Key Takeaways
- A full bathroom remodel with Bulldog usually runs 4 to 8 weeks, design to finish.
- Walk-in showers, tub/shower combos, walk-in tubs and bathroom floors take around 4 days, with your dates fixed in writing.
- Planning usually takes longer than construction. Homeowners in a national Houzz survey spent an average of 5.4 months planning a primary bathroom and 3.2 months building it.
- Making every selection before demolition is the best way to protect the schedule.
A full bathroom remodel with Bulldog Remodel Group usually takes 4 to 8 weeks, from the first design meeting to the final walkthrough. Most of that time goes to design, selections and material lead times rather than work in your house. A walk-in shower, tub/shower combo, walk-in tub or new bathroom floor takes around 4 days, and you get the exact schedule in writing before we start. Where your project lands depends on whether anything moves, how fast the selections come together and what turns up behind the old tile.
Bathroom remodel timeline at a glance
The scope sets the timeline. A project that replaces the shower or tub in place is short. A full remodel runs through design, ordering, permits and construction.
| Project | Typical time with Bulldog | What sets the pace |
|---|---|---|
| Full bathroom remodel | Usually 4 to 8 weeks, design to finish | Design decisions, material lead times, layout changes, inspections |
| Walk-in shower | Around 4 days, schedule in writing | Tear-out, plumbing, waterproofing and finish work |
| Tub/shower combo | Around 4 days, schedule in writing | Tear-out, plumbing, tub set and walls |
| Walk-in tub | Around 4 days, schedule in writing | Tub fabricated to your specs before install |
| Bathroom flooring | Around 4 days, schedule in writing | Subfloor prep and, for tile, curing time |
Every bathroom we remodel is designed and built around the household that uses it. A hall bath rebuilt in the same footprint and a primary suite with walls moved follow different schedules, so we set yours with you before work starts. Our bathroom remodel cost guide lists the price ranges that go with each of these project types.
Planning takes longer than building
Homeowners spend more time deciding than building. In Houzz's 2020 survey of more than 87,000 people, homeowners who renovated in 2019 reported an average of 5.4 months planning a primary bathroom and 3.2 months building it. Guest bathrooms averaged 4.8 months of planning and 2.9 months of construction (Houzz).
Those figures are national averages that include DIY projects as well as professional ones, so they say little about how long a crew takes. Houzz also warns against adding the planning and construction averages together. The pattern holds in later data: in Houzz's 2022 study, "the planning phase was nearly twice as long as the construction phase" for remodels of all interior room types (Houzz Pro).
Our read of the reports: the construction months vary with who does the work, but the long planning phase shows up across surveys. That planning is the part of the schedule you control. Our 4 to 8 week process starts at the first design meeting, and the months you spend collecting photos and deciding whether to remodel at all come before that.
The stages of a full bathroom remodel
A full remodel moves through the same stages in the same order. Here is what happens in each and what can stretch it.
Design and selections
Our designers produce a few rough drafts of the layout so you can react, refine and react again. Then you choose the vanity, countertop, tile, fixtures, glass, lighting, paint and hardware. While you choose finishes, our team finalizes measurements, drawings and code details so the build crew has a complete plan on day one. A quick decision-maker moves through this fast. A few rounds of tile samples add time, and that is fine as long as it happens now and not after demolition.
Ordering and staging
Materials get ordered once selections are final. Lead time is the gap between placing an order and the item arriving, and special-order items can have longer lead times, so ask when you choose. We order and stage all materials, verify final measurements and schedule our in-house crew before day one, so nobody waits on a delivery with your bathroom torn out.
Fixed-price agreement and permits
You sign a fixed-price construction agreement covering scope, schedule and payment terms, and we pull every required permit and coordinate every inspection. In Hamilton County outside the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County Public Health inspects the "upper rough" piping "inside the house prior to dry wall." It then does a final inspection "of all set plumbing fixtures" (Hamilton County Public Health). For a same-day inspection, the contractor has to call the Plumbing Division between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m., and later same-day requests cannot be accommodated. Other cities and the Kentucky and Indiana counties we serve have their own offices and schedules.
Construction
Rough-in is the stage when new drains, supply lines and wiring go into the open walls and floor, before anything is closed up. Construction runs in this order:
- Demolition and haul-away. The room goes down to the studs.
- Repairs. On a full remodel, mold and mildew remediation, subfloor replacement and new plumbing components are part of the job. Our article on hidden water damage in a shower remodel explains what turns up.
