APARTMENT RENOVATION PLANNING
Execution dictates quality. A successful apartment renovation relies on an exact sequence of events, stringent budgeting, and contractor coordination.
Renovating an apartment is fundamentally different from a standalone house. You operate within a shared superstructure. Noise curfews, shared service risers, limited access for material delivery, and strict building management rules must dictate your planning timeline.
Existing-Condition Assessment
Before designing, strip away assumptions. Discover the condition of the subfloor. Identify load-bearing walls. Test existing electrical panels. If the apartment contains outdated wiring or lead plumbing, the budget must prioritize structural and safety updates over aesthetic finishes.
The Sequence of Works
Trades must operate in a strictly coordinated order. Doing things out of sequence destroys finished work.
- Phase 1 - Demolition & Strip Out: Removing old finishes, non-load-bearing walls, and defunct services.
- Phase 2 - First Fix: Structural alterations. Routing new electrical cables, plumbing pipes, and HVAC ducting before walls are closed up.
- Phase 3 - Plastering & Subfloors: Boarding and skimming walls. Leveling floors in preparation for hard finishes.
- Phase 4 - Second Fix: Installing hard flooring, kitchen cabinetry, bathroom tiles, and connecting sanitaryware.
- Phase 5 - Finishes: Painting, fitting hardware (switches, handles), final light fittings, and joinery detailing.
Good For
Budgeting discipline. Allocate 20% of your total budget to a contingency fund. Hidden issues (water damage under old bathroom tiles, uneven concrete slabs) will inevitably emerge during Phase 1.
Logistics & Contractor Coordination
Apartment logistics are brutal. Contractors cannot leave skips on the street indefinitely. Materials must fit in elevators or be carried up narrow stairwells. Specify materials accordingly—do not order a 3-meter seamless marble slab if it physically cannot turn the corner of the building's landing.
Regulated Works
Never perform structural alterations, gas fitting, or primary electrical work without appropriately qualified, licensed professionals. Removing the wrong wall in a multi-story building causes catastrophic structural failure. Modifying shared soil stacks without permission causes flooding. Always defer to local municipal and building management regulations.
What To Know
Order finished materials (timber floors, tiles, bathroom fixtures) long before Phase 1 begins. A 12-week lead time on Italian tile will stall the entire project if you wait until the plastering is finished to place the order.