A four-bedroom terrace stripped back and rebuilt takes us around twenty-two weeks. That is the honest number, not the optimistic one.
The programme
- Weeks 1–3 — strip-out, structural work, any steel going in.
- Weeks 4–9 — first-fix electrics and plumbing, windows, roofing.
- Weeks 10–14 — plastering and screed.
- Weeks 15–20 — second fix, kitchen, bathrooms, decorating.
- Weeks 21–22 — snagging and handover.
Plastering and screed cannot be rushed, because everything after them depends on the building drying properly. Pushing that stage is how people end up with cracked paint and lifting floors six months later.
Where projects slip
Two stages, and both sit outside a builder’s control. Planning sign-off at the start, and specialist joinery near the end. That is why we order joinery in week one, long before there is anywhere to put it.
Living in it, or moving out
You can stay in the house for most of a renovation, but not through weeks 10 to 14. There is no water, no heating and no dust-free room. Most clients move out for that month and it usually saves time overall, because the crew can work through instead of clearing up each evening.