It’s no secret that a bathroom remodel can boost the value of any space in your businesses’s multi-dwelling properties.
Whether your business is in apartments, dorms, senior living facilities, or any combination of multi-dwelling properties, you’ll need a good estimate on the time and cost of a remodeling project. So, how long exactly does a typical bathroom remodel take?
On average, it takes between 4½ to 6 weeks to remodel a bathroom. That really only includes the stage when the remodel construction begins. There will likely also be several weeks beforehand that you’ll need to set aside for planning. Additionally, the total time will vary by the extent of the project.
If you’re looking to remodel a bathroom for one of your business’ multi-dwelling properties, we’ve got you covered. In the sections below, we will present you with a timeline containing all the important details you’ll need to know each step of the way. This will include major milestones in the project, potential costs, and solutions to common issues.
Working out a Realistic Timeline for Remodeling a Bathroom
Unfortunately, there’s no one definitive timeline for all bathroom remodels because not all remodels are to the same extent. Still, most of the time, the actual remodel will come in at around five weeks, give or take one or two. That said, you can get a clearer idea of how long your individual project will take if you know what factors help determine the timeline itself.
Factors that go into how long you can expect your bathroom remodel to take include:
- The Design of your remodel: The materials you chose to use for your design will be a big part of determining your overall cost.
- What companies or contractors you work with: Finding reputable contractors is a key part of any remodel. When you’re doing it for a business, you should look for contractors and businesses which specialize in that field. A great example is Superior Commercial Solutions (SCS). We specifically work with multi-dwelling business owners.
- Scheduling conflicts with the contractors: Your business and the contractors you’re working with will have to coordinate the best time to remodel the bathroom. This is easier if the apartment, dorm, room, etc., is currently vacant.
Whether you end up with a quick project, or the factors involved in your remodel are going to require a little extra time, the steps will fundamentally be the same. Below we will lay out each stage of the planning and remodeling process, alongside the average time for each individual step to further give you an idea of what to expect when to expect it.
The Planning Stage
In this stage, you’ll essentially be deciding your budget, what exactly you want your remodeled bathroom to look like, and then ordering the materials to make it happen. While that might make it sound like a quick process, it’s actually multi-layered. We’ll start by taking a look at how you decide on the best design.
Picking the Right Design and Budget
We’ll review the design and budget as one step because they are so intertwined. Your budget depends heavily on what kind of design you’re going for and what materials you’d like to use to see it done. While creativity can certainly lead to great designs on lower budgets, it can only do so much. The best place to cut costs without compromise is to find a reputable place to work with.
Your business won’t have to come up with the design alone, but you should have an idea of what you’re going for in general. The more technical aspects of the design will be handled by the business or contractors you hire for the remodel.
Once you and the designers you work with have come to an agreement, you can move on to the next step of the planning stage.
Getting the Right Materials
This will be the part where you order the materials you need to bring your bathroom to life. For example, Superior Commercial Solutions works directly with factories around the world to import all of the materials you’ll need for your renovation.
With SCS, you’ll need about 4 weeks to wait for those materials to arrive. With many other businesses, you could be looking at up to 8 weeks. This timescale will in large part be determined by what materials you need and what route you take to order them. Fortunately, most businesses like SCS will be able to give you a pretty good estimate.
The Construction Stage
This is the part of the process where the room actually gets built. If you’d like to be able to monitor the process and have a good idea of whether or not things are going according to schedule, this timeline will be helpful.
We’ve laid out each major step in the process along with a description of what has to be done and an estimate on how long it will take. You may notice that there are a few steps which combine together for one time estimate. This is because they are done back to back within a day or two.
With this information, your business can not only monitor progress more effectively, they can also know which steps are most likely to cause delays and plan ahead for them. If a step is known for being tedious, difficult, and prone to mistakes/delays, we will point that out for you.
Demolition and Clean Up
To put in all the new walls, furnishings, and electrical/mechanical products, you must first tear down the old ones. This is where demolition comes in. Contractors will be tearing out walls and removing old plumbing and electrical systems that aren’t right for the remodel, and possibly even more, depending on your design.
Of course, when a mess is made, it also has to be cleaned up. A big part of the time, contractors will spend on this step is cleaning up all the stuff they knocked down, so they can bring in the new. Generally, it will only take a day or two for the contractors to finish up both the demolition and the cleanup.
That said, the time can vary based on how much of the bathroom you’re remodeling. For example, if you want to keep the current ceiling or floor you have, that will be one less task to accomplish, and it will cut down on the time a little bit. Nothing here should necessarily add or subtract that much time on its own, as this is one of the fastest parts of the renovation process.
Framing and Structural Work
Putting in framing is the beginning of what professionals refer to as the rough-in phase. The rough-in phase describes when contractors and/or construction workers have a rough sketch of the room via the frame so they can begin moving in all of the plumbing, electrical equipment, and ventilation.
During this phase, it will begin to resemble the designs that have been drawn up from your suggestions during preparation. Time must be taken, however, to mark where all of your amenities like sinks, drawers, cabinets, and other such items will be placed. They do this so that when they run the plumbing, electrical, and ventilation, they can make sure they are well placed.
This structural work should only take about a day as long as there aren’t any hiccups. It’s one of the quicker parts of the process and one of the most satisfying to see if you check in with the contractors.
Plumbing, Electrical, and Ventilation
The last part of the rough-in phase includes adding the electrical, ventilation, and plumbing systems for the bathroom. These must be carefully situated to not interfere with anything else you put in your plans to add to the room. Still, this part of the process is not particularly long and will probably be finished within a day or two.
