Pakenham bathroom reno timeline — 3-week breakdown.
A standard strip-and-replace bathroom in a Pakenham home is a 3-week program on site, plus 2-3 weeks of pre-site lead time. The waterproofing cure block sits in the middle of the schedule as a fixed 48-72 hour hold-point, the cabinet lead-time risk lands in week 2, and the buffer day for tiler-snags sits at the end of tiling. Here is how it lays out.
Before anyone touches a tool.
The day the quote is accepted, the cabinet order goes in — joinery is the longest lead-time item on the whole program. Bespoke local joinery runs 3-4 weeks from order to delivery; imported flat-pack is 1-2 weeks. Tiles and tapware are ordered the same day. The Cardinia Shire building permit paperwork (where the job creates a new wet area, or moves load-bearing structure) is lodged in week minus-3. The DBI insurance certificate is issued before the deposit invoice is paid — Domestic Building Insurance is mandatory on Victorian renovations over $16,000 and the certificate is checked on the VBA public register before site start.
Site protection on day zero.
The day before the strip-out we install plastic-sheet dust barriers along the corridor from the front door to the bathroom, lay protection on the floor, and set up a self-closing zip door at the bathroom entrance. Demo day is dusty even with the best containment, so we recommend the homeowner is out of the house for that day if it works for them.
Days 1-7.
Day 1-2: Demolition. The room is stripped back to the studs and the slab. Old tile, old plasterboard, old fittings, old waterproofing membrane — all out. We bag-and-bin in dedicated demo bags so there is no dust trail through the rest of the house. The plumber checks the existing waste and supply lines for re-use eligibility; in older estate homes we often find galvanised pipework that should be replaced while the walls are open.
Days 3-5: Plumbing and electrical rough-in.
The plumber sets the new waste, supply and vent positions to the cabinet datum sheet — trap centreline at 460-490mm off finished floor, waste gradient at the AS/NZS 3500.2 minimum 1.65%, hot and cold stubs to the tapware spec. The A-grade electrician runs the dedicated GPO for the heated towel rail, any vanity LED circuits, the exhaust fan and (where applicable) the in-slab heating thermostat. Both trades sign off the as- built positions in writing before the wall sheet goes back on.
Days 6-7: Framing make-good and wall sheeting.
The carpenter fixes solid backing for the wall-hung vanity (19mm structural ply behind the studs), repairs any rotted bottom-plate that turned up under the old floor, and re-sheets the walls with water-resistant plasterboard. The room is now a clean, sealed shell ready for the registered waterproofer.
Days 8-14.
Days 8-9: AS 3740 waterproofing. The registered waterproofer applies the membrane to the floor and to wall heights as required by AS 3740 — full height in the shower zone, 150mm above the bath rim, 100mm up the wall around the rest of the floor. Two coats with a fabric reinforcement at the wall-floor junction. The compliance certificate is issued at the end of day 9.
Days 10-11: Cure block (no site work).
The membrane cures for 48-72 hours before the tiler walks on it. This is a fixed hold-point. We use those two days for cabinet final-check, stone template confirmation and second-fix scheduling — no boots on the substrate. Rushing the tiler onto a green membrane is the single most common cause of post-handover insurance claims on a bathroom renovation and the AS 3740 certificate is void if it happens.
Days 12-14: Tiling.
Floor tile first, then walls. Large-format porcelain is back-buttered to ensure full bedding under the tile — the technique takes longer than older brick-pattern work but the finish is materially better. Grouting follows tile on the same day where possible. Day 14 is the buffer day for snags: a bad tile batch, a mis-cut at a tricky corner, or a slab-out- of-level reading from week 1 that needs an extra screed pour. If everything ran clean the day rolls into grout-cure time.
Days 15-21.
Days 15-16: Cabinet fix and templating. The vanity carcass arrives, gets fixed to the solid backing in the wall, and the stonemason brings the digital templating rig in to capture the exact carcass perimeter and basin cut-out positions. The slab goes back to the fabricator for cutting, and we have a 7-10 day window for the finished stone to come back. On a tight program we time the templating for the start of week 3 so the stone install lands on day 18 or 19.
Days 17-19: Plumbing and electrical second-fix.
Tapware, shower screen, mirror cabinet, exhaust fan, vanity LEDs, heated towel rail. The plumber connects the basin trap to the rough-in waste, tests the gradient under flow, and signs off the as-built plumbing. The A-grade electrician issues the certificate of electrical safety covering all bathroom circuits.
Day 20: Stone install and basin connection.
The stonemason drops the finished slab onto the prepped carcass, sets the silicone bedding, and connects the basin waste. We straight-edge the carcass top before the slab lands — a 2mm dip becomes a stress crack in the stone within months.
Day 21: Handover and documentation.
Final clean, defect walk-through with the homeowner, and the documentation pack: AS 3740 waterproofing certificate, certificate of electrical safety, plumbing compliance certificate (where the work was notifiable), DBI insurance certificate, and the 6-year structural-defect warranty letter. The room is finished, photographed and signed off.
Service areas across Cardinia.
Free 3-week program quote.
Written day-by-day schedule, fixed price, certified trades and a clean documentation pack at handover. Email quotes@pakenhambathroomrenovations.com.au.