Buying a flat step by step – renovation, part 3

It has finally happened: you are now the owners of a place of your own. Wonderful! But before you move in, a renovation will still be necessary, unless you opted for a turnkey property. Otherwise, before you can enjoy the four walls of your dreams, it may still take some time. But let us take it step by step.

Renovating a new flat

If we have bought a new flat finished to the so-called developer's standard (stan deweloperski), a renovation will in fact be necessary. Properties of this type are basically bare walls, floor and ceiling. They have no flooring, interior doors in the individual rooms, sanitaryware, that is, a bath or toilet, and interior plaster on the walls.

When buying a new flat you may also come across the term "enhanced developer's standard" (stan deweloperski podwyższony). If we have opted for this type of property, we can count on an interior that is an intermediate version between the classic developer's standard and a turnkey flat that you can walk into and live in straight away. In the case of a property finished to the enhanced developer's standard, everything really depends on the developer and the provisions of the previously signed agreement. Most often, however, this type of finish includes plastering the walls and ceilings and painting them white. The flat will, however, usually still lack sanitaryware, interior doors and flooring.

Renovating a flat from the secondary market

The situation is different if we have decided to buy a flat from the secondary market. Its technical condition can vary, depending on our financial means and on how thoroughly we check the property before buying it. In this case, too, there are flats that you can live in straight away. Most people, however, want to adapt the property to their own tastes and needs. To do so, we have to decide whether to carry out a complete renovation before moving in or to renovate the flat step by step while already living in it.

This decision depends above all on whether we have sufficient funds for a major renovation and whether we have temporary accommodation for that time. Once we know the answers to these questions, we can get started. But in what order should a flat be renovated?

Choosing a renovation crew

The foundation of a successful renovation is choosing a reliable renovation crew. We can do it on the cheap, with the help of family and friends. But let us bear in mind that the whole process will then drag on, and the result may not be what we expected.

On the other hand, choosing an experienced crew made up of a group of tradesmen will cost more, but the work will be done faster and more professionally.

Demolition

The first stage of every flat renovation is stripping out the old. Of course, this applies to properties from the secondary market. So we remove old furniture, tear up floors and wallpaper, and sometimes even knock down walls. We also remove the bathroom tiles and sanitaryware if we want to replace them with new ones.

Replacing windows, plumbing and wiring

After the "demolition", it is time to renovate the basic elements of the flat, that is, the windows, plumbing and wiring, if, of course, this is necessary. It is worth stressing, though, that replacing these elements later will be much more difficult, will take more time and will certainly require more work and money. So it is worth doing it at a moment when nothing in the flat has been finished yet.

Walls and floors

After the new windows have been fitted and the plumbing and wiring replaced, you can move on to plastering, priming and painting the walls, as well as laying tiles in the bathroom or kitchen. The next stage should be renovating the floor, that is, laying laminate flooring, parquet or tiles.

Sanitaryware and furniture

The last stage of the renovation is installing the sanitaryware in the bathroom. When everything has been finished and cleaned, you can start furnishing and decorating the interior.

Et voila! Your own flat is ready. You can move in 😉