A full bathroom remodel in North Jersey takes three to five weeks of work once the crew starts. Call (201) 676-3099 or book a free estimate.
A full bathroom remodel in North Jersey takes three to five weeks of work once the crew starts. Powder rooms are faster; master suites with layout changes take longer. Here's what happens each week, what you'll hear and smell, and the two days you'll be tempted to panic. You shouldn't.
Before week 1: the part that decides everything
The remodel is won or lost before the first hammer. At the free in-home consultation we measure, check the plumbing, look at what's behind the access panel and give you an itemized fixed price with a finish date. Then you make your selections — tile, vanity, fixtures, glass, paint — and we order all of it.
Vanities and custom glass typically take two to four weeks to arrive. We don't demo a bathroom until the materials are on site, because a torn-out bathroom waiting on a delivery is how a three-week job becomes a seven-week one. Permits — plumbing, electrical, and building if the layout changes — get filed in this window too.
Week 1: demo and rough-in
Floors protected from the front door to the bathroom, a zippered dust barrier on the doorway, a fan pulling air out the window. Then the tub, tile, vanity and toilet come out. It's the loudest, dustiest day of the job. The debris leaves the house the same day.
New supply lines, the drain and vent adjusted, the shower valve set at the right height, the tub or shower base set level. New GFCI outlets, the exhaust fan, lighting, and the heated-floor wire if you chose it. This is when hidden problems show up in other people's remodels — old galvanized, a cracked cast-iron stack, a soft subfloor. With us it's already in the price, because we looked before we quoted.
Blocking for the grab bars and the glass, the shower niche framed, any wall moves done. Then the plumbing and electrical rough inspections. The inspector has to see the pipes and wires before we close the wall. That's a day you'll see no progress. It's the most important day of the job.
Week 2: walls, waterproofing and tile
Cement board or foam board goes up, then the waterproofing membrane over the whole shower — walls, curb, pan. Before any tile touches that pan, we flood-test it: plug the drain, fill it, and let it sit for 24 hours. Another day that looks like nothing happening. It's the reason we can guarantee the shower watertight for five years.
Then tile. Floor first, then walls, with a layout day where we dry-fit so the cuts land where you won't see them. You'll hear a wet saw outside and get a photo text every workday. Grout goes in at the end of the week or the start of week 3.
Week 3: the finish
- Vanity, countertop and sink set; toilet installed; faucets and shower trim on.
- Lights, fan, mirror, accessories, door and trim. Then paint.
- Glass is measured now — after the tile, never before. A custom frameless enclosure takes about 7–10 days to fabricate, which is the usual reason week 3 becomes week 4.
- Final inspection, then the punch list: every drip, every grout line, every cabinet door.
- The walkthrough. We go through the room together, item by item, and you sign off. You hold the final payment until then — that's the Sign-Off Guarantee.
Weeks 4–5: when they happen
- The layout changes — moving the toilet, the shower or a wall adds rough-in and framing time.
- Custom frameless glass, ordered after the tile is in.
- Heated floors, which need cure time before tile.
- Large-format or mosaic tile, which takes longer to set right.
- A master suite with a double vanity, a freestanding tub and a custom shower — three rooms' worth of plumbing in one.
- Inspection scheduling in busy towns. We book the inspector the day the rough-in is done, but the town sets the calendar.
Quick reference
Your finish date goes in the contract. Not "a few weeks, give or take." A date.
| Project | Working time on site |
|---|---|
| Powder room refresh | About a week |
| Tub-to-shower conversion | 5–10 days |
| Full hall bathroom, same layout | 3–4 weeks |
| Full bathroom with layout changes | 4–5 weeks |
| Master / spa suite | 4–6 weeks |
How to live through it
- If you have a second bathroom, you'll barely notice after day one. If you don't, tell us at the consultation: we sequence the job so the toilet is usable most nights and we tell you the exact nights it isn't.
- Water shutoffs are announced the day before and kept short.
- Dust sealed off, floors protected, site swept every night. You can walk through your house in socks.
- The same crew and the same foreman every day. No strangers, no "who are you?"
- A photo update text every workday, so you never wonder what happened while you were at work.
Questions people ask next
Can I use the toilet during the remodel?
Most of the time, yes. In a one-bathroom house we keep the toilet in place as long as possible, pull it only when the floor tile goes down, and set it back the same day when we can. You'll know the exact nights it's out before we start.
Why did my remodel seem to stop for a day?
Usually an inspection, a flood test or glass fabrication — all built into the schedule from day one. A crew that's waiting on the town or a cure time isn't behind. A crew that isn't there because it's on another job is. You get a photo text either way so you know which.
What makes a bathroom run late?
Three things, almost every time: materials that weren't ordered before demo, subcontractors who don't show, and selections changed mid-job. We order everything before we open a wall, we run one crew that stays on your job, and we lock your selections at the consultation so nothing waits on a decision.
How long does a master bathroom take?
Four to six weeks of work. A double vanity, a freestanding tub and a custom tiled shower are three rooms' worth of plumbing in one, and the custom glass comes last. The finish date still goes in the contract.
Need bathroom remodeling near you?
If you searched “bathroom remodeling near me” anywhere in New Jersey, that's us. First Call Contracting is based in Paramus and sends its own licensed crew to all 21 counties — written price before work starts, no deposit, a real person on the phone 24/7.
Want a finish date in writing, not "a few weeks"?
Free in-home consultation, fixed price and a week-by-week plan before we start.
Or call Alex direct: (201) 676-3099