Renovating a new-build differs from renovating an older apartment not in the volume of work but in where it starts and what the building itself imposes on it. There is no demolition stage, but there is settlement, the rules of the residential complex, and the question owners ask most often: go straight to a turnkey finish, or do the rough stage first. This article covers all three, drawing on the apartments we have run in Kyiv complexes.
What the developer hands over, and what you do yourself
The apartment specification depends on the developer contract and the building section. A common handover is a concrete shell, an entrance door, windows, water and drainage entry points, and an electrical cable run to the panel, but screed, plaster, partitions, and even connection points vary. Use the specification and handover record, not the marketing floor plan.
Inspect the apartment before signing the handover record and again before renovation starts. Geometry: wall and corner deviations determine the levelling scope. Screed: if the developer has poured it, check the plane, cracks, and hollow spots. Windows: record draughts, profile damage, and hardware operation. Utilities: compare the actual water, drainage, and electrical entry points with the technical documents. Ventilation: check for draught and access to the ducts. Put every defect in the snagging record before finishes begin.
Apartments sold with a developer's finish are a separate case. That format normally means the simplest materials and the minimum number of electrical points. If the layout suits you, it is a workable option for renting the place out. If it does not, stripping a brand-new finish adds to the estimate something you have already paid for once.
Where to start with a new-build renovation: the first five steps
Start with the project, not with materials. The order below saves the most money precisely because every decision is made before anything is poured or closed up.
- Survey and condition assessment. Measured on site, not taken from the developer's plan. This is where the real volume of plastering becomes visible.
- Layout decision. Where the furniture and appliances will stand. Without it there is no way to position sockets and water outlets correctly.
- The project. A technical project with the utility layout, or a full design project if you need 3D and material selection.
- Approvals with the complex. The renovation application, passes for the crew, and approval for any replanning.
- Estimate and contract. Price and timeline fixed before work begins.
The most expensive mistake at this stage is buying materials early. Tile bought before the project almost always turns out wrong for the layout, and returning it after it has sat in the apartment for six months is no longer an option.
Building settlement: what to do now and what to postpone
Settlement and deformation in a new building are real factors, but there is no universal rule to “wait one year”. Building standards require deformation to be assessed with the soil, foundation, structural system, and actual monitoring in mind. The calendar age of the building alone does not answer the question for a particular apartment.
In practice, check the developer's technical recommendations, joints between different substrates, existing cracks, and the moisture content of screed and plaster. A finish system may call for reinforcement over dissimilar-material joints, perimeter isolation around the screed, and movement joints where the project specifies them. These details come from the project and the material system's technical sheets, not from one recipe applied to every apartment.
Plan the utilities immediately, but inspect routes, joints, and passages through movement details before closing chases and screed. Active cracks, developer restrictions, or contradictory guidance call for a designer or engineer to inspect the apartment. A separate rough renovation can help stage the budget, but it is not a universal “settlement pause”.
Rough renovation or straight to turnkey: which pays off in a new-build
Going straight to turnkey is cheaper and faster if you are moving into the apartment yourself and the money is available now. Splitting off the rough stage makes sense in three specific situations, and in none of them is it about economising on quality.
First: the budget is spread over time. The rough stage closes everything that hides inside the walls at 6,000 UAH/m² for labour, or 12,000 UAH/m² with basic materials. The finish can wait until next year, and nothing already done will need redoing.
Second: the apartment was bought as an investment and the decision on finish level is deferred. Rough work suits any finish that follows.
Third: the building is newly completed and its technical documents or observed defects call for a pause before specific finishes. The rough stage then leaves the concealed work complete while the condition is monitored.
Split across two stages, the total comes out slightly higher than a single turnkey apartment renovation cycle: the crew mobilises twice, and some preparatory work has to be repeated. Run the difference against your actual floor area in the calculator.
