Knowing your renovation will take four months is one thing. Knowing what is happening in your house in week seven, and what you are supposed to have decided by then, is another thing entirely.
This is the week by week version of a Hamilton renovation project timeline. It follows the home renovation stages in the order they actually happen on site, so you know what to expect, who will be in your house, and where your decisions fit in. The weeks below are based on a typical whole home renovation of around 16 to 18 weeks on site. A kitchen or bathroom runs the same sequence in a much shorter window.
The seven stages of a renovation, in order
| Stage | Typical weeks | What you will see |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-start | Before week 1 | Consent granted, selections locked in, materials on order |
| Site set up and strip out | Weeks 1 to 2 | Skips, protection, the house getting worse before it gets better |
| Structural work | Weeks 3 to 5 | Walls out, beams in, framing changes, the new layout appearing |
| Services rough in | Weeks 5 to 7 | Electrical, plumbing, insulation, council inspections |
| Linings and plastering | Weeks 7 to 10 | Gib, stopping, sanding, dust, then paint |
| Kitchen, bathrooms and joinery | Weeks 10 to 15 | Cabinetry, tiling, benchtops, fittings |
| Finishing and handover | Weeks 15 to 18 | Final fix, inspections, walk through, keys back |
Before week one: the work that happens off site
The build does not start when the builders turn up. It starts when three things are done: consent is granted, every selection is signed off, and the long lead items are ordered.
Joinery is the one that catches people out. Custom cabinetry commonly takes 6 to 10 weeks from the day it is signed off, so your kitchen has to be designed and ordered while the walls are still standing. Same for imported tiles, tapware and appliances. If these are ordered in the week they are needed, the site stops.
This is also when we finalise the programme, book every trade into the calendar, and sort site access, parking, power and where the skip is going. It is unglamorous, and it is the difference between a renovation that flows and one that stalls every fortnight.
Weeks 1 to 2: site set up and strip out
Protection goes down on anything staying, dust barriers go up, and the skip arrives. Then the demolition starts.
Strip out is fast and it is confronting. Linings come off, old cabinetry and fittings come out, and flooring is lifted. By the end of week two your house will look worse than it has ever looked. This is normal. It is also the stage where we find whatever the house has been hiding.
In older Hamilton and Waikato homes, that usually means one or more of the following: wiring that is no longer compliant, borer in the framing, piles that have dropped, or asbestos in linings, soffits or textured ceilings. Asbestos needs licensed removal, which adds days and cost. Finding it in week two is far better than finding it in week nine, which is exactly why a thorough strip out is worth doing properly.
Your job this fortnight: stay out of the way, and be reachable. If something unexpected turns up, we will want a decision from you quickly so the programme keeps moving.
Weeks 3 to 5: structural work
This is where your new layout starts to exist. Walls come out, new openings are framed, and any structural beams or posts go in where load-bearing walls have been removed. If there is re-piling, re-levelling or subfloor work, it happens here too.
Structural work is restricted building work, so it is carried out by Licensed Building Practitioners and inspected by the council. It is also the stage where changing your mind gets expensive. Moving a doorway on paper costs nothing. Moving it after the framing, wiring and plumbing have been set around it costs real money and real weeks.
By the end of week five you should be able to walk through the space and recognise the plan. Most homeowners find this the most satisfying moment of the whole project.
Your job now: walk through with us and confirm the layout feels right. This is your last comfortable chance to adjust anything.
Weeks 5 to 7: services rough in and inspections
Electricians and plumbers come through to run everything inside the walls before they are closed up. Wiring, switch and socket positions, lighting, waste and water pipework, extraction, and any heating or ventilation. Insulation goes in behind them.
Council inspections sit at fixed points here, and each one has to pass before the next stage can start. That is not a delay, it is the system working, and it is one of the reasons a renovation cannot simply be sped up by putting more people on site.
This is the stage where small decisions have a long life. Where the pendant lights sit over the island, whether there is a socket inside the pantry, which side the shower mixer goes. All of it is easy now and difficult later.
Your job now: a proper walk through with the electrician’s plan in hand. Take your time. Bring a coffee.
Weeks 7 to 10: linings, plastering and paint
Gib goes up, then stopping, then sanding, then paint. The house goes from a skeleton back to rooms, and for most people this is when it starts to feel real again.
