Before anything is demolished
Selections finalised. Tiles, tapware, vanity, toilet, screen, accessories — chosen, priced and ordered, with sensible overage on tiles so a shortfall mid-job does not risk a dye-lot mismatch.
Hazardous materials survey, if the bathroom predates about 1990. In this area that is most of them. Getting the answer before the quote is finalised is far better than getting it on demolition day.
The program agreed — working days, trade sequence, and cure time shown explicitly.
Stage 1 — Strip-out (1–2 days)
Fittings out, tiles off, screed up, often wall sheeting back to frame. A skip arrives; on most Bankstown blocks it goes in the driveway, which keeps this simple.
This is when the room tells you the truth. Asbestos sheeting, deteriorated framing, rusted cast-iron waste and previous unpermitted work all reveal themselves here. If something is found, it gets priced as a variation and you approve it before work continues.
Stage 2 — Rough-in (2–3 days)
Plumber and electrician set waste, water and cable positions while the walls are open. Carpentry for new framing, noggins for a wall-hung vanity, and any niche all happen now.
Everything decided here is effectively permanent — the shower mixer position, the niche height, the cable for a mirror light — weeks before you see any of it. Which is why selections have to be finished first.
Stage 3 — Screed and falls (1–2 days, then drying)
The floor is built up so water runs to the waste. Then it has to dry.
Stage 4 — Waterproofing (1–2 days, then cure)
The membrane goes on in coats with drying time between them, then cures before anything covers it. Together with the screed, this is where several days of apparent inactivity sit.
It is not padding and it is the worst possible place to recover lost time. The waterproofing page explains why.
Stage 5 — Tiling (3–6 days)
Wall and floor tiling, the longest single trade stage. Set-out is decided before any tile is fixed. Then grouting, which needs its own drying time before silicone.
Stage 6 — Fit-off (1–2 days)
Vanity, toilet, screen, tapware, mirror, towel rails, silicone. The plumber and electrician return to connect what they roughed in. The room becomes a bathroom in about a day and a half, which is why it feels like it finishes suddenly.
Stage 7 — Handover
Walk it in good light. Tip a bucket of water on the floor and watch it drain. Check the silicone, the grout, the door clearances, the drawer alignment, and that everything runs hot and cold correctly.
Get the waterproofing documentation and keep it. Get warranty paperwork for the fittings.
The calendar
| Stage | Working days |
|---|---|
| Strip-out | 1–2 |
| Rough-in | 2–3 |
| Screed + drying | 1–2 plus drying |
| Waterproofing + cure | 1–2 plus cure |
| Tiling + grouting | 3–6 |
| Fit-off | 1–2 |
| Total | about 15–20 working days |
Three to four calendar weeks in a clean run. Add a week for a wall removal, and put asbestos removal in front of all of it where it applies.
The three things that cause delays
- Selections not finalised. The most common, and entirely avoidable.
- Asbestos discovered rather than surveyed. Avoidable by testing first.
- Variations. Unavoidable in an older bathroom, but manageable when the quote sets out how they are priced and approved.
See the 2026 cost bands or the FAQ. Ready to start? Call 02 4404 0504 or send the details through.
From first call to hand-back
- Measure — half an hour at your place, no cost, evenings and weekends included.
- Survey where the age warrants it, before the price is finalised rather than after.
- Written quote — fittings named, tile allowance stated, variation method set out.
- Build — 15 to 20 working days, with the waterproofing cure time shown.
Questions people ask before they commit
How long does it take?
Fifteen to twenty working days for a standard job keeping its layout, which is three to four calendar weeks. Add about a week if a wall comes out, and add more if asbestos has to be removed first — that has its own survey, removal and clearance sequence in front of the build.
Why does nothing happen for days in the middle?
The screed has to dry and the waterproofing membrane has to cure before tiling can start. That is the chemistry of the materials, not slack in the program. Any schedule showing no gap between waterproofing and tiling has not allowed for it.
Can we stay in the house?
Yes if there is another toilet and somewhere to shower. If it is the only bathroom, make alternative arrangements for the full period rather than most of it. In a larger household this needs solving before the strip-out, not during.
When do I choose tiles and fittings?
Before demolition, not during. Lead times on some ranges run to weeks, and an outstanding decision at rough-in stops the plumber. Finalising selections early is the single most effective thing a homeowner can do to keep a job on program.
What is a variation and how should it work?
Work outside the original scope, usually because something was found once the room was opened. It should be documented in writing, priced, and approved by you before it proceeds. Verbal agreements in a hallway are how disputes start.