Renovation · Schedule Planning

Renovation Timeline Singapore: Phase-by-Phase Schedule

Quick answer: how long a Singapore renovation takes

A typical 4-room HDB full renovation takes 8-12 weeks once work starts; resale flats with heavy hacking commonly need 10-14 weeks, and custom carpentry or imported materials can add 2-4 weeks. The phase order is fixed: quote and design lock, permit, hacking, wet works, carpentry, painting, handover. For project-specific schedules see the BTO, bathroom and office timeline guides.

Most renovation schedules slip for the same few reasons: the permit is submitted late, materials are chosen after works start, or carpentry measurement waits on tiling. This guide lays out the general phase order, typical week counts by home type, the delay causes to plan around, and a week-by-week checklist you can print and tick off against your contractor's programme.

Already know your project type? Start with the dedicated guide

This page covers the general renovation sequence that applies to any home. Three project types have their own dedicated timeline pages with figures specific to that scope:

BTO Renovation Timeline — new-flat paths from key collection to move-in: 2-4 week light, 4-7 week standard and 6-10 week custom scopes, with no hacking-heavy resale work.
Bathroom Renovation Timeline — a single bathroom typically runs 14-21 days including the 3-7 day waterproofing cure that cannot be rushed.
Office Renovation Timeline — commercial fit-out from demolition to handover in roughly 4-8 weeks, with landlord and permit steps that differ from homes.

The renovation phases in order

Every full home renovation moves through the same sequence. Some phases overlap — carpentry fabrication runs off-site while painting starts on-site — so the total is shorter than the sum of the rows. All durations below are planning windows, not guarantees.

Phase	Typical duration	What happens
1. Quotation and design lock	1-3 weeks	Site visit, itemised quote, layout and material decisions confirmed in writing
2. Permit application	1-2 weeks	HDB permit for hacking and wet-area works; condo MCST approval and deposits
3. Hacking and demolition	3-7 days	Wall, floor and fixture removal, debris disposal, site protection
4. Masonry and wet works	2-3 weeks	Brick walls, screeding, waterproofing (3-7 day cure), floor and wall tiling
5. Electrical and plumbing rough-in	1-2 weeks	New points, concealed piping and wiring — overlaps with masonry
6. Carpentry	3-5 weeks fabrication + about 1 week install	Site measurement after tiling, factory fabrication, delivery and installation
7. Painting and finishing	1-2 weeks	Ceiling and wall coats, doors, light fittings, sanitary fittings, accessories
8. Cleaning and handover	3-5 days	Deep cleaning, joint inspection, defect rectification, key handover

The critical path runs hacking → waterproofing → tiling → carpentry measurement → installation. Anything that delays tiling delays carpentry measurement, and the factory queue restarts from there — which is why tiling and carpentry decisions should be locked before hacking begins.

Typical total timelines by home type

Home type	Planning window	Notes
3-room HDB resale, moderate scope	7-10 weeks	Smaller floor area, but wet works and carpentry queues are the same length
4-room HDB resale, full renovation	8-12 weeks	The most common reference case; assumes design and materials locked before start
5-room / executive HDB resale, heavy hacking	10-14 weeks	More hacking, more tiling area and usually more carpentry to fabricate
Condo, full renovation	8-12 weeks	MCST rules often restrict noisy works to weekday office hours, stretching elapsed time
New BTO flat	2-10 weeks by scope	No hacking-heavy work; see the BTO renovation timeline for the three scope paths

Custom carpentry or imported materials can add 2-4 weeks to any row. These windows count from the first day of work on site — the quotation, design and permit stages before that typically add another 2-5 weeks of lead time, so start comparing quotes early. The renovation cost guide covers budgeting for the same scopes, and the HDB renovation quote page explains what an itemised quote should state.

What causes renovation delays

Permit approval. Hacking cannot legally start before the HDB permit is approved, and works involving walls or wet areas need one. A late or rejected submission stalls the whole programme — see the HDB renovation permit guide for what needs a permit and how to avoid resubmission.
Material lead time. Imported tiles, quartz surfaces and special-order fittings can add 2-4 weeks. Choosing in-stock alternatives, or confirming orders before works start, removes this risk entirely.
Carpentry factory queue. Fabrication only starts after on-site measurement, which happens after tiling. During peak periods the queue lengthens, so a one-week tiling delay can become a three-week carpentry delay.
Waterproofing cure. The 3-7 day cure in bathrooms and kitchens cannot be compressed. Contractors who promise to skip it are cutting a step you will pay for later.
Working-hour limits. HDB renovation works are not allowed on Sundays and public holidays, and noisy works are restricted to weekdays. Condo managements are often stricter, which stretches elapsed calendar time even when the labour hours are the same.
Late design changes. Every variation order after works start re-opens decisions that other trades were sequenced around. Lock the scope in writing before hacking day.
Defect rectification. Budget 3-5 days at the end for the joint inspection and touch-ups rather than booking movers for the contractor's last working day.

Week-by-week renovation checklist

This checklist maps a typical 10-week, 4-room HDB resale full renovation. Print or save it and tick each row off against your contractor's written programme — the exact weeks will shift with scope, but the order should not.

