What to decide before a renovation starts, so nothing gets redone

A build has an order: services in the walls and floors first, then boxing and plaster, then everything you can see. A decision made too late means going back to a stage that has already been closed. So before work starts we settle with the client the list of things that cannot be changed later without opening walls.

Layout and furniture before the electrics

Socket and water positions follow the furniture, not the other way round. To place them we need to know where the bed, the desk and the television go, whether the kitchen has an island, and which way the fridge door opens. The kitchen drawings with dimensions must be ready before first fix: they set the sockets above the worktop, the dishwasher connection and the position of the hood.

Electrics: a list, not a sketch

• A socket wherever something will stand: both sides of the bed, the desk, the sofa, the chest of drawers. Adding one after plastering means a chase across the whole wall.
• Separate circuits for the induction hob, the oven, the washing machine, the dryer and the air conditioning.
• Switches at the entrance to each room, and two-way switching by the bed and at the end of the hallway.
• Lighting in scenes: general, task and evening, each on its own circuit or control.
• A network cable to the television and the desk instead of Wi-Fi through three walls.

Water and heating

Where the washing machine goes, the height of a concealed shower valve, a linear drain or a tray, an extra connection for a filter or softener. With underfloor heating, the exact run of the loop, because nothing can be drilled above it later. Radiators are replaced before painting, or the touch-ups come back.

Air conditioning

The indoor unit needs wall space, a route for the refrigerant pipes and a condensate drain. If the installation is to be invisible, the pipes run in chases and in the ceiling boxing, which makes it a first-fix decision, not a finishing one. The outdoor unit needs the building’s consent.

Doors and floors

Concealed-frame, rebate-free and pivot doors have different frames and a differently prepared opening, and the opening is prepared before plastering. Floor height follows the material: parquet, engineered board and tile differ in thickness, so the thresholds between them are planned in advance. Skirting recessed into the wall goes in before the skim coat.

Joinery and ceilings

A suspended ceiling hides services and lighting but takes height. Fitted wardrobes up to the ceiling need a precisely measured room, and recesses for built-ins, island hoods and lighting inside wardrobes need points prepared in advance.

How this works with us

We gather these decisions before the contract, in the working drawings or in the agreements on site. Joiners and door suppliers are brought in during preparation: we pass on dimensions and agree the junctions before the walls are closed. Changes along the way are possible, but they are priced and agreed in writing first.