How long does a full house renovation take?
Five to nine months on site for a typical Fulham three-bedroom terrace, assuming no planning delays. Add two to four months beforehand for design, structural work and permissions if the project involves extending or converting.
A realistic sequence is four to six weeks of strip-out and structural work, six to eight weeks of first fix for wiring, plumbing and heating, four weeks of plastering and — importantly — drying, then eight to twelve weeks of second fix, joinery, decoration and the kitchen and bathrooms. Combining a renovation with an extension or loft conversion typically adds two to three months rather than running fully in parallel.
The stage most often underestimated is drying. New plaster needs weeks to dry properly before decoration, and rushing it produces cracking and staining that shows through the paint. In winter, with a house that has no heating yet, this takes longer. A programme with no drying time built in is a programme that will slip or produce poor finishes.
Two things reliably extend a programme: variations and long-lead items. Every change of mind after work starts costs both money and time, which is why the schedule of works matters so much at the outset. And bespoke joinery, specialist glazing and some kitchens have lead times of ten to sixteen weeks — ordering these late is one of the most common causes of a project sitting apparently finished but unusable.
More on this in living through the works, or see all 42 questions.
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