Week	Milestone	What you should check
Week 0 (before start)	Scope locked	Itemised quote signed, permit approved, tiles and laminates selected, carpentry drawings confirmed
Week 1	Hacking	Site protection installed, approved hacking scope only, debris cleared, no work on Sundays or public holidays
Week 2	Masonry and waterproofing	New walls built, waterproofing applied in wet areas and left to cure 3-7 days before tiling over it
Week 3	Tiling and rough-in	Floor and wall tiling; electrical points and concealed plumbing installed before surfaces close up
Week 4	Carpentry measurement	Carpenter measures on site after tiling; fabrication starts; ceiling and partition works proceed
Weeks 5-6	Fabrication and first coats	Carpentry in factory; on-site sealing, first paint coats, door frames and doors
Week 7	Carpentry installation	Cabinets, wardrobes and built-ins delivered and installed; check alignment and soft-close hardware
Week 8	Countertops and fittings	Worktop templating and installation after cabinets are in; sinks and hobs positioned
Week 9	Finishing	Final paint coat, light fittings, sanitary fittings, accessories, silicone and touch-ups
Week 10	Handover	Deep cleaning, joint defect inspection, rectification, warranty terms and documents handed over

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a full home renovation take in Singapore?

A typical 4-room HDB full renovation takes 8-12 weeks once work starts on site. Resale flats with heavy hacking commonly need 10-14 weeks, and custom carpentry or imported materials can add 2-4 weeks. Light BTO scopes can be shorter — see the BTO renovation timeline guide.

Which renovation phase takes the longest?

Carpentry is usually the longest single phase. Fabrication typically takes 3-5 weeks and only starts after on-site measurement, which happens after tiling is done. Confirming carpentry designs and laminates before works start keeps the factory queue from stretching the whole schedule.

Can a renovation timeline be shortened?

Partly. Lock the scope and materials before works start, choose in-stock tiles and laminates, and let carpentry fabrication run in parallel with wet works. Permit approval and the waterproofing cure of 3-7 days cannot be compressed, so plan around them rather than against them.

Do I need an HDB permit before hacking starts?

Yes. Hacking walls and similar structural or wet-area works need HDB permit approval before they begin, carried out through an HDB-registered renovation contractor. General renovation hours exclude Sundays and public holidays, and noisy works are limited to weekdays. The HDB renovation permit guide covers the details.

Send one renovation brief for a comparable schedule

A written programme is only as good as the scope behind it. For a useful schedule review, send every bidder the same brief. FixMove needs:

Property type and Singapore postcode
Key collection date or currently occupied
Hacking scope: which walls and floors
Wet works: bathrooms, kitchen, tiling area
Carpentry items and rough dimensions
Whether materials are already selected
Electrical and plumbing point changes
Building rules: MCST hours, lift access
Target move-in date
Floor plan and photos if available

Photos and a floor plan support an indicative programme; the written schedule must still confirm measured scope, permit dates, material lead times, exclusions and any site-dependent variation.

Planning a renovation? Fix the schedule before the start date

Use the renovation cost guide to frame the budget, then send the schedule brief for a written, week-by-week programme matched to your scope.

See renovation cost guide Send schedule brief

Related Resources

Why the phase order cannot be rearranged

The sequence is driven by physical dependencies, not contractor preference. Waterproofing must cure before tiles go over it. Concealed wiring and piping must be in the wall before the wall is closed and painted. Carpentry cannot be measured until floor levels are final, and countertops cannot be templated until cabinets are installed. A contractor who proposes to run these out of order is either double-handling work or skipping a step — ask for the written programme and check the dependencies yourself against the phase table above.

Renovating while living in the home

Staying in during a full renovation usually adds elapsed time rather than saving money. Rooms must be done in stages so one bathroom and one sleeping area stay usable, daily protection and cleaning slow each trade down, and noisy-work windows shrink further around your own schedule. If the scope includes hacking and full tiling, most households plan temporary accommodation for at least the wet-works weeks; for a light scope confined to carpentry and painting, staying in is workable with a room-by-room programme agreed in writing.

What a written programme should state

Start date, and the permit approval it depends on.
Each phase with start and end dates, not just durations.
The dates your decisions are needed by — tiles, laminates, fittings — and what slips if you miss them.
Material order dates and stated lead times for anything not in stock.
Carpentry measurement date and the fabrication window that follows it.
The handover inspection date, with 3-5 days of rectification buffer before your move-in date.

Ask for the programme in writing before signing, and ask how the contractor communicates slippage — a weekly photo update against the programme is a reasonable expectation on any full renovation.

What FixMove does

FixMove (registered ALL-IN-ONE FIX & MOVE, UEN 53505530K) comes to you anywhere in Singapore — your HDB flat, condo, office or shop. There is no counter to visit. One number covers eight kinds of work: aircon, plumbing, electrical, handyman, installation, moving, renovation and full-house customisation. We are open 24 hours, Monday to Sunday, and where the work is regulated we arrange the appropriately licensed person.

Visit charges: A S$10 fuel surcharge applies to every visit. No additional standard call-out or inspection fee applies. Urgent service or a customer-requested appointment time adds one S$30 fee, subject to technician availability and confirmation. The S$30 is a separate service fee. Repair, diagnostic labour and materials are quoted separately; work starts only after customer approval.

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