How long does it take to Renovate / Convert a Property?

(If you are contemplating a renovation or conversion project, you may find it worthwhile also reading the previous section “How long does it take to build new”. There are a number of areas where the two types of projects overlap, which you may find useful, and which appear only in that section).

As for some of the other sections in the guide, I have to start by saying that there is no definitive answer to the question “How long will it take to renovate / convert?”.

Every project is unique, everyone who “takes on” a project is different and will approach the project in different ways and there are factors which can affect projects in different parts of the country and at different times of year.

When you put all the “variables” together the result is that even almost identical projects can have significantly differing timescales.  

It might be that time is not particularly of critical importance on your particular project.

If its a small "cosmetic" project, then you may just say to yourself " I'd like to get the whole thing done in a couple of months", and just get on with starting to plan the "practical aspects" of getting the work started.
However, if you are undertaking a major renovation or conversion project, which may involve you and your family renting somewhere to live, or staying in a B & B, then the timescale estimates become more important. - Every day that you have to pay out money for things like temporary accomodation  and / or travel "to and from" site, ads cost to the project. - So giving yourselves reasonably accurate timescale targets to work to can become quite important. - An extra month ot two in a rented house could cost anything £500 to a couple of thousand pounds or more, - and that is a cost that you will have to cover, possibly out of the overall "build budget".
 

It is actually more difficult to give accurate guidelines for timescales on a renovation or a conversion project than it is on a new build.

Building a new wall is a fairly “simple” and “quantifiable” process: To work out how long a simple wall will take to build, the following equation works:

Where X is the area of the wall and Y is how many square metres of brickwork a bricky can build and hour, then:
 

Ok, it won't be as simple as that for every part of the project, but, in general, with a "new build" you have a straigh forward set of figures to work with. - All involving simply getting the "men and materials" to site at the right time and building all of individual "bits" to form the finished job.
 

However, if we take the simple example of an existing wall in a renovation or conversion project, we could be presented with a completely different and more complicated set of factors, involving:

·         Initially “surveying” the condition the wall yourselves.

·         Possibly bringing in a “specialist” to give a professional opinion.

·         Deciding “what parts” of the wall need “what sort” of attention or improvement.

·         Possibly pulling part of it down for rebuilding.

·         Removal of debris

·         Measuring up materials that will be needed for the “repairs” and the “new” work.

·         Tying in the “new” work to the “existing”.

·         Finishing the wall off to blend the “old” and the “new” work together aesthetically.

 

This whole process can be much more time consuming and complicated than just building a new wall.

Often, it may turn out to be more “time and cost” effective to actually knock the old wall down and re build. - But you can then guarantee that different people will have different opinions on the matter ("It wont keep its original charm if we go knocking walls down"!  "We can't knock it down in the winter, we'll freeze to death!". "Why pay for new materials when its already built of the right materials"). - In other words, with a renovation or conversion, the "variables", both from a "practical" and a "personal" point of view are far more numerous than they generally are in new build projects, - and each one of those variables can affect the time taken to do the work!

On top of all that: If, in the end, the decision is taken to knock the wall down, then that decision will also bring with it a whole new “sub set” of “consequences” and “actions” which can all have the effect of “eating into” your budget and can also have an effect on the overall timescale for the project: - You will have to clear away the debris, - you may need to hire a skip, and a labourer, buy a wheelbarrow and fix “ramps” in and out of the building. - Then clear a route through the building for the wheelbarrow to travel along.  - Other work may have to stop while you do that operation, and so on. 

Each and every decision you make, on each section of the job, can bring new time, cost and practical implications. – many of these sorts of things just don’t happen on “new build” work.

So, from that simple example you can probably see that there is much more scope for “time consuming problems” to arise and affect “renovation” or “conversion” projects than there is for “new build” work, and that trying to put an accurate "time target" on anything except the simplest "cosmetic" project is not going to be easy!.

You may have bought, or already be living in a property which is basically structurally sound, and needs only cosmetic attention. Your renovation project here may involve stripping off wallpaper, re plastering the odd wall, maybe refitting a bathroom, possibly changing the kitchen, getting the electrics checked and changing a few fittings - and maybe a few other bits and pieces.

This sort of project can take anything from a couple of weeks to around 4 months to complete, depending on the size of the property, and the amount of work you try to do yourselves.

It is normally fairly easy to plan. You don’t normally need to get Building Regulations or Planning approvals (check the sections of this guide which deal with “Planning Permission” and “Building Regs” to find out if that is the case for your project).

