Most renovation frustration comes from a schedule that was never achievable. Here is what each stage actually takes, and where the time really goes.
Almost every renovation horror story traces back to the same root cause: the schedule was optimistic before the first day of work. Once a project is running behind from week one, every subsequent decision gets made under pressure. A realistic timeline set at the start is worth more than any amount of speed later.
Design and scope: 2 to 6 weeks. This is the stage homeowners most want to compress and most benefit from not compressing. Decisions made here — layout, materials, fixtures, where walls actually go — are cheap to change on paper and expensive to change once demolition has happened. Every hour spent here saves several during construction.
Permits: 2 to 8 weeks, and largely outside anyone's control. Cosmetic work often needs no permit. Anything touching structure, electrical, plumbing, or the building envelope does. Timelines vary substantially between jurisdictions, and this is the single most common source of unexpected delay. We submit as early as the scope allows and keep you informed, but no contractor controls a plan check queue.
Demolition: 2 to 5 days. Fast, loud, and satisfying. It is also when surprises surface — the plumbing that is not where the plans assumed, the wall that turns out to be bearing, the water damage nobody could see. A good contingency in the budget exists specifically for this week.
Rough trades: 1 to 3 weeks. Framing, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC rough-in. Sequence matters enormously here, and this is where an experienced general contractor earns their fee — trades that arrive in the wrong order end up working around each other, and one late sub can idle three others.
Rough inspection: several days to a week. Everything stops until it passes. Building it right the first time is not just about quality; it is about not losing a week to a re-inspection.
Drywall through finishes: 3 to 6 weeks. Drywall, texture, paint, flooring, cabinetry, counters, tile, trim, and fixtures. Cabinet and countertop lead times often drive this entire stage — a stone template cannot be cut until cabinets are installed, and fabrication typically takes one to three weeks after that. Ordering long-lead items early is the highest-leverage thing you can do for the schedule.
Punch list and final inspection: 1 to 2 weeks. The last five percent takes longer than it looks. Touch-ups, adjustments, and the items you only notice once the space is clean and empty.
Adding it up. A typical bathroom remodel lands around 4 to 8 weeks of construction. A kitchen runs 6 to 12. A room addition, from permit submission to final inspection, is usually 3 to 6 months. Those figures assume decisions get made promptly and materials are ordered early — the two variables genuinely within your control.
One structural advantage worth mentioning: because we self-perform concrete and roofing, projects that touch a foundation, a slab, or a roofline do not sit waiting for an outside subcontractor to fit you into their schedule. On additions and ADU conversions in particular, that removes the single most common cause of a stalled renovation.