“How long does a renovation take?” is the first question people ask us. The straight answer: it depends on the floor area, the scope of work and how quickly decisions are made. Below we break the renovation into stages, give the typical duration of each, and explain what usually slows things down and how to avoid it.
How long it takes: general guidelines
- Studio or 1+1 flat from white frame: about 3 weeks of work.
- 2+1 flat from white frame: about 5 weeks of work.
- Black frame and resale flats: add 2 – 3 weeks for partitions, plaster and screed, including drying time.
- Turnkey with furniture and appliances: add about a week for installation. An interior design project, if you need one, takes 3 – 4 weeks before work starts.
Local terms: “white frame” is the developer’s handover state with levelled walls and floor, “black frame” is a bare shell, and 1+1 / 2+1 means one or two bedrooms plus a living room. Below is a stage-by-stage breakdown for a 1+1 flat from white frame. In a 2+1 each stage takes longer, but the technological pauses — drying of screed and plaster in black frame — stay almost the same at any size.
Renovation stages day by day
| Stage | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Measurement and estimate | 2 days |
| Interior design project (if needed) | 3 – 4 weeks, before work starts |
| Demolition and partitions | 2 – 4 days |
| Engineering systems: electrics, plumbing, air-conditioning lines | about a week |
| Plaster and screed | already done in white frame; in black frame 2 – 3 weeks including drying |
| Finishing work | about 2 weeks |
| Furniture and appliances | about a week for installation |
| Cleaning and handover | 1 – 2 days |
In total, the work itself takes about 3 weeks in a 1+1 and about 5 weeks in a 2+1. Some jobs run in parallel — for example, one tradesman does the electrics while another builds the partitions — but some steps cannot be rushed.
1. Measurement and estimate — 2 days
We visit the flat, take measurements and record the condition of the walls, floor, windows and utilities. We discuss what you want and send a detailed estimate within two days. If you are abroad, the survey is done by video call with our engineer on site.
2. Design project — 3 – 4 weeks
Not everyone needs one. If you are changing the layout, moving the kitchen or want a well-planned arrangement of lighting and sockets, an interior design project will save time and money during the build. The main rule for timing: finish the project before work starts. Making decisions “as you go” is the most common reason a renovation drags on.
3. Demolition and partitions — 2 – 4 days
We remove old finishes, and partitions if they are being changed, take away the debris and put up new walls. In a white-frame new build this stage is short; in a resale flat surprises under the old finishes can stretch it out.
4. Engineering systems — about a week
Electrics, plumbing, ventilation, air-conditioning lines. This is a stage you must not rush: everything done here is later covered with plaster and tiles. By this point you already need to know where the bed, kitchen, TV and desk will go.
5. Plaster and screed — black frame and resale flats only
In white frame the developer has already levelled the walls and floor. In black frame and resale flats we level the walls and floor ourselves — that adds 2 – 3 weeks, and most of that time goes on drying. Laying flooring on a damp screed or skimming plaster that hasn’t fully dried means cracks and bubbling six months later. This is where we deliberately take our time.
6. Finishing work — about 2 weeks
The longest stage: tiling in the bathroom and kitchen, skimming and painting the walls, floors, ceilings, doors, and fitting sanitaryware, sockets and light fittings. In a 2+1 flat it takes 3 – 4 weeks; the timing depends most on the amount of tiling and how complex the ceilings are.
7. Furniture and appliances — about a week
Assembling and installing the kitchen and wardrobes, connecting the appliances. Installation is quick, but the kitchen and made-to-measure furniture must be ordered early, at the start of the renovation, otherwise the finished flat sits waiting for the kitchen units.
8. Cleaning and handover — 1 – 2 days
Professional post-renovation cleaning and handover against a checklist. If you are not in Batumi, we do the handover by video: we show you every room and test the appliances and plumbing while you watch.
What usually delays a renovation
- Material deliveries. Some tiles, sanitaryware and appliances may not be in stock in Batumi and have to be ordered in. That is why we buy materials in advance, as soon as they are paid for.
- Owner decisions. Until the tiles are chosen, the tiler can’t start. Until the kitchen is approved, it isn’t clear where to bring the water supply. Every day waiting for an answer is a day the crew stands idle.
- Drying. Screed and plaster take longer to dry in damp, cold weather. That’s physics; there is no way around it.
- Building rules. Many buildings’ management companies limit noisy work to certain hours and days and set rules for the lift and rubbish removal. We find out these rules before we start and build them into the schedule.
- Changes along the way. Moving a socket after plastering means cutting a chase, plastering again and waiting for it to dry.
How to speed up a renovation without losing quality
- Approve the layout and design before work starts.
- Choose the key materials — tiles, sanitaryware, flooring — within the first two weeks.
- Order the kitchen and made-to-measure furniture while the rough work is under way.
- Answer questions about materials quickly: we send options with photos and prices to your messenger, and you just pick one.
- Don’t cut the technological pauses short. A week saved on drying turns into rework.
To show you the schedule is being kept, we send a weekly photo and video report from the site. Labour is paid in three instalments: 30% when the contract is signed, 35% at the halfway point and 35% on acceptance of the finished flat.
Living abroad and want to renovate without flying in for every stage? See how remote renovation works: a contract signed remotely, materials approved via messenger, and weekly reports.