Most full bathroom renovations take between one and three weeks on site, but the honest answer depends on what you are changing and what your fitter finds behind the tiles. This guide breaks down realistic timescales for typical Welsh homes, from Victorian terraces in Roath to newer builds in Pontprennau, so you can plan around the disruption.
For a straightforward like-for-like swap, where the bath, basin, toilet and tiles are replaced without moving any pipework, allow five to seven working days. This is the most common job we see in Cardiff's 1930s semis and post-war housing, where the layout already works and the plumbing is in reasonable condition.
A full renovation with layout changes, such as swapping a bath for a walk-in shower or moving the toilet to a different wall, usually takes two to three weeks. Wet rooms, underfloor heating and structural work push towards the upper end of that range, and occasionally beyond it.
The first two or three days are strip-out and first-fix. The old suite comes out, tiles come off, and the plumber and electrician run new pipework and cabling to where everything will sit. This is the noisiest, dustiest phase, and it is also when hidden problems show themselves.
The middle phase covers boarding, tanking wet areas, tiling and flooring. Tiling alone often takes three to four days in an average bathroom, because adhesive and grout need proper curing time between stages. Rushing this is how leaks and cracked grout happen six months later. The final days are second-fix: installing the suite, connecting everything, sealing, and testing every joint before sign-off.
In older Cardiff housing stock, the most common surprises are rotten floorboards under the bath, corroded lead or steel pipework that has to be replaced, and walls that are too uneven to tile without reboarding. Any of these can add two to four days. In terraces built before the 1920s, we would gently suggest budgeting for at least one surprise rather than none.
Product lead times matter more than most people expect. A standard suite from a merchant is usually available within days, but made-to-order shower enclosures, specific tiles and vanity units can take three to six weeks to arrive. The single best way to protect your timeline is to have every item on site before work starts, because a missing shower tray can stall the whole job.
Before work begins, agree a written scope with your fitter covering exactly what is included, and confirm all fittings are ordered and delivered. Clear the bathroom and the route through the house, and if it is your only bathroom, plan for two to five days without a working toilet and shower mid-job. Many people arrange to stay with family for the worst of it, or we can usually keep the toilet usable overnight for most of the project.
Decisions cost time. Choosing grout colour, tile layout or where the shower controls sit while the tiler is standing there waiting adds up quickly. Settle those details before day one and the job flows far better.
Call Simon for an initial chat, or send a couple of photos of the space and Sycamore will come back with a quote the same week.
A few photos and a sketch of the room is usually enough for a first quote. For anything structural or tricky, we come and look.