The complete home-renovation checklist

Most renovation stress comes from doing the right things in the wrong order — tiling before the wiring is in, painting before the dust-making work is done. This checklist walks the phases in the sequence the trades actually need. Adapt the depth to your project, but keep the order.

Phase 1 — Planning & budget

• Define the scope room by room and decide what is must-have vs nice-to-have.
• Set a total budget and split it into categories, with a contingency line.
• Measure every room and sketch the layout you want — including where plumbing and sockets need to move.
• Decide what you will live through vs what needs you off-site.

Phase 2 — Permits & approvals

In Bulgaria, cosmetic work (paint, floors, replacing fixtures like-for-like) generally needs no permit. Anything that touches the structure, the facade, shared building elements, or moves load-bearing walls and main services usually does — and an apartment in a shared building often needs the management's or co-owners' agreement. Check before you start; retrofitting approval is painful.

Phase 3 — Demolition & strip-out

• Protect what stays — floors, windows, anything not being replaced.
• Strip back to the substrate where new finishes are going.
• Arrange skip / debris removal up front; it always takes more trips than expected.
• Photograph what is behind the walls before you close them up — pipe and cable runs are worth a record.

Phase 4 — Systems (first fix)

This is the phase you cannot rush or reorder. Plumbing, electrics, heating and ventilation rough-in all happen now, while walls and floors are open. Get it inspected and signed off before anything is covered.

• Run new plumbing and waste before tiling — confirm fixture positions on the wall first.
• Complete the rewire: circuits, socket and switch boxes, consumer unit, data and lighting points.
• Install heating runs (radiators or underfloor loops) and any ventilation.
• Have first-fix inspected and signed off before walls close.

Phase 5 — Finishes (second fix)

1. Plaster and let it dry fully before anything goes on top.
2. Waterproof wet areas, then tile floors and walls.
3. Lay flooring in dry rooms once dust-making work is finished.
4. Fit kitchens, wardrobes and built-ins.
5. Second-fix electrics and plumbing: hang fixtures, fit sockets, switches, taps and sanitaryware.
6. Paint and decorate last, after the messy trades have left.

Phase 6 — Snagging & handover

• Walk every room in good light and list every defect — chips, gaps, doors that catch, paint misses.
• Test everything: every socket, tap, drain, light and appliance.
• Agree fixes and a date with the contractor before the final payment.
• Collect warranties, manuals and the as-built notes; keep them with the project record.
• Take 'after' photos of every room — for your own record and for the next time.

Plan your own renovation

Bring a photo or a floor plan and Sereno proposes the next right move — you only ever have to say yes.

Written by the team renovating a real four-floor house in Krasen, Bulgaria. Figures are indicative and not professional engineering, legal, or financial advice.