Most standard bathroom renovations take between one and three weeks on site, but the honest answer depends on the size of the room, the state of what we find behind the old suite, and how much tiling is involved. Here is a realistic breakdown based on the jobs we carry out around Wigston and the wider Leicester area, so you can plan properly rather than hope for the best.
A straightforward like for like swap, where the bath, basin and toilet stay in the same positions and the tiling is modest, usually takes 5 to 8 working days. A full renovation with new pipework routes, a bath to shower conversion or floor to ceiling tiling tends to run 2 to 3 weeks. Larger family bathrooms, or jobs involving underfloor heating and wet room tanking, can stretch to 3 to 4 weeks.
These figures assume the work runs continuously with one firm handling both the plumbing and the tiling. Where separate trades are booked independently, gaps between them often add a week or more to the overall calendar, even though the actual working days stay the same.
The first couple of days are strip out and first fix: removing the old suite and tiles, altering pipework, and dealing with any surprises in the walls or floor. In older properties around Wigston, Oadby and South Wigston, that often means replacing corroded imperial pipework or sorting out floorboards that have suffered years of slow leaks.
The middle phase is boarding, plastering or tile backer installation, then tiling. Tiling is usually the single longest stage. A fully tiled bathroom in standard ceramic might take 3 to 4 days including grouting, while large format porcelain, intricate patterns or mosaic detail can add several days because cutting and setting out take longer. Adhesive and grout also need proper curing time, which cannot be rushed. The final days cover second fix plumbing, fitting the new suite, sealing, and commissioning the shower.
The biggest cause of delay is what sits behind the old tiles. Blown plaster, rotten timber under a leaking bath, or old lead and iron pipework all need putting right before anything new goes in, and that can add 2 to 4 days. It is worth budgeting some contingency time as well as money for this, particularly in pre war and 1930s to 1960s housing stock, which makes up a lot of the homes we work in locally.
Product availability matters too. Baths, shower enclosures and tiles ordered late can hold up an otherwise finished room, so we always recommend having everything on site before the strip out starts. Changing your mind on tile choice midway through is another common one; it feels small but it can pause the job for a week while replacements arrive.
You will be without the bathroom for most of the job, so if it is your only one, plan for it. The toilet can usually be kept usable overnight for much of the project, and we aim to reinstate a working loo at the end of each day wherever the pipework allows. Showering is the harder part, so many customers arrange to use a family member's bathroom or a gym for the middle week.
A realistic conversation at the quotation stage is the best protection against an overrunning job. A firm that surveys the room properly, checks water pressure and pipe runs, and confirms lead times on your chosen suite before starting can give you a timescale that actually holds.
Realistically, no. Even the simplest swap needs adhesive, grout and silicone to cure properly, and rushing those stages leads to leaks and failed seals. A very basic refresh might be done in 4 to 5 days, but a weekend is not achievable to a decent standard.
Yes, it is usually the difference between a one week and a two week job. Floor to ceiling tiling roughly doubles the tiled area compared with half height walls, and setting out, cutting and grouting all scale with it.
Usually not. In most renovations the toilet can be reconnected temporarily at the end of each working day, apart from a day or two around floor tiling. Tell your installer if it is your only toilet so they can sequence the work around it.