Australian Renovation Guide: Bathroom & Kitchen Timelines

Week-by-Week Renovation Timeline

Week 1 to 2: Planning and Design

This is the week most homeowners want to skip past to get to the exciting part. Do not. What gets decided here, the floor plan, electrical and lighting positions, council approvals where needed, the full material list and most importantly the tile selections, determines how smoothly everything after it runs.

One thing renovation guides consistently get wrong is treating tile selection as something to do at some point. It needs to happen here, in Week 1 or 2. Designers at Royal Tiles stress the point that it is important to start kitchen and bathroom planning before anything else, since trades need to know the positions of plumbing and electrical items as a priority. Getting those decisions locked in early saves money and prevents the kind of hold-ups that frustrate homeowners months into a build.

Tile selection is where many people slow down simply because the options feel overwhelming. Our customers consistently tell us that seeing bathroom tiles in person, under their own home’s light, with a physical sample in hand, makes the decision far easier than scrolling through product pages. Clients who come in during Week 1 and take samples home rarely change their minds mid-project. Those who leave it to Week 3 or later often do. That is when delays start.

Week 2 to 3: Demolition

Old tiles, cabinetry, fittings and any structures being replaced all come out now. It takes roughly two weeks. It is messy and noisy and staying in the home during this phase is possible but rarely comfortable.

Demolition is also when surprises show up. Rot behind old shower tiles. Pipes in places they should not be. Walls that are not quite square. In Sydney’s older terrace homes, post-war brick veneers and Federation-era properties, something unexpected behind the walls is more the rule than the exception. That is not a reason to panic, but it is a reason to have a contingency in the budget before work begins. Designers at Royal Tile who have worked in pre-sale renovations across Australia advise building in contingency specifically for this reason. Surprises during demolition are predictable in their unpredictability.

Week 3 to 4: Plumbing and Electrical Rough-In

Licensed tradespeople come in to rough in the new wiring, plumbing and any relocated power points or fixtures. This stage can look like not much is happening from the outside, but it sets up every surface finish that follows.

Getting positions right here matters a great deal. Moving a plumbing point after rough-in is complete costs significantly more than planning it correctly at the design stage. Do not rush the decisions that feed into this step.

Week 4: Waterproofing

For bathrooms, this is a non-negotiable step. Waterproofing must be carried out by a licensed waterproofer, applied to Australian standards and given enough time to cure fully before any tiling begins.

It does not look impressive. It will not appear in anyone’s renovation photographs. But rushing the cure time to save a single day is precisely how bathrooms develop water damage and mould within a few years of completion. The cost of redoing a failed bathroom far outweighs the cost of doing the waterproofing properly the first time around.

Week 4 to 5: Tiling and Flooring Installation

Do not rush this stage. Royal designer team notes that bathrooms and kitchens are often the most technical part of a renovation and take the longest to complete. Grout applied before the adhesive has cured will eventually fail. Taking the time to do this stage properly at Week 4 saves a very costly do-over later.

For kitchens, the splashback gets tiled during this window too. Porcelain and ceramic materials, in general, are loved by most for Sydney kitchen splashbacks. Why, you ask? It can handle heat and moisture well and is quite versatile in terms of finishes. Kitchen splashback tiles are worth deciding well before Week 4 to avoid hold-ups at this stage

When the laundry is being updated, try to include its laundry tile choices alongside your bathroom and kitchen selections. Coordinating all three spaces early keeps things streamlined and avoids extra back-and-forth later on.

Week 5 to 6: Cabinetry and Fixtures

Vanities, kitchen cabinets, sinks, tapware and the remaining fittings go in once tiling is finished. Not before. Getting this order wrong means pulling fittings back out to fix tile problems underneath, which adds time and occasionally damages work that has already been completed.

Lead times on cabinetry are worth checking early. Custom and semi-custom pieces can take four to six weeks to arrive. Ordering in Week 3 may mean they do not land until Week 9. Getting cabinet orders placed during the planning phase is one of the simplest ways to avoid a gap in the build schedule.

Week 6 to 7: Final Touches and Clean-Up

Paint, sealant, fixture adjustments and the snag list. A construction clean also deserves proper time. Royal Tiles advises that cleaning a worksite is not an average surface clean. It requires serious effort and most homeowners either underestimate what is involved or find it worthwhile to bring in a professional cleaning service to do the job properly.

One thing worth budgeting for at this stage is styling. Some furniture does not work in a renovated space the way it did before. New proportions, a different colour palette or an updated layout can make older pieces look out of place. A modest styling budget at the end of the project makes a real difference to how the finished space presents, whether for sale or for everyday living.