all this back and forth takes! But it’s necessary. 

After the client has estimates from all prospective contractors, they need to compare them and see who they are most comfortable working with. 

Contractor Availability + Permits | 8+ weeks

Good contractors are usually booked at least 2 months out. Contractors in high demand, with smaller crews are sometimes booked out over a year. I’ve run into contractors that are booked out multiple years. It’s not fair to assume that when you are ready to start construction that the contractor you want is available. If you find a great contractor, be prepared to wait until they are available. 

Before your contractor can start work, they’ll need to apply for permits. Usually the permitting process is underway while waiting for your construction start date to arrive. On most of our projects, contractors like to apply for permits at least a month in advance. So if for any reason the permit is rejected, the project team has time to reapply. 

If you are working on an renovation/addition project, permitting can take a lot longer. Additions require a review of zoning and if you need a variance and or approval from a historical commission the entire process can easily take 6 months to a year. 

Construction | Renovations 6-12 weeks average, Addition/Renovations 4 months+

Every project is different, but very few renovation projects take less than 6 weeks. For reference, most contractors that I work with estimate 10-12 weeks to renovate a kitchen while a bathroom renovation is usually about 6-8 weeks. 

Smart contractors always include a buffer for delays. That being said, I always tell my client to add on two weeks to any timeline estimate a contractor provides. That way if they finish on time, you’ll be pleasantly surprised, and if they finish a bit late, it’s not the end of the world. 

The Unexpected

If we add up the minimum for each section you’re looking at 6 ½ months. I have found that even if one area happens fast (like design), something else gets delayed (like cabinetry) and it all evens out to at least 6 months. Most people who haven’t been through a well planned and executed renovation before don’t expect that a major renovation would require such a significant time investment. But we’re playing with construction and a lot of money–it’s not a process I would advise rushing through. 

Also, things you would never expect to happen, will happen. I’ve been doing this for almost two decades and every single project has surprises. That’s just the nature of construction. The trick is to start with realistic expectations, anticipate unexpected delays, and prepare enough ahead of time that unforeseen issues can be handled in the best way possible.