Renovating a new-build apartment should start not with shopping but with three things: find out what condition the apartment is handed over in, measure it, and decide how you will live in it. After that come the budget, the project, and the rough and finishing work in strict order.

Step 1. Find out what condition the apartment is handed over in

New builds are handed over in different ways: with no finishing, with rough or pre-finish work, or with the developer's finishing. What you do first depends on it: prepare the base, fix someone else's defects, or replace the finishing. At acceptance, record the defects in photos and in the handover act.

Step 2. Measure the apartment

Real dimensions can differ from the developer's plan. Measure the apartment yourself or hire a specialist: the layout is built and furniture is ordered from the measurements. Furniture made to the developer's drawing may not fit.

Step 3. Set the budget and the order

Decide on the amount and what is critical now and what can wait. A budget usually consists of four parts: rough work and materials, utilities (wiring and plumbing), finishing, and furniture, lighting and decor. Set aside a reserve separately.

The style configurator will show a rough order of figures for your area. It is a starting point, not an estimate.

Step 4. Order a design project, or at least a layout

Before the walls are chased, you need to understand where furniture and appliances, sockets and lights will be. Even a simple furniture plan saves you from "we are moving the kitchen because it did not fit." The layout comes first, the finishing second. What a project includes: interior design project, stages and cost.

Step 5. Rough work

The order is usually this:

  1. Demolition of what is not needed and building of partitions.
  2. Wiring and plumbing runs according to the plan.
  3. Floor screed and wall plastering.
  4. Rough ceiling, window reveals, preparation for finishing.

Step 6. Finishing and furniture

Floors, walls, ceilings, doors, lighting, plumbing fixtures, then furniture. Decor and textiles that bring the interior to life come last. The order of work: from top to bottom and from the farthest room toward the exit.

Why order matters more than speed

A new-build renovation most often goes wrong because of a broken sequence. If you lay tiles first and then remember the pipe runs, you will have to open the floor. If you install doors before plastering, the frames may warp from moisture. Every step back costs money, so it is better to spend the first weeks on decisions, not on purchases.

Building settlement: what to consider

New buildings may settle. How long it takes depends on the structure of the building, and it is worth asking the developer. Fragile solutions, for example large-format tiles across a whole wall, butt-jointed moldings and seamless ceilings, are better postponed or chosen with a margin for deformation. There are compensating solutions for this: elastic grouts, floating floors, expansion joints around the perimeter of the screed.

How long a renovation takes

The timeline depends on the area, the condition of the apartment and how fast the owner makes decisions. The main delays come not from crews but from waiting for materials and choosing: furniture and doors are made over weeks, and tiles chosen at the last moment may be out of stock. We name the timelines for rough and finishing work after measuring and fix them in a schedule.

Checklist before starting

  1. A measured plan with real dimensions.
  2. A layout with furniture placement.
  3. A plan of sockets, switches and lighting.
  4. A plan of plumbing and ventilation.
  5. A finishing schedule for every room.
  6. An estimate with a reserve.
  7. A work schedule with control dates.

When these documents are in your hands, a renovation turns from improvisation into a managed process.

Three mistakes of the first month

  • Buying materials before the layout. Tiles from a showroom may not match the layout.
  • Saving on measuring. Furniture made to inaccurate dimensions will not fit.
  • Starting without agreed engineering plans. An electrician who "knows where the sockets go" puts them by habit, not to suit your furniture. Other typical slips: renovation mistakes.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a renovation in a new building cost? The price depends on the condition of the apartment, the area and the class of finishing. The configurator gives a preliminary estimate, and the exact estimate is calculated after measuring.

Can I move in right away? You can, if you split the renovation into stages, but living on a construction site is inconvenient and the timelines grow.

What should I do if the apartment is handed over with the developer's finishing? First assess the quality: what can stay and what has to be redone. Decisions on layout changes and utilities are better made before any work, and a layout helps here.

Want to start without chaos and rework? Write to us, we run the project from the layout to the finished interior. All services: services.