Renovation Timeline: How Long Does Each Project Actually Take? (2026)

Why Renovation Timelines Matter — and Why They're Often Wrong

One of the most frequent questions we hear from Vancouver homeowners is: how long will my renovation actually take? It's a completely reasonable question — you need to arrange temporary accommodation, plan around school schedules, coordinate with work, and manage your family's disruption.

The problem is that many renovation timelines you'll find online are either optimistically compressed (best-case scenarios with everything going smoothly) or bloated with unnecessary buffer. Neither is useful for planning.

This guide gives you realistic renovation timelines based on our completed projects across Metro Vancouver — including what goes wrong and how to minimize delays.

What Determines Your Timeline?

Before diving into specific project types, understand the key factors that drive your renovation timeline:

• Project scope: A cosmetic refresh (new fixtures, paint, hardware) takes a fraction of the time of a full structural renovation
• Permit requirements: Any structural work, electrical panel upgrades, or plumbing additions require permits — and permit review adds time
• Material lead times: In-stock materials are ready immediately; custom or imported materials can take 4–12 weeks to arrive
• Trades availability: Electricians, plumbers, and tile setters in Vancouver are often booked 4–8 weeks in advance
• Unforeseen conditions: Old homes often have surprises behind walls — asbestos, outdated wiring, water damage, non-standard framing

Kitchen Renovation Timeline: 4–8 Weeks

A kitchen renovation is one of the more complex projects because it involves nearly every trade: demolition, rough-in plumbing and electrical, cabinet installation, countertop templating and fabrication, appliance connections, and detailed finishing work. Here's how a typical Vancouver kitchen renovation breaks down:

Week 1: Demolition and Rough-In

• Demo (1–2 days): Removal of existing cabinets, countertops, flooring, and sometimes walls. Fast work but creates significant disruption.
• Structural work (1–3 days): Wall removal, beam installation, or framing changes if the layout is changing. Requires permit and inspection.
• Rough-in plumbing (2–3 days): Relocating sink drains, adding dishwasher connections, moving gas lines if needed. Must be inspected before walls close.
• Rough-in electrical (2–3 days): New circuits for appliances, under-cabinet lighting rough-in, dedicated circuits for refrigerator and microwave. Requires inspection.

Weeks 2–3: Flooring and Cabinet Installation

• Subfloor prep and flooring (2–3 days): Leveling the subfloor, installing new flooring (hardwood, LVP, or tile). Tile floors need 24–48 hours cure time before traffic.
• Cabinet delivery and installation (3–5 days): This is the milestone that makes or breaks timelines. In-stock RTA cabinets can install in 2–3 days. Custom cabinets from BC manufacturers typically take 6–10 weeks to build — this is often the long pole in the tent for custom kitchen projects.

Weeks 3–5: Countertops, Appliances, and Finishing

• Countertop templating (1 day): After cabinets are installed, the fabricator comes to measure precisely. This triggers a 1–2 week fabrication window.
• Countertop installation (1 day): Fast, but you must wait for fabrication — this is a common source of kitchen timeline extension.
• Tile backsplash (2–3 days): Including grout cure time.
• Appliance installation (1–2 days): Connecting range, dishwasher, range hood, refrigerator water line.
• Finishing (2–3 days): Trim, hardware installation, touch-up painting, electrical cover plates, final inspections.

What Extends Kitchen Timelines

In our Vancouver projects, the most common kitchen delay sources are: (1) custom cabinet lead times (6–10 weeks from order), (2) countertop templating must wait until cabinets are fully installed and level — adding 2 weeks for fabrication, and (3) permit inspection scheduling (City of Vancouver inspections can take 3–7 business days to schedule).

Our Langley kitchen renovation with the waterfall island design took 4–6 weeks — consistent with this framework. Our Surrey custom cabinet kitchen ran 4–5 weeks from start to completion.

Bathroom Renovation Timeline: 3–6 Weeks

Bathrooms are smaller spaces than kitchens but often involve complex waterproofing, tile work, and plumbing changes that require careful sequencing. Here's the typical breakdown:

Week 1: Demo and Rough-In

• Demo (1–2 days): Removal of tile, fixtures, vanity, and sometimes wall cement board down to studs. Careful demo preserves adjacent rooms.
• Plumbing rough-in (1–3 days): Moving drains, adding shower valve, relocating toilet flange if layout changes. Requires permit inspection.
• Electrical rough-in (1–2 days): Adding GFCI circuits, heat lamp, bathroom fan replacement, heated floor thermostat. Requires inspection.