Assuming all goes as planned, the whole rough-in phase tends to take around two or three days. That’s when you combine putting up framing and finishing the electrical, plumbing, and ventilation work.
Drywall and Insulation
Once the rough-in phase is complete, the drywall and insulation are added. Putting in the drywall is one of the longest and most tedious parts of the process your contractors will have to endure. There are multiple layers of drywall that have to be added, they have to wait for it to dry, and many contractors are less than enthusiastic about this part.
It usually takes about five days to finish the drywall, give or take a day or two. Again, this time period can fluctuate depending on how large the bathroom is and to what extent you’re planning to remodel.
The drywall is also going to be one of the more expensive parts of your remodeling journey. This is because drywall can cost around $1 to $3 per square foot. That may not sound like a lot, but it adds up, especially if you’re remodeling a large bathroom.
On the plus side, if you do decide to visit your business’ property during this time, you can begin to get a much better feel for what the room will actually look like.
Tiles and Trimming
Tiling your floor is another part of the process one might assume to be easy and fast, when in reality it’s not. This is also one of the steps most prone to mistakes. Bear in mind that if there are delays merely due to difficulties in the construction process, this step is a key candidate for when they might happen. If things go well, tiling will likely take 5 to 7 days to complete.
Some of the biggest reasons why tiling is prone to mistakes and delays are as follows:
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- Mistakes stack up: Early mistakes when laying the tiles can have a rippling effect on everything done after them. This is because the tiles all rely on each other to be in the right position so that they’re all evenly spaced and symmetrical. This is why you should make sure to find contractors with good reputations for tiling work.
- Materials can be difficult to work with: Mistakes can occur when tiles are not cut properly, the mortar is mixed slightly the wrong way, and the subfloor itself is uneven and requires finagling to make the tiles fit. These small delays in each substep can really add up as the process goes on.
The actual process of tiling will begin with looking at the dimensions of the floor and calculating how many tiles will fit and where they will have to be cut. They may place an underlayment over the floor to keep everything even, then they’ll begin putting down mortar and laying out the now cut tiles. When all is set, they will have to clean up the grout that has been left behind.
Once the tiling is done, you may or may not decide to put in some trimming. Fortunately, adding trimming is far simpler than the tiling and will only take around a day or less to finish. Most of that time will be spent cutting the trim to the dimensions laid out in your design.
Vanity, Cabinet, and Other Accessory Installation
In this step, all the goodies that make a bathroom a bathroom will typically be installed. This includes but is not limited to; the vanity, cabinets/drawers, and towel racks. Pretty much all the stuff you’ll be using to really make the bathroom stand out.
Many individuals will actually do this part themselves because it’s the most straightforward, and they know they can save money. However, because this timeline is directed at business owners who operate multi-dwelling establishments, it should be factored into the amount of time everything is going to take on the contractor’s end.
Fortunately, there are businesses like Superior Commercial Solutions, who specifically target remodels and touch-ups for multi-dwelling businesses. We’re particularly good when it comes to the installation of cabinetry, countertops, and all the fixings you’ll want.
Going with a business like this is a good idea because they are especially good at installing all the things potential clientele will first notice when they check out your bathrooms. They also will get you through the design and planning phase, as well as the installation work, without sneaking in subcontractors.
Applying all the Fixtures and Toiletries
Finally, the light fixtures, sink, and toiletries will all be installed. This process is relatively quick and, combined with the installation of the vanity and cabinetry, should take a day or two. After this, inspections will happen to make sure everything is meeting regulations and done properly.
Multi-Dwelling vs Single Family – Does One Take Longer?
We must note that the timeline above is how long it usually takes for the contractors to finish each step of the job. In the case of a single-family, that might be all the time you have to take into consideration.
If you own a multi-dwelling property, and you’re remodeling a bathroom within it, however, you may end up needing to account for practicalities that may cause more delays. Depending on what kind of business you have and how long you can afford to keep certain areas closed off, you may have to stagger the days contractors are working a little bit more.
When you think of how long it will take, make sure that you’re counting the days based on when the work is actually being done.
What If You’re Remodeling the Commercial Bathroom?
One thing that distinguishes business owners who work with multi-dwelling properties from homeowners is that they sometimes also have a public/lobby bathroom that will need remodeling. This is especially true if your business is in hotels.
If this is the case for you, there are a few things you should know. Firstly, the remodel may take quite a bit longer. The space in a restroom like this is going to vary wildly, but it will probably still be significantly larger than your average bathroom.
The design phase will also be different and may or may not take more time. The real difference here will be on what your focus is on. When it’s the lobby bathroom, you have to think about the flow of traffic in and out of the room, the placement of mirrors for privacy, and security concerns.
How Long Does a Bathroom Remodel Take?
The answer to this question really depends on what you consider the start of the remodel to be. Is it just when construction begins? Because then the answer is generally 4½ to 6 weeks, depending on the size of the project and unexpected challenges. Do you start counting from the design phase through to when everything’s done? Well, that could add over 8 more weeks.
Superior Commercial Solutions Can Help
The timeline is also in part determined by what businesses and contractors you decide to work with. If you’re a decision-maker for a multi-dwelling business, you really can’t go wrong with Superior Commercial Solutions. We guide you through everything, from design to installation. You’ll have your materials in no time so that your remodel can get underway!
We’re an industry leader in supplying and installing cabinets and quartz countertops for multi-family, student housing, assisted living, and hospitality projects. We’re based in Salt Lake City, Utah, but we take on projects throughout the U.S. Have questions? We have answers!