- Rough-in. New drains, supply lines, the shower valve, fan duct, electrical boxes and outlets go in.
- Rough inspection. The plumbing has to pass before the walls close.
- Walls, waterproofing and tile. Backerboard goes up with sealed seams. A tile shower gets a continuous waterproofing membrane, sloped to the drain and water-tested before tile goes on.
- Finish. Vanity and top, toilet, trim, glass, lights, mirrors, paint and accessories.
- Final inspection and cleanup. The set fixtures get their final inspection, and we complete fine-tuning and professionally clean the home before the final walkthrough.
What makes a bathroom remodel take longer
Five things stretch a bathroom schedule, and most of them can be settled before demolition.
- Moving fixtures. Relocating a toilet, shower or vanity means new drain and vent routes, and moving walls adds framing and electrical. A same-footprint remodel keeps every fixture where it is, and it is the shorter path.
- Late or changed selections. A tile swapped after the order goes in, or a vanity changed once the plumbing is roughed in, sends the schedule back.
- Special-order items. Some selections take longer to arrive than others. Ask about lead times when you choose.
- What is behind the walls. Rotted subfloor around a toilet, mold behind a leaking tub surround and old supply lines are common in older Cincinnati homes. On a full remodel, we price subfloor repair, mold remediation and new plumbing components into the job up front rather than discovering them as change orders.
- Inspections. The rough plumbing inspection has to be requested and passed before the walls close.
Why a shower or tub project takes around 4 days
A walk-in shower, tub/shower combo or walk-in tub replaces one fixture inside a room that otherwise stays intact. There is no vanity, floor or layout to rebuild. The work is tear-out, plumbing, waterproofing and finish, all by our own installers, and it takes around 4 days. A walk-in tub is measured and fabricated to your specs before the install starts. A bathroom floor takes around 4 days too, because proper subfloor prep and curing time for tile are what make it last.
Those days go to the parts that keep a shower from leaking: a new valve and drain, a continuous waterproofing layer and subfloor replacement. Every walk-in shower we build includes mold and mildew remediation, new plumbing components and subfloor replacement, along with our Price Guarantee and lifetime workmanship warranty. Our tub-to-shower conversion guide walks through that job step by step.
How to keep your remodel on schedule
Most change orders come from decisions that were never made up front. These steps help the most:
- Finish every selection before the start date. Tile, grout color, vanity, faucet, valve trim, glass, lights, mirrors and paint.
- Decide on the layout early. If you might move the toilet or widen the shower, decide during design, before the plumbing is roughed in.
- Plan the extras now. Grab bar blocking, a heated floor and a larger exhaust fan all go in while the walls are open. Our guide to bathroom exhaust fan size covers sizing.
- Settle the logistics. The pre-construction meeting covers parking, dumpster placement, pets, daily start times and dust control.
- Plan for the other bathroom. If this is your only full bath, decide where everyone showers during construction.
For a finished example, see our primary bathroom case study. For the whole planning process, read our Cincinnati bathroom remodel guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can I stay in my home during the remodel?
Yes, most clients do. We isolate the workspace, put up protective barriers and clean up daily. Plan on sharing another bathroom while yours is under construction. We confirm the exact schedule in your quote, so you know how long that will be before we start.
Does the 4 to 8 weeks include design?
Yes. It runs from the first design meeting to the final walkthrough. Most of it is design, selections and material lead times rather than work in your house.
When do I get my schedule?
Before we start. Your dates are fixed in writing as part of your agreement.
Does finding water damage change the price?
It depends on the project. For full remodels and walk-in showers, we price subfloor repair, mold remediation and new plumbing components into the job up front. For a bathroom floor, subfloor repair, if needed, is quoted after we lift the old floor.
Get a schedule for your bathroom
Book an in-home consultation and we will measure the room, look at the plumbing and framing, and give you a fixed price and a schedule in writing. See our full bathroom remodels, walk-in showers and our process, or call us at (513) 657-3750.
Sources
- Houzz, Erin Carlyle. How Long It Took to Plan and Complete a Remodel in 2019. July 21, 2020. Based on the 2020 U.S. Houzz & Home survey; averages include DIY projects.
- Houzz Pro. 9 Key Takeaways From the 2022 Houzz & Home Study. Survey fielded February 27 to March 27, 2022.
- Hamilton County Public Health. Plumbing Permits and Inspections.