Weeks 2–3: Waterproofing and Tile

• Shower waterproofing (2–3 days including cure time): This step cannot be rushed. Proper waterproofing — whether Schluter system, RedGard membrane, or traditional mud bed — needs full cure before tile.
• Tile installation (3–5 days): Floor tile, shower walls, niche installation. Complex tile patterns or large-format tiles take longer. 24–48 hours minimum cure before grouting.
• Grouting and sealing (1–2 days): Including appropriate cure time before using the shower.

Weeks 3–5: Fixtures and Finishing

• Vanity and fixture installation (2–3 days): Vanity set, countertop (if separate from vanity), faucet, toilet, shower fixtures, mirror, accessories.
• Glass shower enclosure (1–2 days, plus 1–2 week lead time for custom glass): Frameless shower glass is measured after tile is complete and typically takes 1–2 weeks to fabricate.
• Finishing (1–2 days): Touch-up painting, caulking, hardware, final inspection.

Our North Vancouver luxury curbless shower bathroom completed in 3–4 weeks. Our Maple Ridge bathroom with custom glass door also ran 3–4 weeks — the custom glass was ordered early to avoid delays. Our Burnaby master bathroom renovation took 4–5 weeks due to the complexity of the custom features.

Basement Renovation Timeline: 8–12 Weeks

Basement renovations tend to take longer than kitchens or bathrooms because they involve a larger space and typically require all major trades working in sequence: framing, electrical, plumbing (if adding a bathroom), insulation, drywall, flooring, and full finishing. This sequential nature is unavoidable — each phase must complete and pass inspection before the next begins.

Phase 1 — Framing and Rough-In (Weeks 1–3)

• Framing (3–5 days): Partition walls, bulkheads, bathroom framing, window framing. Requires permit and framing inspection.
• Rough-in plumbing (2–4 days): If adding a bathroom, this involves breaking concrete for drain lines — add 1–2 days for concrete work and cure time.
• Rough-in electrical (3–5 days): Full circuit layout for a basement suite — bedroom circuits, bathroom, living area, kitchen if applicable. Requires inspection.
• Insulation (2–3 days): Batt insulation in walls, spray foam for rim joists, vapour barrier. Requires insulation inspection.

Phase 2 — Drywall (Weeks 3–5)

• Drywall installation (3–5 days): Hanging, taping, and mudding. Each coat of mud requires 24 hours dry time — minimum 3 coats means minimum 3 days just for mud drying.
• Sanding and priming (2–3 days): Can't be rushed without affecting final finish quality.

Phase 3 — Finishing (Weeks 6–10)

• Flooring (3–5 days): LVP, carpet, or tile depending on the space. Floating floor install is fastest; tile with heated floor system takes longer.
• Bathroom finishing (if applicable) (1–2 weeks): Tile, vanity, fixtures — runs concurrently with other finishing work.
• Kitchen/kitchenette (if applicable) (1–2 weeks): Cabinets, countertop, appliances — significant additional timeline if creating a legal suite.
• Painting, trim, and finishing (1 week): Doors, window trim, baseboards, hardware, final electrical connections, fixtures.

A basement suite development is at the upper end of this range — expect 10–14 weeks when creating a fully legal secondary suite with kitchen and bathroom, due to the additional permit requirements and trade coordination involved.

Whole House Renovation Timeline: 2–6 Months

Whole house renovations vary enormously in scope, but here's a practical framework:

Scope	Typical Timeline	What's Included
Cosmetic refresh	6–10 weeks	New flooring throughout, fresh paint, fixture updates, no structural changes
Moderate renovation	3–4 months	Kitchen update, 1–2 bathroom renovations, new flooring, electrical upgrades
Full renovation	4–6 months	Structural changes, full kitchen, multiple bathrooms, basement development

Our Vancouver whole house renovation with bathroom updates completed in 4–5 weeks — but that was focused primarily on bathroom and cosmetic updates, not a full structural project. Our Richmond condo renovation (kitchen, bathrooms, flooring) took 4–5 weeks as a focused scope project.

What Extends Renovation Timelines

Based on our projects across Metro Vancouver, here are the real culprits when timelines slip:

1. Permit Processing Times

City of Vancouver building permits for structural work, electrical panels, or plumbing additions can take 4–8 weeks for review. Surrey and Burnaby are typically faster (2–4 weeks). The permit clock starts when you submit drawings — not when you start the renovation. Smart contractors submit permits before the project start date so approval arrives right when demo begins.

