The times that cannot be compressed
Screed has to dry before it is covered. Membranes have to cure before they are tiled. Concrete gains strength on a schedule set by chemistry. Plaster has to dry before it is painted, and paint applied to damp plaster will fail.
A contractor promising to beat these is either not doing them or is building in a failure you will meet later. When a bathroom is quoted at five days, this is what has been left out.
Rough durations for common work
Assuming a straightforward job, no significant surprises, and a contractor who is actually on site. Add time for structural work, council approvals and long-lead items.
- Bathroom refit, same layout: two to three weeks
- Bathroom with plumbing relocated: three to four weeks
- Kitchen refit, same layout: three to four weeks
- Kitchen with a structural opening: five to seven weeks
- Single-room extension: three to five months including approvals
- Full-house renovation: six months and up
What actually causes overruns
Very rarely is it the building work itself. It is nearly always one of four things, and three of them are decided before anyone gets to site.
- Late client decisions on tiles, sanitaryware and cabinetry
- Long-lead items ordered too late in the programme
- Variations agreed mid-build without adjusting the programme
- Genuine surprises behind walls, which a proper survey mostly eliminates
Decide the finishes before the strip-out
This is the single most effective thing a homeowner can do to protect their own timeline. Tiles, sanitaryware, taps, cabinetry, handles, paint colours: chosen and ordered before demolition starts.
A tiler standing idle for four days waiting on a tile choice costs you time and, on many contracts, money.
Weather is a real factor here
Cape Town winters affect any work involving an open roof, external plaster, painting or concrete. A programme that ignores the season is a programme that will slip.
Where the choice exists, external work is better scheduled outside the wettest months, and roof work should never be started without the covering material already on site.
Written by Edward Whelan, Spoednik Construction · Updated August 2026
