The bathroom is an essential part of any home, and its design and functionality can significantly impact the overall comfort and convenience of your living space. However, a full-scale bathroom remodel can be time-consuming and disruptive. This leads many homeowners to ask the question: “Can a bathroom be remodeled in one day?” The answer is yes, but it depends on the scope of your project. In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can achieve a quick yet effective bathroom remodel.
The Quick Answer
Yes, some companies can “remodel” your bathroom in a day. However, the term “remodel” is loose here and typically just refers to the shower stall. Companies that claim to do this type of work are typically either installing covers that slip over your existing tub/shower unit or removing the tub shower unit and installing new Onyx wall panels.
We don’t perform this type of work. It is a specialized niche market that we do not perform. The types of remodels that we perform have a longer timeline. Our average bathroom remodel lasts 3 1/2 weeks.
Understanding the Scope of Your Bathroom Remodel
The first step in any successful bathroom remodel is understanding the scope of your project. If you’re looking for a complete overhaul – including replacing fixtures, moving plumbing, or changing the layout – you will not be able to complete this in one day. These types of projects require careful planning and scheduling of subcontractors to keep the project moving along. Some of the factors that make a full remodel take longer than one might expect include:
- Material Lead Times – every bathroom requires materials to be ordered. These lead times can vary from 2 – 8 weeks.
- Trades – a full bathroom remodel will involve all of the major trades – carpenter, drywaller, electrician, plumber etc. Bathrooms are inherently a small space and everyone can’t be stacked on top of each other when performing their work. A good General contractor will create a schedule to make sure all the trades can perform their jobs effectively.
- Drying times – over looked but highly important. The products used in a bathroom remodel sometimes need multiple days to dry & cure before moving onto the next step. Example: tile thin-set. You don’t want to grout tiles before the thin-set cures because that will cause the tiles to shift around and ruin the meticulous work it took to set them.
It’s important to have a realistic expectation of how long a bathroom takes and everything that’s involved. We try to inform our clients and provide real timelines & schedules.
To be honest, the only one day remodels we’ve ever seen actually happen are:
- Replacing a toilet or vanity faucet
- Replacing vanity hardware
- Laying new flooring in the bathroom.
And even then, you may be pushing it to get it done in a day if you don’t know what you’re doing.
DIY version
Maybe you start to think – “I can just spruce my bathroom up this weekend with some paint, trim, and new hardware”. Maybe you can! But beware, if you’re DIYing your minor bathroom makeover be sure to carefully plan it out before taking it on. Use the following steps:
- Material takeoff – make a list of all the materials you need and plan on making a few trips to the store. To be honest, if you’re a homeowner, you probably don’t know every single tool and material you need to get the job done. Even if you make a list you’ll probably stumble into a few things that you missed. That’s okay, you don’t do this for a living so take it in stride and expect it to happen.
- Prepare – it may seem tempting but it’s essential to prep for your DIY remodel. Get floor protection, get eye protection, get gloves, do some research on best practices. Don’t just flush your money down the toilet and jump into it.
- Plan for the worst – Ask yourself – why do I need this to only take one day? Shouldn’t I just do it right? Yeah you should. Our advice is to thrown this whole idea of a one day remodel out of your mind. Most of the time the job is either rushed or low quality if it’s only taking a day to complete.ConclusionSo can a bathroom be remodeled in one day? Probably not. Even the companies that claim to do this have to put a big asterisk next to their advertising because they know that the reality is – nothing good comes out of a quick & rushed solution. Sorry Google & internet searches. We hate to burst your bubble but we also want our clients to have realistic expectations.