Apartment renovation schedule by week

What to do before starting

• Choose a company in advance. A proven company with good references has its calendar fully booked for weeks or even months ahead, if you need to start on a specific date, submit your enquiry 6-8 weeks in advance, not one week before moving.
• Agree with your neighbours. Demolition and drilling is a noisy phase that typically lasts 1-2 weeks. Inform your neighbours in advance, ideally with an approximate schedule of when it will be at its worst.
• Nahlaste to SVJ. Most building owners' associations require notification of renovation works, especially if risers or load-bearing structures are affected, or if the lift or staircase is used for debris removal. Arrange this before signing the contract with the company, not on the day work begins.
• Clarify the extent of work affecting load-bearing structures. If you are planning demolition or modification of a load-bearing wall, the designer or structural engineer will assess whether and what type of notification or permit is required, this can delay the schedule by weeks, so address it as the first step, not the last.
• Order custom-made materials in advance. Kitchens, non-standard doors or built-in wardrobes usually have a delivery lead time of 4-8 weeks, if ordered only halfway through the project, you end up waiting for them unnecessarily.

The actual installation is only part of the schedule, also allow time for clearing the flat before work begins and for a thorough clean after handover, which is often underestimated in estimates.

Realistic schedule: complete flat renovation

This is the schedule for a flat around 2+kk to 3+kk without major complications. A larger flat, layout changes involving structural engineering or waiting for custom-made materials (kitchen, doors) extends the total time to 10-12 weeks. A smaller cosmetic renovation can be completed in 2-3 weeks, as demolition and drying of wet processes are not required.

What most often slows down the schedule

• Lead times for custom-made furniture and doors, order them right at the start, not when the flat is already 80% complete.
• Waiting for plaster and screeds to cure, tiles cannot be bonded to fresh plaster, even if the company would like to speed things up.
• Extra work after uncovering the distribution lines, old electrical wiring or a cracked riser can add days or even weeks that were not in the original plan.
• Changes to the scope during execution, any modification made mid-project shifts all subsequent scheduled activities.

The schedule is not created to be followed down to the day; it exists to clarify what caused delays and why.

Shorter schedule for partial refurbishment

Not every renovation requires eight weeks. If you are only renovating the bathroom and kitchen without changing the layout, allow for 4-6 weeks, most of the time is taken up by demolition and installing the new bathroom core, with the rest running concurrently. A purely cosmetic renovation (flooring, painting, doors) involving no demolition or wet trades can often be completed in 2-3 weeks, as the longest phase: the curing of plaster and screeds, is eliminated.

How to monitor the schedule throughout the process

Arrange a regular brief report with the company: a weekly photo of progress and a sentence confirming whether the schedule is being kept are sufficient. This is not a lack of trust; it is standard practice that saves both parties from unpleasant surprises on the planned handover date. If the company agrees to a regular report without hesitation, this is in itself a good sign.

A company that can provide a realistic schedule: not just "within two months" - and stick to it is one of the things we monitor with vetted firms.

Before you begin, read this too How to spot a rogue trader and indicative prices depending on scope.