How Long Does an Apartment Renovation Take in Sydney?

Most timeline guides quote a build figure and stop there. For an apartment that is only half the answer, and the half that causes the nasty surprise. The build is predictable. The strata approval that has to happen first is the bit that catches owners out, because it runs on its own clock. This guide separates the two so you can plan the real calendar, not the optimistic one.

How long does an apartment renovation take in Sydney?

The on-site build runs from about 2 weeks for a single bathroom to 16 weeks for a full three-bedroom gut. The figure depends on the scope, not much else. Here is the build time by scope, before approvals and material lead times, which we cover separately below.

These are our real Fine Touch Group on-site build windows, drawn from 1,000+ Sydney apartment projects. They cover the construction phase only. Strata approval and material lead times are organised before the build and are dealt with in their own section below.

Notice the full-apartment numbers are shorter than adding each room together. That is the point of a single builder running the whole job: trades overlap and the sequence is planned, instead of booking a bathroom, then a kitchen, then waiting on the next contractor. Real owner timelines line up with these ranges.

The gap between a tight 2 to 3 week bathroom and a 10-week one is almost never the tiling. It is sequencing, late material orders, and approvals that were not sorted up front. That is what the rest of this guide is about.

The part most guides ignore: strata approval is a separate clock

Strata approval for major works takes 6 to 12 weeks, and it has to finish before any work can start. This is the single biggest reason apartment timelines surprise people, and the reason a build that takes 3 weeks can feel like a three-month project. The key fact to hold onto: the approval wait is not part of the build. It runs before it.

Anything that affects waterproofing (most bathrooms), plumbing or structure is major work under the Strata Schemes Management Act. It needs a special resolution at a general meeting and a registered by-law. Drafting, the meeting, and registration with NSW Land Registry Services realistically take 6 to 12 weeks. Minor works, like a kitchen or hard flooring, need only an ordinary resolution and clear faster, usually 2 to 4 weeks for the committee to review.

Here is the move that keeps the calendar tight. The approval does not have to be dead time. While the by-law is being drafted and voted on, the design is being finalised and the long lead-time items (cabinetry, stone, tapware) are being ordered. Run those three in parallel and the 6 to 12 week approval overlaps the prep you were going to do anyway, instead of being added on top of it.

For the full approval walk-through, read our complete NSW strata approval guide or the strata approval resource page.

The full timeline, phase by phase

From first call to handover, a full apartment renovation moves through these phases. The important detail is the overlap: phases 2 and 3 run alongside phase 1, not after it. That is what stops the approval and ordering time stacking on top of the build.

Phases 4 to 7 are the on-site build clock (the 2 to 16 weeks above). Phases 2 and 3 run before and alongside it. Plan the calendar this way and approval stops being dead time.

What makes an apartment take longer than a house

The build is similar. The layer around it is not. These are the apartment-only realities that stretch the calendar, and the reason an apartment renovation needs a specialist who has managed them before.

Restricted hours are the quiet one. Many buildings allow work only 8am to 4pm on weekdays, with no weekends. That removes the catch-up days a house renovation relies on, so the same scope simply spans more calendar weeks. It is not slower work, it is fewer hours per week to do it in.

What blows out the timeline, and how to avoid it

Almost every delay traces back to one of four things, and all four are avoidable with planning. Sequencing beats speed.

• 1. Approval started late. Lodge the by-law on day one, in parallel with design, so the 6 to 12 weeks overlaps the prep instead of stalling the build.
• 2. Materials ordered too late. Custom joinery and stone carry 4 to 8 week lead times. Order them while approval runs, not after the trades arrive.
• 3. Mid-job changes. Every variation re-orders materials and re-books trades. Lock the scope before demolition.
• 4. Unsequenced trades. A separate tiler, plumber and electrician who do not coordinate leave gaps. One builder running the schedule keeps the site moving.

Frequently asked questions