The short answer: a full refurbishment with strip-out, pipework, tiling and installation takes us three to four weeks, from demolition to handover. A refresh without new tiles — taps, WC, silicone, paint — is done in three to five working days. Before that come the site visit, the quote and ordering materials. Below you can read what happens in each phase, where drying times come in and how the handover date gets into the contract for work (Werkvertrag).
Before work starts: site visit, quote, materials
Our chief engineer surveys the bathroom on site: dimensions, position of the connections, condition of the pipes, access. Within 48 hours of the site visit you receive the fixed-price quote, item by item, with the construction schedule. After that, the materials determine the start: we order tiles, sanitary fixtures and taps in full before strip-out and only start once everything is on site. That way your bathroom is not left open while a delivery is missing. You can supply your own materials — we check them before they are laid.
Phase 1: strip-out down to the shell
First we protect the floor, stairs and lift. Then the old fixtures, tiles and substructure come out; the rubble is removed every day instead of piling up in the corridor. In older buildings, this is when the condition of the pipes and substructure becomes clear. If something new turns up behind the wall, we report it in writing before we continue.
Phase 2: pipework, pressure test, pre-wall installation
New water supply and waste pipes are laid and checked with a pressure and leak test before anything is closed in. The test report goes to you, with photos of the pipes before they are covered. Then comes the pre-wall installation for the WC, cistern and niches. New electrical connections are made by a licensed electrical firm, coordinated by us — within the same construction schedule.
Phase 3: bonded waterproofing
Before the tiles comes the bonded waterproofing, photographed before it disappears. Without this step a level-access shower is not watertight. Waterproofing and adhesive need their drying times; these are built into the construction programme.
Phase 4: tiles and grouting
Floor and walls, large-format or small tiles, according to your choice of material. How long this takes depends above all on the area and the tile format. Once the floor is grouted, you can walk on it again.
Phase 5: installation and acceptance
The taps, WC, washbasin, shower, mirror and lighting are installed, the silicone joints applied and the bathroom cleaned. You can shower 24 hours after the silicone joints at the earliest — we tell you the exact time at handover. We carry out the acceptance together with you, with a report and photos; from that day, our work carries a 5-year warranty.
Week by week
For a bathroom within the existing layout, the sequence looks roughly like this:
- Week 1: protecting access routes, strip-out down to the shell, start of the new pipework.
- Week 2: pipework completed, pressure and leak test with a test report, pre-wall installation, bonded waterproofing.
- Week 3: wall and floor tiles, grouting.
- Week 4: installation of fixtures and taps, silicone joints, cleaning, acceptance.
This is a guide, not a commitment for each week. What is binding is the construction schedule from the quote and the handover date in the contract.
The refresh: three to five working days
If the tiles and pipes are in good condition, a refresh may be enough: new taps, a new WC, fresh silicone, a new coat of paint — done in three to five working days. Whether that is enough for your bathroom, we tell you openly at the site visit.
What makes it take longer
- Delivery times. Because we only start once everything is on site, a long delivery time moves the start date — not the time without a bathroom.
- Relocated connections. If the shower, WC or washbasin moves to a different position, new pipe runs are needed, depending on the building also through the floor into the flat below.
- What is behind the wall. Where the pipe layout is unknown, only demolition shows whether risers and connections need replacing.
- Finish standard. Large-format tiles or a level-access shower with a sloped screed involve more work steps.
- A building permit (Baubewilligung), if the bathroom moves to a new position — see below.
When a building permit is needed
If the bathroom stays in the same place, the canton of Zurich normally requires no building application (Baugesuch). Under § 1 of the cantonal Building Procedures Ordinance (Bauverfahrensverordnung, BVV), ‘fittings of minor significance under building law that are not visible from outside’ normally need no building permit in the building zone — bathroom, laundry and toilet installations as well as water and electrical connections are named expressly. Changes of use and structural changes beyond that, for example to the facade or load-bearing walls, do require a permit (§ 309 of the Planning and Building Act, Planungs- und Baugesetz, PBG) — in a bathroom renovation, for instance, when load-bearing walls are altered for a bathroom in a new position.
The binding decision lies with the municipal building authority; we clarify your case before work starts. If a building application is needed, its processing time belongs in the schedule — in most municipalities in the canton of Zurich, from a few weeks to several months. We only schedule the start of work once the permit is final.
Living at home during the renovation
During a full refurbishment the bathroom cannot be used from removal to installation. If the flat has only one bathroom, the question of how you will manage during those weeks belongs at the start of the planning. If the water has to be turned off at times for connection work, we agree this with you in advance — in an apartment building also with the property management. We clean the site after every working day. For rented flats, tenancy law applies as well; more on this in the article Bathroom renovation in a rented flat.
The handover date in the contract
We give you the binding date after the survey. Start and handover are set out in the contract, the stages in the construction schedule. For the date to hold, the scope, the materials and — where needed — the permit must be settled beforehand. Change orders only arise if you change the scope, and then in writing before the work is done. During the work you receive an update every week. If a delay is looming — for example because materials do not arrive in time or strip-out reveals damage — we tell you immediately, not in the last week. For property managers this means: only commit firmly to a handover date for the new tenants once the scope is known.
As a guide price for a complete bathroom renovation, we calculate CHF 8'500 to 19'000 for the labour; materials and sanitary fixtures are charged separately. More in the article How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Zurich in 2026? and under Bathroom renovation in Zurich. To arrange a site visit, use the contact form; Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00 we call back within one hour.
This article is general guidance. The durations refer to our own work and assume that the materials are on site before strip-out. The information on building permits reflects § 1 BVV and § 309 PBG of the canton of Zurich (as of October 2026); the quotation from the BVV is our own translation. The binding decision lies with the building authority of your municipality.