A turnkey renovation means the contractor takes the apartment from bare walls to a state where you can move your belongings in, and answers for the whole result. This article covers what that format actually includes, the order the work happens in, how long it takes, and how to sign off on each stage. Prices are in a section of their own further down, but they are not where you should start.
What a turnkey renovation is: the line between rough and cosmetic work
A turnkey renovation is the full cycle of work across the entire property: from demolition to the clean-up before you move in. One team answers for every stage, one contract covers the whole scope, and the client is not left coordinating separate crews.
What separates it from a rough renovation is where it stops. A rough renovation ends at level walls, a floor screed and roughed-in utilities: you still cannot live in the apartment. It is a complete service in its own right, chosen when the finishing work is planned for later or will be done by the owner.
The gap with cosmetic work is wider. Cosmetic work does not touch the utilities: repainting walls and hanging wallpaper takes two weeks, but the old wiring and the old water lines stay exactly where they were. A turnkey renovation replaces them completely, which is why it runs for months rather than weeks.
KyivReno only takes on a whole apartment or a whole house. We do not renovate a single room or a bathroom on its own: in that format it is impossible to answer for utility systems that run through the entire property.
What a turnkey renovation includes: the full scope of work
A turnkey renovation covers seven groups of work, and none of them can be skipped without consequences for the rest. The order below is also the order of execution.
- The project. A technical project with the furniture and utility layout, or a full design project with 3D. Without it, sockets end up behind a wardrobe and the water outlet does not line up with the sink.
- Demolition and replanning. Stripping the old finishes and partitions and, where needed, changing the layout with the required approvals.
- Electrical. Rewiring, panel installation, underfloor heating, and points for air conditioning and appliances.
- Plumbing. Water and drainage runs, concealed cistern installation, waterproofing of wet areas and, where needed, relocating radiators.
- Rough work. Plastering to beads, floor screed, and bringing walls up to the standard the finish requires.
- Tiling and finishes. Porcelain stoneware with 45° corners, paint or decorative plaster, flooring, ceilings, doors, skirting, and lighting.
- Handover. Fitting sanitary ware, furniture and appliances, and the post-renovation clean.
The package rate per square metre includes labour and basic construction materials: plaster, screed, cable, pipes, waterproofing and fixings. Client-selected finishes are budgeted separately: tile, flooring, wallpaper, lights and sanitary ware. The same tile can cost 700 or 4,000 UAH/m², so that choice cannot be represented honestly by one averaged package rate.
The stages of a turnkey renovation: from survey to handover
The work runs through eight stages, and each one rests on the stage signed off before it. Understanding that sequence is the main thing separating a client who controls the process from a client who finds out about problems at the end.
Survey and estimate. A site visit, measurements, and an assessment of the current condition. The estimate follows, and the price is then fixed in the contract.
The project. The layout decision, furniture placement, and the socket and outlet plan. At this stage, changes still cost nothing.
Demolition. The noisiest and shortest stage. The moment it ends you can see the real condition of the walls and slabs, and this is where any gaps against the original estimate surface.
Utilities. Electrical and plumbing runs go in before plastering. Everything done at this stage will later be buried behind walls and screed, so photographic records of concealed work are mandatory.
Rough work. Plaster, screed, waterproofing. Then comes a curing pause: screed gains strength over weeks, and that period cannot be shortened.
Tiling. Bathrooms and the kitchen backsplash. Tile goes down only after the waterproofing has been tested.
Finishing. Paint, flooring, ceilings, doors, lighting. This is the longest stage in the Comfort and Premium packages.
Handover. Appliance installation, cleaning, and the transfer of documents and measurement records.
How long a turnkey apartment renovation takes
A realistic turnkey timeline in Kyiv is three to six months or more, and it is driven by the level of finish rather than by floor area. A 45 m² apartment in Premium takes longer than 70 m² in Standard.
- Standard: 3-4 months.
- Comfort: 4-5 months.
- Premium: from 6 months.
Two things stretch the timeline most often, and both sit on the client's side. The first is late material approval: if the tile is chosen a week later than needed, the whole crew stands idle. The second is mid-project changes: moving a socket during the project stage costs nothing, but after plastering it means a new chase, a wall repair, and repainting.
Curing pauses cannot be compressed at all. Screed dries on its own schedule, and a contractor who promises to lay laminate on it ahead of time is promising you a buckled floor a year later.
