What order does renovation work go in?
The order that avoids doing things twice — and where most of the money is lost when it goes wrong.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Time
- 30 min
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Structure, then services, then plaster, then second fix, then decoration, then floors. Getting this wrong means ripping out finished work, which is where renovation budgets actually disappear.
Renovation sequencing is unglamorous and it is where most of the avoidable cost sits. Every trade depends on the one before, and doing something early means doing it twice.
Step by step
- Survey and design first.Structural engineer, asbestos survey, drawings and permissions before anything is ordered or booked. Discovering a structural problem after the kitchen arrives is expensive.
- Sort permissions and building control.Planning where needed, building regulations where notifiable. Starting without them risks having to undo work.
- Do the demolition and structural work.Walls out, beams in, openings formed. Everything else depends on the shape of the building being final.
- Then the roof and the exterior envelope.Get the building watertight before spending anything on the inside. Plastering under a leaking roof is money burned.
- First fix the services.Electrical cables, plumbing pipes, heating, drainage, data. All the routes buried in walls and floors. This is the point of no return for the layout — sockets and radiators are fixed now.
- Then plaster.After all the first fix and after it has been inspected. Plastering before the wiring is signed off means chasing it out again.
- Second fix.Sockets, switches, radiators, taps, sanitaryware, doors, skirting, kitchen units. The visible fittings onto the finished surfaces.
- Decorate, then floors last.Paint before flooring goes down, and lay floors near the end. Flooring first means covering it, and covering it means damaging it.
Tips
- Decide the electrical layout before first fix. Adding a socket after plastering costs many times what it costs before.
- Allow drying time for plaster — weeks, not days, before painting. Painting damp plaster means doing it again.
- Build in a contingency of 10-20%. Renovations reveal problems, and a contingency is the difference between a decision and a crisis.
Common mistakes
- Laying flooring before decorating — It gets covered, walked on and damaged. Floors go in near the end, after painting.
- Plastering before the first fix is complete and inspected — Anything missed has to be chased out of new plaster and made good, which costs twice.
Questions people ask
What order should renovation work go in?
Survey and permissions, structure, weathertight envelope, first fix services, plaster, second fix, decoration, floors. Each stage depends on the one before.
When should I choose the kitchen and bathroom?
Early — before first fix. The plumbing and electrical positions depend on the actual units and appliances, so those decisions have to be made before the walls close up.