All you basically need to do for this type of project is to find and choose all the various materials (try and get some “good deals” if you can), make sure that you are going to be able to afford everything you are going to need, and then either get on with doing the work yourselves or get sub contractors in who will give you a price for the job and do it for you.

Planning everything and getting all of the “measuring” / “choosing” and (if possible) “buying” done before you start work will help you to get the “physical” work done “more speedily” due to the fact that you won’t have to keep “stopping and starting” to go and “choose and buy” materials.

If you have to start stripping out more than just a bit of wallpaper, i.e. if you are thinking of replacing kitchens or bathrooms you will probably need to add at least another 3 weeks to the project. - If you plan it all properly a bathroom and a kitchen could be done at the same time, otherwise you will need to add about 3 weeks for each.

Wiring tests may show the needs for a "partial" or full "re wire". - These could easily add another 2 - 4 weeks depending on the complexity and scale of the work.

A full service and check of the plumbing system can usualy be done in a day. - A new central heating system can take between 3 days and a couple of weks to install.
 

You may decide to clear one room at a time, and do all the work in it, then move on to the next room  - and work your way around the house in that fashion, or you could choose to “bite the bullet” and “hit it” all at once. Personally, - especially if you are planning on living in the house whilst you do the work, I would suggest taking on just one room at a time.
 

1) You will always have somewhere to sit, eat and sleep somewhere in the house,

2) You are likely to finish the work quickly as the person or people who use each room will want to get back in as soon as possible, and will be making sure that things don’t start to “drag”!

There is no reason why a 3 bed semi detached house could not undergo a “light” renovation in 3 – 4 weeks, as long as everything is organised properly before you start, and as long as don’t get distracted. A light renovation on a 4 bed detached house should be possible in around 4 – 6 weeks. If you add in kitchens / bathrooms / re wires / central heating, then you are mormally looking at at least a couple of months and upwards. 
 

As you move onto the larger scale project things get a bit more complicated with regards to estimating timescales.

Probably the best way to look at planning your project is to break it down into sections:

1) Initial thoughts

2) Decision making / Planning.

3) “Wants” and “Needs”.

4) Tendering / Quotes / Contracts 

5) Stripping out

6) Preparation for new

7) Installation of new

8) Finishing.

 

The first thing you should do when you think about taking on a DIY project of and sort and of any size is to decide things like:

·         What do you want from the project in the way of living space / quality / location? (see other sections for guidance in these areas).

·         Are you going to renovate the property you already live in?

·         Do you want to, or will you have to move?

·         How much have you got to spend?

·         What can you afford?

·         How quickly do you need to be finished and “in”?

·         What can you do yourselves?

·         Will you need temporary accommodation?

·         How will the rest of the family cope with everything that is going to be going on?

Thinking about these subjects can help you to “focus” and get a reasonably accurate picture of your “needs” and “goals” before you move on to actually planning the project.

A lot of people tend to “skip” this first step and try to get “stuck straight in” to the practical “Decision making and Planning” part of the project, but they do so at their peril!

People who miss out this “Initial thoughts” stage are, in reality starting out on something (which may be a fairly major project), without having all the facts at hand on which to base their “decision making process”.

This can cause problems and lose you time (and money) “further down the road” when you realise you “missed” something important (like the fact that halfway through, you find that you have not got enough money to do everything you had planned!).

Just spending a bit of time thinking about this stuff at the outset can pay dividends later.

 

Once you have thought through that initial list, you will need to make some definite decisions on the “scope” of the work, and try to put some form of timesacles to each item.

Will there be a lot of structural work involved? Or will the changes you are planning on making mainly be cosmetic?

Will the amount of work mean that you can’t live in the property while the work is done? If so where are you going to live? – On site in a caravan? - Locally (within a mile or so)? Or further away? Obviously living on site will give you certain advantages when it comes to “getting on” with the job. Travel will be kept to a minimum, deliveries are simpler to coordinate, and you will often find that you will prefer to “just go and do half an hour” on some part of the job or other, instead of watching TV (which you would not tend to do if your live any distance away). - All these factors can speed up or slow down the project considerably.

Will anything you are going to do mean that you have to think about “Building Regulations” and “Planning Permission”? – If so, especially where Planning Permissions are concerned, you can start to add  “months” on to the timescale of the project.

