Most straightforward bathroom renovations take between one and three weeks on site, but the honest answer depends on what you are changing and what we find once the old suite comes out. Here is a realistic breakdown from a plumbing and heating team that fits bathrooms across Cheshire and beyond, so you can plan your household around the work rather than guessing.
A like for like swap, where the bath, basin and toilet stay in roughly the same positions, usually takes 5 to 10 working days. A full renovation with new pipework runs, underfloor heating, a wall knocked through or a bath swapped for a walk in shower typically takes 2 to 3 weeks. En suites and cloakrooms are often quicker, around 4 to 7 days, simply because there is less floor and wall area to tile.
Bear in mind that time on site is only part of the story. Once you add design decisions, ordering and delivery of the suite and tiles, most projects run 6 to 10 weeks from first survey to finished room. Booking a fitter and waiting for materials usually takes longer than the fitting itself.
On a typical two week job, the sequence looks like this. Days one and two are strip out: removing the old suite, tiles and sometimes the floor, then making good any surprises behind them. Days three to five cover first fix plumbing and electrics, moving pipe runs, fitting shower valves into the wall, and boarding out with proper tile backer board in wet areas.
The middle stretch, roughly days six to nine, is tiling and floor laying, which is usually the slowest stage because adhesive and grout need curing time between steps. The final days are second fix: hanging the toilet and basin, fitting the shower screen, sealing with silicone, and commissioning everything. Silicone and grout need around 24 hours before the shower is used, so the room is genuinely finished a day after we leave.
Older properties around Cheshire, particularly pre war terraces and cottages, often hide the biggest delays. Rotten floor joists under a leaking bath can add 1 to 2 days. Old imperial pipework or lead supplies that need replacing can add another day. Walls that turn out to be far from flat may need re plastering, which adds a day of work plus drying time before tiling.
Design choices matter too. Moving the toilet means altering the soil pipe, which can add 1 to 2 days depending on access. Wet rooms need tanking and a formed floor gradient, typically adding 2 to 3 days over a standard shower tray. And the most common delay of all is nothing structural: it is a missing or damaged item in the delivery. One cracked shower tray can stall a job for a week, which is why we ask for everything to be on site and checked before strip out begins.
The projects that run smoothly are almost always the ones where decisions were made early. Choose your suite, brassware and tiles before work starts, order everything with time to spare, and check deliveries against the order the day they arrive. If you are working with a fitter rather than supplying your own materials, agree in writing who is ordering what.
It also pays to be realistic about living arrangements. If it is your only bathroom, ask your fitter to keep the toilet usable overnight where possible, which a good team will plan for, and expect a few days without a shower mid job. A reasonable schedule with a day of contingency built in beats an optimistic one that slips.
Yes, if it is a straightforward like for like replacement with no layout changes and all materials are ready on site. Anything involving moved pipework, wall repairs or a wet room conversion will realistically need longer.
A good fitter will usually keep the toilet connected overnight for most of the job, though expect a few days without a working shower mid project. If you have only one bathroom, raise this at the quote stage so it can be planned in.
Until the old suite and tiles come off, nobody can see the condition of the walls, floor and pipework underneath. Reputable tradespeople quote a range so they can fix hidden problems properly rather than rushing to hit an unrealistic deadline.
Tell us what's going on and we'll give you a straight price. Talk to an engineer, not a call centre.
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