Realistic full house renovation timescales

[100Bees]

Hello! I know I need to ask builders - we've got them coming next week but I think it could be a few weeks for them to get back to us and I could do with knowing sooner than that.

We're renovating a large 5 bed house - knocking down walls, new kitchen, loft and basement conversion, ground source heat, new windows and doors etc etc. The builders should be able to put a big team on but it's still a lot of work.

DH thinks it will take 6 months, I think 12. It makes a difference re schooling.

Any estimates from those of you who have had work done? How much time do I need to add to what the builders tell me?! Thanks

12 months plus lead time to start - from experience 6-12 months.

Put it this way, I'm having a wrap around extension built at the moment - single storey, nothing very complicated, new kitchen. It will be 17 weeks start to finish.
I guess with yours it depends on what the builders can do in parallel but I would put it at a good 9 months and then allowing for delays on steels, windows etc being delivered. We also had to wait a long time for our builders to be available

If you get diy/sos round they will have it done in a long weekend 👍

Thanks. That's definitely closer to my estimates than DH's!

Ours is a single storey extension and double storey side extension...timescale was 3 months from start/finish but it's now been 4 and won't be finished until mid July largely due to the kitchen having a 9 month lead time which we ordered before we had chosen a builder. Doors were 12 weeks lead time which we ordered before the builder started but then installation was delayed and screed needs 6 weeks to dry once the house is watertight (which has to wait for the door installation). Things like this will pop up so I wouldn't be surprised if it's 12 months - maybe more depending on lead time and decisions.

Planning complete renovation including roof and small extension upstairs.
Architect estimates 12 months, roof off period has to be 6 months only as we have bats so that will happening under licence.

Longer than you'll have planned for

About 9 months ish

At least 12 months IME. We're renovating a 5-bed, knocking down internal load-bearing walls and single storey extension, new kitchen, etc. All just downstairs for now so not full-house. We're 12 months in and still have at least 3 months to go. And that's with my husband being a tradesperson so knowing lots of people in the trade, calling in favours etc. Things will likely crop up out of your control, we had the wrong steel beam put in, a gas leak, a sewage leak, wrong kitchen parts delivered - the list goes on!

We’re doing similar but with a garage conversion rather than loft/ basement. It’s been over 4 months so far and we’re about half way through. I think 6 months would be highly optimistic, closer to 12 sounds more likely.

It really depends on how big the team is and how good/committed your contractor is, if he has every trade in house/lined up and has free hand/unlimited budget for buying materials/fittings. It could be done in 3 months, but that will be much more expensive and not necessarily to your taste. It could be 24 months if you manage individual trades incl. 1 man and his van types. That option will be much cheaper, especially if you source all fittings yourself, so you could get a much better, more individual finish for much money. You have to choose what is most important to you: quick, cheap or quality/looks. You can't get all three together.

We are just over a month into a similarish project. If they are done anydate in 2023 I will be delighted and surprised. We also had to wait about 9 months for our builder. We are living in it though and have a fairly quirky house which will be adding on time.

We did all that less the basement.

We were told 8/9 months, it ended up being 11 months.

A full basement dig out would have added at least 4/5 months to that.

I know several people who’ve done a full house renovation and it always ends up taking the best part of a year, longer with a basement.

Oh forgot to say - are you moving out or living in the house while they work?

If living in, add 40% to my timelines

It could also depend upon whereabouts you are in the UK. When we lived in Kent, tradespeople were easy to come by. We're now in the South West and moved here (in part) for the slower pace of life which (sadly) does present in the construction industry too where they're so overstretched and in demand that things take a lot longer.

What @minipie said.

We’ve just done similar to you but without the basement. Estimate was a 10 month build - 12 months would have been more accurate.

We are hoping for a year in full remodeling inside including all plasterwork and windows and structural walls on a 5 bed detached with a single and a double extension. The pace is brutal including bank hoilday and weekend work and we have moved out for 2 months. I do agree with @NellyBarney on the building approach but 3 trades is the absolute max in a domestic house before it gets inefficient i think and the electricians seem to suffer the most working like that. We are employing trades separately and ordering in stuff but that is part of our jobs, both in the property business and from extended family property people. Getting the right parts and fittings in as well as scheduling in is a major headache but pleased with the end result. Can't wait for it to be over. The tighter the timescale the more stressful it will be so be generous with your personal planning if you can

We did a very similar project (and moved out while work done). Our basement conversion didn’t need a huge dig out - went down a bit on an existing cellar.

we contracted for 6months, but the builders took 13… They did pay us some compensation for delay though (built into the contract) as it was their fault/foreseeable. So I do think 6 months would be theoretically possible, but check that your contract has decent incentives (our compensation wasn’t t enough to change behaviour).

Ours - 3 bed- took 5 months. But our great builder worked around the clock! No extension though although a complete refurb.

And we had to move out.

I am doing similar including an extension and outbuilding and a re-roof. Am on month 14 and counting, will be 16-17months by the end.

Definitely 12 months plus. We’ve just had our downstairs extension done. We were quoted 12 weeks! Nope…7 months!