2. Custom Material Lead Times

• Custom cabinets from local BC manufacturers: 6–10 weeks
• Custom/specialty tile (imported or special order): 4–8 weeks
• Custom countertop fabrication: 1–2 weeks after templating
• Custom glass shower enclosures: 1–2 weeks after measurement
• Special order plumbing fixtures: 2–6 weeks

3. Trades Availability

Vancouver's renovation market is competitive. Skilled tile setters, custom cabinet installers, and glass technicians are often booked 4–8 weeks in advance during peak seasons (spring: March–June, fall: September–November). Projects starting in these windows need trades booked well in advance.

4. Unforeseen Conditions

Older Vancouver homes (pre-1980) frequently hide surprises: asbestos in floor tile or drywall texture (requires professional abatement, 1–3 days plus testing), knob-and-tube wiring requiring full replacement, galvanized pipes, non-standard stud spacing that complicates tile backing, and water damage from decades of minor leaks. Budget 10–15% of your timeline as buffer for unexpected discoveries.

How to Avoid Delays

Start the Permit Process Early

If your project requires permits, submit drawings before you plan to start work. A 6-week permit review period doesn't need to extend your project start if you plan for it. Your contractor should be able to advise you on permit requirements at the design stage.

Order Materials Before Work Begins

The single biggest delay we see in kitchen renovations is custom cabinet lead time. Order your cabinets at the design sign-off stage — not when demo starts. Same for specialty tile and custom fixtures. Materials should arrive before the project starts, not while trades are waiting.

Confirm Trade Schedules Before Signing

Before signing your renovation contract, ask explicitly: "What's your current schedule? When can this project start?" A contractor who can start next week but has no availability for the electrician for six weeks is setting you up for delays. A reliable contractor plans the full trade sequence before committing to a start date.

Make Final Selections Early

Change orders after work has started are the most disruptive and expensive timeline killers. Changing countertop material after cabinets are installed means restarting the templating and fabrication window. Changing tile after waterproofing means removing and re-doing work. Lock in your selections before demo begins.

Our Actual Project Timelines

Rather than estimates, here's what our completed projects actually took:

• Langley kitchen with waterfall island: 4–6 weeks (custom island design, standard cabinet lead time)
• Burnaby custom kitchen with wood-vein cabinets: 4–5 weeks
• North Vancouver luxury bathroom (curbless shower): 3–4 weeks
• Maple Ridge bathroom with custom glass door: 3–4 weeks
• Burnaby master bathroom with custom features: 4–5 weeks
• Burnaby townhouse bathroom with custom features: 2–3 weeks (compact scope)
• Richmond condo (kitchen + bathrooms + flooring): 4–5 weeks
• Vancouver whole house renovation: 4–5 weeks (focused scope)
• Vancouver Skin Lab commercial renovation: 4–5 months (major commercial scope)

Renovation Timeline FAQ

Can I live in my home during a kitchen renovation?

Usually yes, though it requires planning. You'll need to set up a temporary kitchen space (microwave, mini-fridge, hot plate in another room). The most disruptive period is demo and rough-in (Week 1). From cabinet installation onward, the space is liveable though messy. Most Vancouver homeowners choose to stay — a 4–6 week hotel stay adds significant cost.

How far in advance should I book a contractor?

For spring and fall projects (peak seasons), book 8–12 weeks in advance. For winter projects (December–February), 4–6 weeks is usually sufficient. The busier the season, the earlier you need to lock in your start date and confirm material orders.

Can I speed up my renovation timeline?

Yes — within limits. Choosing in-stock materials over custom dramatically compresses timelines (RTA cabinets vs. custom: 2 weeks vs. 8+ weeks). Having a single contractor who coordinates all trades (rather than managing each trade yourself) reduces scheduling gaps. Avoiding scope changes mid-project is the single highest-impact thing you can do.

What's the minimum realistic bathroom renovation timeline?

For a full gut bathroom renovation (removing everything and starting fresh), 3 weeks is the practical minimum for a competent, well-organized contractor with all materials pre-ordered. Anything shorter likely means corners are being cut on waterproofing cure times or inspection steps — which creates expensive problems later.

Ready to plan your project timeline? Our renovation services team provides detailed project schedules as part of every estimate. We map out the full trade sequence before work begins so you know exactly what to expect. Get a timeline estimate for your specific project and we'll walk you through what's realistic for your scope and budget.

Want to understand what drives renovation costs? Our detailed bathroom renovation cost guide and full renovation guide library have everything you need to plan and budget your Vancouver renovation.