Renovating a new-build apartment: where to start after buying

1. Find out what you have

The "white frame" in the contract and what stands in the apartment do not always match. Walk through and check six works:

• Floor screed
• Wall plaster
• Rough electrics
• Rough plumbing
• Waterproofing
• Partitions

Tick what is done on the estimate page and the estimate leaves it out. What is missing stays in. Where each should be and how to check it: the guide to frames.

On the screed specifically: in a new build it may be fresh. By the norm a 50 mm layer dries in 42 days; measure the moisture before laying the floor.

2. Layout and permits — before the wiring

Partitions and the position of the kitchen and bathroom are decided before the wiring: cables and pipes run to the new walls and wet points. Any change afterwards means tearing out finished work.

Only a load-bearing wall stops work from starting: it is not touched without a structural report. Everything else is done and legalised afterwards. In SIVRCE, preparing a permit is a separate service taken on by an architect.

3. The balcony

A Georgian property document includes balconies and terraces in the apartment's area with no reduction. SIVRCE prices the balcony separately — not at the apartment's rate — and asks what to do with it:

• Nothing — the balcony is not in the estimate
• Finishing — tiles, paint, lighting
• Finishing and glazing — tiles, paint, lighting, windows
• Join to a room — insulation, windows, finished like a room

For an 8 m² balcony in a 65 m² apartment (white frame, Standard), each option adds to the estimate:

Joining it to a room changes the facade, so the calculator adds it to your permits. Facade changes (windows, balcony) need facade drawings and the owners' association's consent — 30–120 days.

Drawings and design: when you need an architect

If you are changing the layout or want to see the result first, SIVRCE lets you order a service from an architect or a designer:

• Permit — Paperwork for load-bearing walls, facade or change of use
• Measured survey — An exact floor plan with dimensions — the estimate is built on it
• Redesign project — A new layout, drawings for the crew and for approval
• Interior concept — Furniture layout, style and colours — in one or two options
• Full design project — Drawings, visualisations and a materials specification
• Design supervision — Site visits: the crew builds to the drawings, not by eye

The request goes to specialists with that profile, they send quotes with a price and a timeline, and you choose one. The chosen specialist joins the project and delivers the files there; you accept a delivery or return it with a remark. Only the chosen specialist sees your contacts and address.

If you are not renovating the whole apartment at once

Some people do the bathroom and kitchen first and the rest later. The calculator also prices a single room — a bathroom, kitchen or room — without apartment-wide works (panel, partitions). A 10 m² kitchen in the Standard grade is about 9,713 ₾; for the bathroom, see the bathroom guide.

Mind the order: the panel and main wiring are done once for the whole apartment. If the rooms come later, tell the contractor now where the future points will be.

What SIVRCE does, and what it does not

SIVRCE does not sell apartments and does not accept the developer's work. It prices the renovation for the real condition, connects you with checked contractors and keeps the site visit, the contract, the stages and the receipts in one place. Money between you and the contractor does not pass through SIVRCE: you confirm a payment with a receipt.

4. Budget and timeline

In a black frame the screed's drying lengthens the timeline: a 50 mm layer takes 42 days. Prices for all grades: the renovation cost guide.

Renovating a new build step by step

1. Take over the apartment and check the six works. Screed, plaster, electrics, water, waterproofing, partitions — what is there and what is missing.
2. Price it for the real condition. Pick the condition in the calculator, then on the estimate page tick what the developer did and add apartment details: bathrooms, rooms, ceiling height, balcony.
3. Settle the layout. Partitions, wet areas, balcony — before the wiring. A load-bearing wall only with a structural report.
4. Invite contractors. Following the guide to choosing a contractor: checks, site visit, quote.
5. Sign after the site visit. The amount is fixed; after that it changes only through a change you approve.
6. Accept the stages in order. Following the renovation stages: hidden works before they are closed up.
7. Sign the handover act. Once every stage is accepted. The warranty starts after the act.

Frequently asked questions