Building regs will often be dealt with in a week or two, but if your project involves obtaining Planning Permission, you need to allow at least 3 months (and sometimes considerably longer) from the time you submit the application to the time when you get your decision.

If you can plan your project in a way so that you DON’T have to get Planning Permission, this time will obviously be saved. – As you start to plan your project, read all the relevant sections of this guide. – You may find ways of getting what you need from the finished project, WITHOUT having to make a Planning application.

If you spend some time at an early stage, compiling a list of all your “wants and needs”, with regards to the project, you can then start to do some research into whether all the individual “constituents” are going to be affordable, practical or sensible. And as you start to give thought to these things, you should also be thinking about the likely impact its inclusion will have on timescales.

Going through this process will not only save you having to do it later (when you are starting to get busy with the “practical” part of the project), but it will also help to highlight any areas of your initial plan which may add significant time to the completion of the project overall.

This part of the Planning process should not take you long. You should be able to do it as "an aside" at the same time as doing all the other planning work for the project generally.
 

You will need to go out for quotes for all the different sections of the work. You need prices for Labour, materials and services, and, if possible, you should try to get all of these “in” and “confirmed” before you start so that you can get a fairly good idea of the likely cost of the project and you will know how your budget is likely to cope before you start. This gives you the chance to make changes “up front” if needed.

If you “launch” into a project without going through this process, you could find that you run out of money part way through and have to stop work. If that happens, you could end up losing literally “months” while you try to sort out extra funding and then get all the trades back who have now gone onto other projects.

The tendering process needn’t really take any “extra” time in a project. As with the "wants and needs", you can normally do it at the same time as you look into the other “planning” aspects of the project.

You will need to allow some time for “Project Preparation” before you start work.

This is a separate section of the project from all the initial research and planning ( mentioned above), and is also separate from doing all your early organisation work such as, tendering / pricing, and pre ordering.

This section deals with physically getting ready for the more “practical part” of the project, i.e. the building works (and differs significantly from the process you would go through for a “new build” project).

It will involve things like:

Making sure the building is safe for you and others to work in.

Making sure that the ground around the building is suitable for any scaffolding.

Getting your insurances sorted out, and thinking about “security”.

Buying tools, equipment and “safety gear”.

Sorting out somewhere to store everything until it is needed.

Getting “accounts” opened for buying materials and hiring larger equipment.

Measuring anything you can, ready for ordering “when you need to”.

Preparing the initial designs of kitchens / bathrooms etc.

Deciding where new sockets / switches / pipe work / boiler / fuse board etc will be positioned.

Deciding “what” is coming out and what isn’t and making sure that the all the people involved KNOW!

 

There are sections later in the guide which deal in more detail with this subject, but basically, you need to allow some time to make sure that everything is “right” and properly “set up” before you start work, - if you want everything to run smoothly – and quickly.

 

Again, there is no real need for this part of the project to take any “extra” time over and above the time you will take to sort out your “initial planning”, your “finances” and your “wants and needs”. - If you are well organised, you can be doing the “Project Preparation” at the same time as all your other initial preparation (I mention it separately here simply so that you are aware that there are these important matters which will need to be given some thought and attention before you physically start work, and so that you won’t suddenly think, 2 days before you start work: - “Oh heck, we’ve still got to sort out the Insurance / access / safety equipment / storage etc” thus possibly delaying the starting date, and knocking your timescales backwards before you even start!).
 

This is the start of the “hard work”! - And, depending on the nature and size of your project, this section can take anything between a few hours and a couple of months or more

To get an idea of timescales for the “stripping out stage” (as usual) you need to do a little bit of research. - I can’t really give you an accurate idea how long it will take you to take a roof off, pull down a ceiling, take out the kitchen units, or knock down a particular wall. – It all depends on the type and scale of your particular project. You may need to erect scaffolding before you start, you may have to take account of the building being "listed" which can slow things down considerably, you may hit "obstacales" as you proceeed.

1) Contacting and meeting up with sub contractors during the planning stages, to “pick their brains” on all aspects of the job. - You may be going to use “Builders” of one description or another for most or all of the work, so they should not have any problem giving you help and advice “up front”. One of the things you should ask them when you meet them is: - "How long do you think "your section" (be it taking off and replacing a roof, stripping out a bathroom or kitchen, or whatever) will take?" - You can then use the "time estimates" from the different sub contractors to compile your own overall timescale for the work.
 
