There is no honest single answer like “three months” to this question, because what sets the duration is not the floor area but how many different trades have to overlap. Below are the ranges that come out of real projects, and the things that actually stretch them.
Rough ranges
| Type of work | Time on site | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|
| Single room refresh (paint, flooring, lighting) | 1–2 weeks | 3–4 weeks |
| Kitchen renovation | 3–5 weeks | 6–9 weeks |
| Bathroom renovation (one bathroom) | 3–4 weeks | 5–8 weeks |
| 100–130 m² apartment, full renovation | 8–12 weeks | 14–20 weeks |
| Villa over 200 m², full renovation | 16–24 weeks | 24–34 weeks |
| Commercial premises, turnkey | 8–14 weeks | 14–22 weeks |
“Time on site” is the time the trades are in the property. “Start to finish” is the time from the first meeting until you get your keys back — the difference between the two is design, selection, quoting and procurement. Most people count only the first one, and then the schedule slips.
The five things that really stretch a schedule
1. Decisions arriving late
If the tile choice is a week late, the job is usually not one week late but two: that week the tiler moves to another site and you have to wait your turn. That is why we write the deadlines for selection decisions into the schedule from the start.
2. Lead times
Material from stock can take a few days; imported or made-to-order material can take 4–10 weeks. Made-to-measure frames, imported fittings and a kitchen in a custom colour all fall into that group. When materials are being chosen we write the lead time down alongside them; “I like it” and “when does it arrive” belong in the same sentence.
3. Building management and neighbour permissions
In apartment buildings the working hours, the use of the lift and the rules for carrying out debris all feed straight into the schedule. Some complexes allow six hours of work a day; that turns an eight-week job into eleven. This is why we ask for the building’s management plan at the survey.
4. What turns up unexpectedly
When the floor comes up you can find rotten pipework; when a wall is opened, damp insulation. That is not bad luck, it is normal in older buildings. Setting aside 10–15% of the budget and leaving a week or two of slack in the schedule means there is no need to panic when it happens.
5. Trades overlapping
A painter cannot work before the plaster has dried. A kitchen cannot be fitted before the worktop has been measured. Getting the sequence right can cut up to 20% off the total on its own; getting it wrong adds the same amount.
A separate note for Bodrum
In and around Bodrum there is a restriction on noisy construction work between 15 May and 15 October. In practice that means site work stops over the summer. Starting a project in Bodrum in the autumn often finishes sooner than starting it in the spring. We build the schedule around that window.
The real ways to shorten a schedule
- Finish your selections before work starts — that is the single biggest gain.
- Order long lead-time material in the first week.
- Give change requests in one batch; small changes arriving one by one are what wrecks a schedule most.
- Have the wet areas done in the same period so you don’t go through two water shut-offs.
- Set aside a week for the snag list before handover; that week always exists, and if it isn’t planned it turns up later.
Would you like a clear timeline and budget range for your own home? The site survey is free and commits you to nothing. Leave a survey request and we come back to you the same working day.