How to plan a flat renovation — a step-by-step task list

Plan first, hammer later

The most expensive renovation mistakes usually come from rushing at the start: a crew booked too late, tiles with a month-long wait, or sockets planned only after the plastering is done. Before you knock anything down, write down all the tasks and put them in order.

The typical order of work

Every home is different, but in most renovations the order looks similar:

1. Design and budget — what you are changing, what it may cost, how much to keep for surprises.
2. Quotes and booking crews — good crews are booked weeks ahead.
3. Ordering materials with long delivery times — tiles, doors, windows, made-to-measure furniture.
4. Strip-out and rubble removal.
5. Installations — electrics, plumbing, heating (before you close the walls!).
6. Plastering, screeds, skimming — and time to dry.
7. Tiling, flooring, painting.
8. Fitting — doors, bathroom fixtures, lighting, kitchen.
9. Cleaning and sign-off.

A task list to copy

• Write down the scope of work and a budget with a buffer
• Get at least two quotes from crews
• Book the crew (with a date in the calendar)
• Choose and order tiles
• Order doors / made-to-measure furniture
• Order a skip or rubble removal
• Strip out the old kitchen / bathroom
• Electrician’s quote and work
• Plumber’s work
• Buy paint, tape and protective sheeting
• Painting
• Fit the lighting
• Sign off the work and list the fixes

How to run a renovation on a shared board

Several people are usually involved in a renovation: the household, the crew, sometimes family helping out. A shared board means everyone looks at the same list.

1. Create a “Renovation” board and invite the people who make decisions or do the work.
2. Add the tasks from the list above. Put the details in the card description: dimensions, colour, a product link, the agreed price.
3. Assign people and set dates — including multi-day ones, e.g. “Kitchen strip-out, 23–25 September, all day”.
4. Switch the board to the calendar view. You can see straight away whether crews overlap, and when the same person has two tasks at once, the app shows a scheduling conflict warning and suggests a free slot.
5. Shopping in several stores? Add a location to the tasks and plan a route around the suppliers for one day.

What to watch out for

• Order materials with long delivery times at the very start — they most often hold the work up.
• Leave time for plaster and screed to dry; the next crew can’t start earlier.
• Write every change of plan on the card — the change history will later show who changed what and when.
• When the renovation is finished, you can archive the board — it stays as a record.