It is also the dustiest part of the project. Plaster sanding gets into everything, which is one reason many families who have stayed in the house choose to move out for these weeks if they can.
Painting usually happens in two passes: undercoat and first coats now, final coats after the fittings are in and the inevitable knocks have happened.
Weeks 10 to 15: kitchen, bathrooms and joinery
The stage everyone has been waiting for. Cabinetry is installed, benchtops are templated and fitted, tiling goes down and up, and the plumber and electrician return to connect everything.
Benchtops are worth understanding, because they work differently to everything else. They cannot be templated until the cabinetry is physically installed, and then fabrication usually takes another one to two weeks. So there is a built in pause between your cabinets going in and your kitchen being usable. Knowing that in advance saves a lot of frustration.
Tiling runs on its own rhythm too, with waterproofing, drying time and an inspection before the tiles go on in wet areas. It cannot be rushed without risking the thing you least want to redo.
Weeks 15 to 18: finishing, inspections and handover
Final fix is all the small things arriving at once: door hardware, skirtings and architraves finished, light fittings, mirrors, towel rails, shower screens, and the final coats of paint.
Then the final council inspection and the Code Compliance Certificate process, a full clean, and a walk through with you. We put together a defects list, work through it, and hand the house back.
Be prepared for the last two weeks to feel slower than they look. A dozen small jobs, each waiting on a different trade, take longer than one big job. A good programme builds this in rather than treating it as an afterthought.
What you need to decide, and by when
The single biggest thing homeowners can do to keep a renovation on track is make decisions before they become urgent. Here is the honest deadline for each one.
| Decision | Needed by | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Layout and scope | Before consent | Changes after this mean a consent amendment |
| Kitchen and joinery design | Before week 1 | 6 to 10 week fabrication lead time |
| Appliances | Before week 1 | Cabinetry is built to their exact dimensions |
| Electrical and lighting plan | Week 5 | Wiring goes in before linings |
| Tapware and sanitaryware | Week 5 | Plumbing rough in is set around them |
| Tiles | Week 8 | Ordering and delivery before tiling starts |
| Paint colours | Week 8 | Painting follows straight after stopping |
| Benchtop material | Week 10 | Templated after cabinetry, then fabricated |
| Hardware and fittings | Week 13 | Installed during final fix |
What a normal week looks like from your side
Most of the time, less than you would think. You should expect a regular update on what was done this week, what is happening next week, and anything we need from you. If something unexpected comes up, you should hear about it the day it happens, not at the end of the month.
Site visits are welcome, just arrange them rather than dropping in. A live site has trades working to a sequence, and a Tuesday morning visit with the plasterer mid-run helps nobody.
This is the part of a renovation that is easiest to underestimate and hardest to fix once it is going badly. Coordinating six or seven trades so nobody is waiting on anybody is a full time job, and it is why we manage the whole project rather than just the building work. As one of our clients put it, all tradespeople were professional and on schedule, with great communication throughout. That is the standard we hold ourselves to, and you can read more about what professional renovation builders actually do.
Frequently asked questions
What are the stages of a home renovation in NZ?
Pre-start (consent, selections, ordering), site set up and strip out, structural work, services rough in, linings and plastering, kitchen and bathroom install, then finishing and handover. Council inspections sit at fixed points between several of these stages.
What happens first in a renovation?
On site, protection and strip out. Off site, the real first step is getting consent granted and every selection signed off, because the build cannot start cleanly without them.
How long does the strip out take?
Usually one to two weeks for a full house. It can extend if asbestos is found, since that requires licensed removal.
When does the kitchen get installed?
Generally around weeks 10 to 15 of a whole home renovation, after linings and painting. Allow another one to two weeks after cabinetry is installed for benchtops to be templated and fabricated.
What inspections happen during a renovation?
It depends on the scope, but typically foundations or subfloor work, framing, pre-line once services are in, waterproofing in wet areas, and a final inspection before the Code Compliance Certificate is issued.
Can I make changes once the build has started?
You can, but the cost and time impact rises sharply after the structural stage. Changes before consent are cheap, changes during framing are manageable, and changes after linings usually mean undoing finished work.
Thinking about a renovation?
If you want to know what your own project would look like week by week, we can walk you through it before you commit to anything. We will talk through the scope, the realistic programme, and where your decisions need to land.
Read more about what our renovation builders do, or get in touch to book a free consultation. You can also call Dan on 021 855 444.