AlgebraHow Long Does a Renovation Really Take? A Realistic Timeline Breakdown
Many single-unit renovations complete in as little as 25 days. Here’s what actually happens during that time — and what causes the ones that run long.
“How long will this take?” is usually the second question after budget, and the honest answer depends far more on decision-making speed than on the physical work itself. The building and installing rarely take as long as people expect — waiting on decisions does.
The phases, honestly
A typical renovation moves through site survey and measurement, design and material selection, procurement and ordering, then the physical works: hacking, wet-point installation, carpentry fabrication and fitting, followed by finishing trades and a final clean. For a single unit with finishes already decided, this can move quickly — many of our single-unit and condo renovations complete in as little as 25 days from start to handover.
What actually causes delays
The single biggest driver of a slipping timeline isn’t labour shortage or bad weather — it’s indecision. A material choice left open until the procurement stage, a late change to a finalised layout, or waiting on a JMB permit that wasn’t submitted early enough will each add real days or weeks, regardless of how fast the physical trades work.
- Every finish and material choice locked in before ordering
- Building permits and JMB approvals submitted early, not “along the way”
- One point of contact managing the schedule so trades aren’t waiting on each other
- A fixed scope, so nothing gets re-sequenced mid-project
How we keep to a fixed schedule
We front-load the decisions — material, layout and budget are locked before any hacking starts — specifically so the physical works can run on a predictable schedule instead of pausing for choices that should’ve been made earlier. It’s the same discipline behind our published turnaround time, and it’s available whether the project is a single condo unit or a larger landed-house renovation.