Even if you initially plan on doing most of the work yourselves, you will often find that local builders will be more than happy give you some of their time for a “quick chat”, in the knowledge that if you then need someone to help out later on in the project, the chances are that if you have already met and spoken, you will probably call them first.  (Note: if you find that the builders you contact are a bit “stand offish” when you are asking for help and / or advice, - just forget them and contact someone else. – There are plenty of builders around who will be happy to help you out with advice).

2) Check out our “Trade Directory”: Under each of the ads there is a list of “tick boxes” which indicate some of the areas of the project the advertisers can help with. – One box says whether or not the advertiser is willing to give “FREE ADVICE”. – If they offer it, they should give it! – So give them a ring! - You may find that after you have spoken to them, you start to get them involved in the project in some way or other, so, again, most of them shouldn't have a problem giving you few ideas at this stage.

3) Reading other relevant sections of this guide: The more you read on a subject, the better knowledge you will gain. – There are various sections which deal with renovation / conversion projects.

4) Also read some of the magazine articles in the monthly “Self Build” and “Renovating” magazines, each of which may contain relevant “case studies” and offer some useful information and ideas on how other people have approached the task. (For example: Someone may have used a particular tool on their project that you have never heard, of and which would be ideal for you to try to get hold of. – Reading about other people experiences is often a good way to find out new ways to “set about” your own project).

5) Use your common sense! - If none of the above ideas gives you the information you need, then you'll just use a bit of logic! – Assuming the project is not too large and complicated, you should be able to at least "have a stab" at guessing how long each section of the work will take:
How long do YOU think it’s going to take to strip the plaster off a wall? – You’ll be hiring “professional” tools won’t you? And: – “It’s not THAT big a room! – Oh, about a day per room should do it! – I’ll allow six days for 4 rooms to be on the safe side”.

Work your way around the whole of the project and write down your “best estimates” of the time it should take for each part of the work. – Once you have a fairly comprehensive list of “operations”, with times against them, then add a “decent amount” of time on for “estimating error and omission” (maybe 20%), and with luck you won’t be too far out!

Note: Unfortunately there is one area of a renovation or conversion project that you can’t quantify for “time” or “cost” at the planning stage. It is the area of the "unforeseen problem"!

 

This is the part of the project which is generally most similar to a new build project. However, constructing new internal timber walls, setting joists, floor boarding, dry lining, brickwork, blockwork etc will all tend to take slightly longer than for a straightforward new build.

The reason for this is that the “new” has to often “attach” to the “existing”.

Many older properties were built in a time before we had easy and cheap access to accurate spirit levels and surveying equipment, which now allow us to build new buildings to a tolerance of a “couple of millimetres”. – For that reason (amongst others), older properties tend to have walls which can often be out of plumb, or not “straight”.

Once you come to actually start to do the work, you may also find that over time there have been “botched” repairs which need attention before you can start to install the new building materials. There could also be various other potential problems caused simply by the “passage of time”.

The “joining” of the new with the old generally need not cause major problems, especially if you have done your “research” and your “homework” upfront and “planned for” and “allowed time” for any potentially difficult tasks”.

Your initial research / surveys etc should have discovered MOST of the inherent problems within the existing structure. - Any others that you come across as work progresses will often be minor ones, “linked” to the ones you have already allowed for, and can usually easily be solved without any substantial time delay.

The Painting and decorating part of a Renovation or Conversion project should, in theory take about the same time as they would in a new build, - as long as the “preparation work” has left reasonably good surfaces to decorate.

If you are doing the work yourselves just make sure you leave plenty of time to make sure you are not rushing to get the decoration finished so you can get moved in. – For all the work you do on the “structure” of the property, the main thing you will see as you walk around the house for the next few years, is the decoration! – If you made a mess of it by rushing then you will have to live with that “tatty” finish until you have time to either do it again yourselves or get it done professionally. – You can save time on decorating in various ways – have a look at the “decorating” section of this guide for ideas.

Generally, comparing “like for like”, a substantial renovation or conversion project will take longer than building new (especially if your new building is constructed using a “timber frame”).

The fact that the building is “there already”, and you are just basically “fixing it” does not necessarily mean that there will be less work to do.

Just remember when you go to view any property with a view to renovating or converting it, that you have to do all the “negative” work (the taking “down” / “out” and “off”), before you can start the new work (the putting “up”, “on”, “in” , and “around”).

Bearing this in mind when you first view a property may help to alert you to potential problems with the building that are “staring you in the face”, - which could prove to be major “time and money consuming” factors during the planning and building stages.