Article
Turnkey Renovation Stages: From Brief to Finished Interior
What makes a turnkey renovation intimidating is the unknown: it is unclear what will happen and when. In reality, everything unfolds in six clear stages — from the first meeting to the moment you walk into a finished interior. Let’s go through each one, so you understand what the builders are being paid for and exactly where a result is easily lost.
1. Brief
Everything starts with a conversation. We get to know each other, discuss the task, your habits and wishes — and yes, the budget, right away. It can be a site visit or a video call. The goal of this stage is not to "sell", but to understand what the end result should actually be.
2. Design project and specification
Before anything is demolished or bought, the project comes first: space planning, visualizations, working drawings and a materials specification. This is the most important stage — every decision is made here. Changing a wall on paper costs nothing; rebuilding one that is already up costs a lot.
3. Rough works
Screed, electrical wiring, plumbing, wall levelling. The things you never see behind the beautiful finishes — but they determine whether the interior lasts for years or starts cracking within a season. Never cut corners on rough works: they are the foundation of everything that follows.
4. Finishing works
This is where the interior starts to look like the visualizations: floors, walls, doors, ceilings, details. The main rule is no deviations from the specification. If the project calls for a specific finish, that exact finish should go in — not "something similar, only cheaper".
5. Furnishing
Furniture, lighting, textiles, handmade pieces — everything that turns a renovation into a living space. We select, order and deliver all of it ourselves, so you don’t spend months hunting for the right armchair across dozens of shops.
6. Author supervision
Throughout the renovation, the studio monitors the work on site — so the result matches the project. This is the answer to the biggest renovation fear: "they drew one thing and built another". With supervision that doesn’t happen, because the people who drew the design are the ones responsible for it being followed.
Why design and renovation are better in one set of hands
The most expensive part of any renovation is rework. It happens where the designer drew one thing and the crew interpreted it their own way. When design and realization are handled by one team, there is no "broken telephone": less rework, clear timelines and a single party responsible for the final result.
Frequently asked questions
How many stages are there in a turnkey renovation?
Six: brief, design project and specification, rough works, finishing works, furnishing and author supervision. Supervision runs in parallel with the works and checks that the result matches the project.
Can a renovation start without a design project?
Technically yes, but that is exactly how the biggest rework and cost overruns happen. A project locks in all decisions before work begins — which is cheaper than redoing what has already been built.
Who is responsible if the result doesn’t match the design?
With author supervision — the studio. That is why we recommend keeping design and renovation in one set of hands: there is no situation where the designer and the builders shift the blame onto each other.
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