Every client asks the same first question, and most contractors answer it with whatever number wins the job. Here is the honest version, based on our last three hundred projects — and the three delays that decide whether your project matches it.
Typical timelines by property type
These ranges assume a full renovation — wet works, flooring, painting and carpentry — with materials confirmed before work starts. Cosmetic refreshes run much faster; structural surprises run slower.
- Condominium unit (800–1,400 sq ft): 8 to 12 weeks. Add 2 to 4 weeks upfront for management approval before anyone lifts a hammer.
- Terrace house: 10 to 16 weeks, depending on how much wet work and rewiring the age of the house demands.
- Semi-D or bungalow: 14 to 24 weeks for a full renovation; longer if the scope includes extensions.
- Single bathroom: 3 to 4 weeks. Anyone promising one week is skipping waterproofing cure times — which is how you buy a leak.
Where the time actually goes
Wet works cannot be rushed
Waterproofing membranes need proper curing and a flood test before tiling. Screeds need days to dry in Malaysian humidity. Compressing this stage is the single most common cause of renovations that leak within a year.
Carpentry runs in parallel — if you decide early
Custom cabinetry takes four to six weeks in the workshop. On a well-run project it is fabricated while wet works happen on site. But the clock only starts when you confirm the design, which brings us to the delays.
The three delays nobody budgets for
- Owner decisions. The tile you cannot choose is a week of idle site time. We ask clients to lock all materials before demolition day — it is the cheapest schedule insurance that exists.
- Approvals. Condo management offices and local councils move at their own speed. Submit before you sign anything with a fixed end date.
- What the walls were hiding. Corroded pipes, termite damage, illegal previous wiring. On houses older than twenty years, assume a two-week contingency and be pleasantly surprised if you do not use it.
How to read a contractor's schedule
Ask for a stage-by-stage schedule, not a single end date. A contractor who can tell you which week tiling starts has actually planned the job. A contractor who only offers a finish date is guessing — and you are the one holding the guess.
Planning a project of your own? Send us the floor plan and we will give you a stage-by-stage estimate for free.