How to estimate the duration of your renovation works?

Renovating your home involves various parameters to consider, including the quote, materials, labor, and, most importantly, time. A good planning of the different tasks is essential to foresee the duration required for each type of operation. To accurately estimate the scope of the project, you need to conduct technical studies before starting the work. Additionally, the duration allocated to the work depends on its magnitude. Discover in this article practical methods for making a realistic estimation of the duration of your home renovation project.

Planning Essential Tasks Before Renovation Work

Renovation work in a house or apartment may involve the kitchen, bathroom, plumbing, etc. These operations aim to bring a touch of modernity to an old or characterless dwelling.

There are essential studies to be carried out before the project, such as the energy performance diagnosis. This document is crucial to identify thermal renovation works to prioritize. Only an RGE professional (Recognized Guarantor of the Environment) can conduct this study. Furthermore, the duration of a property diagnosis depends on the type of expertise required, the size of the property, and the technicalities of the building.

In general, it takes about 1 hour to carry out a property diagnosis. However, the lead contamination assessment takes longer. The professional must examine all interior walls and coverings that may contain lead. The property diagnosis before work and before demolition also takes more time (about 1 hour and 30 minutes). In this case, the professional takes samples from the areas to be renovated.

If you hire a single company to perform multiple diagnostics, the total duration can range from 1 hour to 4 hours for a standard property. For a large house, a large apartment, or a very old building, the study time may be longer. Once the on-site visit is completed, the professional writes a report and conducts additional analyses if necessary. In the report, they make recommendations and sign it before sending it to you. In principle, you will receive the report by email within 24 hours after the visit.

As an indication, here are examples of prices for each type of diagnosis :

Diagnostics	Apartment (studio)	House (3 rooms)
Asbestos diagnosis	80 €	105 €
Lead diagnosis	120 €	195 €
Gas diagnosis	110 €	110 €
Electrical diagnosis	65 €	90 €
Energy performance diagnosis	95 €	110 €

Note that these prices vary depending on the company you choose. Moreover, you can request free quotes from building experts and compare them to choose the one that suits you best.

Consider the Time to Find Labor

Are you planning a major renovation project? Keep in mind that finding the right professionals to entrust your work to takes time. You can collaborate with an architect to guide you throughout the renovation process. Additionally, entrusting the renovation project of your apartment or house to a construction company is also a good alternative. In this case, a project manager supervises the entire project.

To expedite this process, it is recommended to inquire about certain ongoing or completed renovation projects by professionals. This technique allows you to verify the quality of work and finishes carried out by building experts. Another faster alternative is to register on websites that connect you with a construction company or professional. The one you choose can provide you with a quote indicating the duration of the work. All these parameters are taken into account to estimate the duration of your renovation project.

Understanding the Duration of Different Renovation Tasks

Whether entrusting the renovation of your house or apartment to building experts or choosing to undertake the work yourself, the unknown factor in this operation is time. Here are examples of estimated durations for various tasks during your renovation project.

Updating Heating Systems

Operations related to heating also fall under plumbing. For renovation work related to the heating system, you must factor in the time for dismantling existing elements. Generally, here's the extent of time required, aiding in your budget calculations :

• Individual central gas, oil, or wood heating: 1 week to 10 days (1 to 2 days for installing the new boiler) ;
• Electric heating (basic installation: a water heater and 7 convectors) : 3 days ;
• Insert (closed fireplace): 1 day (excluding any necessary plastering time).

Additionally, there are more environmentally friendly systems to effectively heat your home, such as wood boilers and water-to-water heat pumps. Opting for an eco-friendly boiler can be offset by state aid, such as zero-interest loans.

Replacing a Window

Renovating an opening in an older building takes 2 to 4 hours, depending on the existing configuration. Moreover, fully renovating windows (removing the old structure) takes half a day or more, depending on the state of the current masonry.

Note that windows account for 10 to 15% of energy loss in a house. Therefore, to optimize energy performance, it is recommended to replace them. In this regard, the government offers assistance like MaPrimeRénov' to homeowners wishing to replace their windows. This subsidy is available to all households regardless of income. Among these state aids, you'll find:

• MaPrimeRénov': offers a capped amount of €30,000 to finance window replacement costs (35% of the cost of work for low-income households and 50% of the total project amount for very low-income households) ;
• Zero-interest loan or PTZ: offers a maximum amount of €50,000 ;
• Energy check: the amount of aid ranges from €48 to €227 including tax.

Facade Renovation and Thermal Insulation Optimization

Facade renovation work combines thermal insulation and aesthetics. Additionally, this type of project refreshes your exterior appearance. Renovating a large facade allows for better external thermal insulation. This project requires a significant amount of time. For a 100 m2 house, building professionals typically complete the project in 2 weeks.

This estimate varies depending on the type of facade (brick, stone, or plaster), its condition, and the renovation technique used. The average cost of work on a masonry facade is €40 per square meter. The price of renovation on a plastered facade is higher (€45 /m2). Before budgeting for facade renovation work, you can request free, no-obligation quotes from RGE-certified craftsmen. These artisans provide quality workmanship. Note that for facade renovation, the zero-interest loan finances the operation (€15,000 to be repaid over a period of 15 years).

Installation of a Flooring Material

Whether it's tiles, linoleum, carpet, or hardwood flooring, each type of flooring has its own specificity and installation technique. Pre-cut materials allow for quick installation, such as PVC and engineered or laminate flooring. Here's a list to help you estimate the time required for installing these different flooring materials :

• Carpet (loose or glued): 30 m²/day ;
• PVC (Linoleum type): 50 m²/day (plus 48 hours for resting and drying) ;
• Tiles: 7 to 8 m²/day (plus 24 hours for drying before grouting) ;
• Engineered or laminate flooring: 30 m²/day ;
• Solid hardwood flooring: 10 m²/day (including floor preparation and installation of joists and planks).

If you need to pour a screed, you should allow 1 day for preparation and an additional day for pouring. Afterwards, it's essential to plan for 4 to 5 weeks of drying time. Ideally, the drying time should be one week per centimeter of screed thickness.

Renovation of Walls

Over time, the interior walls of your home deteriorate or lose their aesthetic appeal. Therefore, it's essential to install new wallpaper, paint, or tiles. The duration of the project depends on the size of the rooms in the apartment and their ventilation. The project starts with wall preparation (puttying and crack treatment). This phase can take several days, especially if fiberglass wallpaper needs to be installed. For a good estimate of the duration, here are the necessary times for renovating your walls :

• 1 day per room of 15 to 20 m² for wallpaper ;
• 2 to 3 days per room for painting (including 1 day of drying between the 2 coats of paint) ;
• 2 to 3 days for wall tile installation (including preparation, drying, and grouting time).

Roof Renovation

Over the years, the roof faces weathering that damages it. In this case, homeowners have a duty to carry out renovation work to continue to be sheltered in their homes. The time spent renovating the roof depends entirely on its size, the work to be done, the materials, and the number of artisans performing the tasks. Weather conditions can also impact the duration of roof renovation work.

In the case of damaged framework, you should allow at least 7 days for a roof of less than 50 m². Generally, roof renovation projects last from 2 weeks to 18 days. It's worth noting that poor roof insulation leads to a loss of 30% of heat inside the house, hence the importance of undertaking renovation work to improve it. If your renovation work includes thermal insulation, you can take advantage of government incentives such as zero-interest loans.