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Renovations have become a significant economy when it comes to homes in the UK, with the average homeowner spending over £4000 in 2020 alone on home renovation. If you’re a homeowner thinking about making a significant change to your home or a room in it, you may be – rightly – concerned about the disruption it could cause, and the time it could take. Here we will examine the factors that affect project length for renovation projects.
Who’s Carrying Out the Work?
One major factor when it comes to a timescale for home renovation lies in the provision of labour. Who will be carrying out the prospective renovation work? A team of contractors will be vastly more efficient than one or two members of the household taking the DIY approach. Conversely, though, the DIY approach may be able to circumvent delays in contractor availability, ensuring an earlier start. However, on measure contractors are far more likely to bring a renovation project to completion in a shorter time frame.
If DIY is your only option, owing to budgetary or other constraints, one of the main barriers to swift working, besides the knowledge, can be found in the tools you’re using to work with. Good quality power tools such as Milwaukee impact drivers can trump non-powered alternatives, and expedite your progress considerably depending on the task.
What is the Work?
It goes without saying that the size of a given renovation project will naturally affect the time required to complete it – but some projects, depending on the room and projected outcome, can require more in-depth processes than others. For example, a kitchen renovation is likely to take longer than a loft conversion, despite the mammoth undertaking of both. This is because the kitchen will include appliance plumbing and cabinet refits, where the loft conversion may only require the addition of a window bay and insulation before decoration.
Do You Need Planning Permission?
Following on from the previous point, certain renovation projects may take longer by virtue of certain requirements – that aren’t necessarily directly linked to physical effort. If your renovation involves the addition or extension of a room, it is entirely possible that you will need planning permission in order to carry out the work. Planning permission wait times can differ between local authorities, but should be factored in to potential project length – and could add weeks to a project in the worst-case scenario.
Delays to Progress
There are other ways in which progress on a renovation may be delayed, as well: materials may be in short supply, and your contractors may be unable to continue work without a crucial material or item. Emergency repairs may be required in the middle of work, if a mistake is made or uncovered by the renovation process – for example, you may discover that you need to replace some piping in the middle of installing a hardwood floor, adding weeks to a project that may have taken days.
The variables are never-ending when it comes to renovations, but there are some simple ballpark estimates you can apply to any given renovation process. The more appliances and plumbing, the longer the project; bathrooms can take 3 weeks, and kitchens up to 2. Simple renovations of living spaces that constitute not much more than redecoration can be expected to take up to 3 days.
