BuildPath Room renovation plan Room Renovation Plan · USD 29
Kitchen, 1930s semi, Sheffield
The order of work, which trade comes when, what you decide before anyone starts, and the four things that make a kitchen overrun.
You know what you want the kitchen to look like. This plan is about the order it has to happen in, because sequencing is where first renovations lose money. Every item below exists to stop one of two things: a trade arriving before the work they need is done, or a decision being made after the point where changing it costs real money.
A kitchen of this size is a five week job with the trades sequenced correctly and seven weeks with them sequenced the way most homeowners do it. Three decisions, appliances, tiles and the sink, must be final before the plasterer books, and all three are currently open.
Order
Who comes when, and why
Trade windows across the five weeks. The overlaps are deliberate and the gaps are drying time, which cannot be compressed by paying anyone more.
Two items are commonly got wrong. Electrics before plumbing means a cable in the way of a waste pipe, and worktop templating before the units are fitted means a worktop that does not fit. Both add a week.
Decisions
What has to be final, and when
| Decision | Final by | What it blocks | Cost of changing later |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appliance list and sizes | Before first fix | Plumbing and electrical positions | High. Chasing walls again |
| Sink position and type | Before first fix | Waste run, and whether the island is possible | High |
| Tile choice | Before plastering | Wall build-up and therefore unit depth | Medium |
| Layout and unit run | Before ordering | Everything | Very high |
| Worktop material | Before templating | Lead time only | Low, if before week 4 |
| Handles and paint | Before second fix | Nothing | Low |
| Lighting positions | Before first fix electrics | Ceiling work and plastering | Medium |
Handles and paint are the decisions people agonise over and they are the two that can be left latest. Appliances and the sink are the ones people leave open and they are the two that cost the most to change.
Budget
Where the money goes, and what is usually forgotten
Quotes
Making contractors quote the same thing
Quotes are only comparable if they cover the same scope. These are the eight lines that are usually missing, and the reason two quotes can differ by 30 percent and both be honest.
- Who supplies the units, you or them
- Is making good and plastering included after first fix
- Skip hire and waste removal, in or out
- Is the electrical certificate included
- Who templates and fits the worktop
- Is decorating included or is it a bare plastered finish
- What happens if the floor needs levelling
- Payment stages, and what is due before anyone starts
| Stage | Typical payment | Do not |
|---|---|---|
| Booking | Nothing, or a small deposit | Pay more than 10 percent before work starts |
| Materials | On delivery to site, evidenced | Pay for materials you cannot see |
| First fix complete | Stage payment | Pay ahead of completed stages |
| Units fitted | Stage payment | |
| Snagging complete | Final balance, after your list is cleared | Pay the final balance before snagging |
Holding a meaningful final payment until your snagging list is cleared is the only leverage you have at the end of a job, and it is the thing first-time renovators give away.
Living in it
Five weeks without a kitchen
- Before week 1
Set up a temporary kitchen somewhere else
Kettle, microwave, air fryer, a table, the fridge relocated. Do this before the strip out, not during it.
- Week 1
Agree working hours and a dust plan in writing
Start time, finish time, which door they use, where the skip goes, and dust sheeting on the route through the house.
- Weekly
One fifteen minute walk round with the lead trade
Same day each week. Most disputes on small projects come from decisions made on site that nobody told the owner about.
- Week 3
Do not add anything
The mid-project extra is the most expensive money in any renovation. Write it down and do it after, as its own job.
- Week 5
Snag in daylight, with a list
Room empty, lights off, natural light. Photograph everything, one list, one email. Then release the final payment.