Order of works in an apartment renovation: the stages in sequence and why

The 13 stages in order

The table shows which stage waits for which, and how many days the work must cure afterwards. It is the same order SIVRCE uses to build a renovation plan.

Some stages run in parallel: rough electrics and rough plumbing both start after the partitions, and screed and waterproofing both follow rough plumbing. If a work is not part of your renovation, the chain gets shorter and the next stage starts earlier.

Which stages your renovation will have, and on what dates, is shown in the plan on the estimate page — price your apartment.

Why this order: hidden works

The order has one logic: whatever will be hidden later has to be done and checked now. A cable in the wall, a pipe in the floor, waterproofing under the tiles — after plaster, screed and tiles you can no longer see them.

That makes accepting the rough works the most important moment: ask for photos before the wall is plastered. After plastering, fixing a mistake means opening the wall.

Curing — time you cannot shorten

Screed dries a week per centimetre up to 40 mm and two weeks per centimetre beyond that. A 40 mm layer takes 28 days, 50 mm takes 42. Lay laminate or tiles earlier and the moisture is trapped underneath.

Plaster needs about 7 days per 10 mm, waterproofing 3 days. More people will not shorten these days: concrete dries at its own pace.

What to check before accepting a stage

This is the same list a SIVRCE inspector checks on site. Use it when you accept each stage.

A contractor may work ahead of the order — you accept in order

A contractor is free to start and hand over stages: bathroom tiles are sometimes laid while the screed in the rooms is still drying. The order is held by acceptance, not by the work.

If a stage is handed over before the previous one is accepted, SIVRCE tells you when you will be able to accept it, and the waiting days count only from then. While acceptance is impossible, nobody counts you as "not answering".

Estimate changes work the same way: if the contractor proposes a change on a stage, it waits for your decision, and until it is decided the project's handover act cannot be signed.

How stage acceptance works in SIVRCE

• The contractor hands over a stage with photos: a stage without photos cannot be handed over.
• Stages are accepted strictly in order. Until the previous one is accepted, the "Accept" button is inactive and says which stage to accept first.
• If something is wrong, write a remark. The contractor sees in words what to redo.
• "Preparation for works" is not accepted — it closes itself when the first work stage starts.
• If you do not answer on a handed-over stage, you get a reminder on day 2 and day 4, by SMS too. From day 5 the stage is visible to a SIVRCE administrator. There is no automatic acceptance: nobody decides for you.
• The payment plan SIVRCE suggests in the estimate ties each payment to the acceptance of a stage. The one exception is an advance for the first stage's materials, no more than 33% of that stage.

When every stage is accepted, the project is taken over with a handover act. The warranty starts after the act; its length is stated by the contractor in their quote. How long each stage takes: the renovation timeline guide.

The stages step by step

1. Demolition. Old coverings, doors, sanitaryware and unwanted walls come out. A load-bearing wall is not touched without a structural report.
2. Partitions. New walls go up before the services: the cables and pipes run along them.
3. Rough electrical. Cables, boxes, the panel. An RCD on wet areas; cable sizes: 2.5 mm² for sockets, 1.5 mm² for lighting. No horizontal chases in load-bearing walls.
4. Rough plumbing. Water and drain pipes. Drains fall 2–3 cm per metre; water pipes are pressure-tested before they are closed up.
5. Plastering. Walls are levelled over the cables and pipes already laid. Each 10 mm of plaster needs about a week to dry.
6. Floor screed. The floor is levelled over the pipes. Drying time depends on thickness.
7. Waterproofing. In the bathroom, the floor plus 20 cm up the walls, up to 2 m at the shower. It goes onto the bathroom's own thin screed right after rough plumbing, so tiling does not wait for the whole apartment's screed.
8. Tiling. Tiles go on after waterproofing and plaster. Tap test: no hollow spots under the tiles.
9. Ceilings. The ceiling comes before the walls, so drips and dust do not land on a finished wall.
10. Wall finishing. Skim coat and paint or wallpaper — after plaster and ceilings.
11. Finish flooring. Finish flooring goes down after the screed and the walls, so it is not soiled or damaged.
12. Doors. Doors are hung on the finished floor: the frame is set to its level.
13. Final fit-out & cleanup. Sockets, lights, sanitaryware, cleaning. Everything switches on and nothing leaks.

Frequently asked questions