What is included
- A design brief prepared with you: who will live in or rent the apartment, the standard, the style, the budget and the deadline.
- A measured survey of the apartment and a list of the work required, from screed and wiring to tiles and paint.
- Quotes from contractors we have worked with, compared line by line and presented with our recommendation.
- A schedule agreed with the chosen contractor, with milestones and the payment for each.
- Supervision on site and weekly photo reports sent to you on a fixed day.
- Furniture and equipment assembled to a budget and a standard you choose, delivered and installed.
- A handover walk-through with a defects list that the contractor must close before the final payment.
Who this service is for
Owners who bought a white frame and are abroad while it has to become an apartment; owners of an older flat that needs work before it can be lived in or let; investors who want an apartment ready for tenants without managing builders from another country. A white frame in Georgia is a shell: walls plastered, screed laid, wiring and plumbing brought to the points, but no floors, tiles, doors, bathroom, kitchen or paint, as the New builds section explains. Turning it into a home is a project of its own, with decisions, payments and quality to watch, and most of the problems we see in it come from an owner trying to run it remotely without someone on site.
Timeline
Brief
We agree the purpose, the standard, the style and the budget in writing. A rental apartment and a family home are finished differently.
Survey and scope
The adviser measures the apartment, checks the state of the walls, screed, windows and services, and writes the list of work.
Quotes and choice
Contractors quote against the same scope so that the quotes can be compared. You choose, with our recommendation in writing.
Works
The contractor works to the agreed schedule. We visit, check quality at each milestone and send photo reports weekly. Payments are released milestone by milestone with your approval.
Furniture
Furniture and equipment are ordered to your approved list, delivered and installed once the finishing is complete.
Handover
A walk-through, a defects list, and the final payment only when the list is closed.
We do not state a general duration, because a cosmetic refresh of a resale flat and a full finish from a white frame are different projects. The schedule for your apartment is written into the contract with the contractor and we report against it every week.
The brief: decisions that set the budget
| Purpose | To live in, to let long-term, to let short-term, or a mix. A rental needs durable, easily replaced finishes; a home can carry more personal choices. |
|---|---|
| Standard | The level of materials and fittings, from practical to premium. The standard is the biggest single driver of the cost per square metre. |
| Heating and kitchen | The heating system the building allows, and whether the kitchen is built in or freestanding, decide a large share of the plumbing and electrical work. |
| Layout changes | Moving walls, wet areas or the kitchen adds cost and sometimes requires the building's or the developer's approval. |
| Furniture | A package to a budget, or pieces chosen individually; for rentals, a standard list that tenants expect. |
| Deadline | A fixed date, such as the start of the letting season, changes the choice of contractor and materials. |
To be added by the team: typical finishing cost ranges per square metre by standard, from a published or documented source with a date. These will appear on the renovation cost guide in the New builds section; this page does not state amounts.
How contractors are chosen and paid
We work with contractors whose previous jobs for our clients ended with short defects lists closed on time, and a contractor who fails a client is not used again whatever the price. Each contractor quotes against the same written scope, so that a low quote that leaves out the waterproofing or the electrical certification is visible as such. The contract is between you and the contractor; we draft it with the partner lawyer's standard clauses on schedule, milestones, quality, defects and penalties. Payments go from your account to the contractor against invoices and milestones that we have checked on site, never in cash and never through our account. We do not take a margin on contractors' or suppliers' work, and if a contractor or a supplier offered us a payment for being chosen we would decline it, under the rules on the independence page.
The weekly report
Every week, on the same day, you receive photographs of each room taken from the same positions so that progress is visible, a short note of what was done and what is next, any problem found and what we propose, and the schedule with each milestone marked done, on time or late. When a milestone is reached, the report says what was checked before the payment is recommended: for example, that the wiring was inspected before the walls were closed, or that the waterproofing in the bathroom was tested before tiling. Decisions that need you, such as a choice between two tiles or a change requested by the contractor, come as separate messages with a deadline that respects your time zone.
What we need from you
- The brief approved in writing, and approval of the scope and the chosen contractor.
- Decisions on materials and finishes within the deadlines in the schedule, so that the work does not stop waiting for you.
- Payments to the contractor and suppliers at the agreed milestones.
- Access to the apartment for us and the contractor, and the building management's rules on working hours and deliveries.
- Any approval the building or the developer requires for changes to the layout or services.
Price basis
For managing the renovation we send a written quote, calculated as explained on the prices and fees page. The contractor's work, materials and furniture are third-party costs paid by you against invoices, and we add no margin to them. The Turnkey package on the packages page includes renovation and furniture management.
To be added by the team: the fee basis for renovation management (fixed, percentage of the works or hourly), which the owner will supply for inclusion in the standard quote.
Finishing for rent versus finishing for living
An apartment finished for tenants and one finished for its owner look similar in photographs and differ in almost every decision. For rent, the priorities are durability, ease of cleaning and ease of replacement: floors that survive suitcases, paint in a colour that can be touched up, standard-size fittings that a plumber can replace the same day, a kitchen that works rather than impresses, and enough storage that guests do not leave things on every surface. Short-term rentals add a few items that matter more than they seem: blackout curtains, a good mattress, reliable internet, a lock that allows self check-in, and a bathroom that photographs well. For an owner who will live there, the priorities move to comfort, light, personal taste and long-term quality, and spending more on windows, insulation or the heating system often pays back in a cold winter. The brief records which of the two the apartment is for, and when the answer is "both", it records which one wins when they conflict.
Working inside a building's rules
Renovation in an apartment building happens among neighbours and under the building's rules, and ignoring them is the fastest way to a stopped project and a bad start with the people next door. New buildings managed by the developer or a management company usually set working hours, noise limits on weekends, rules for using the lift to carry materials, and a deposit or a procedure for removing debris. Changes to the façade, the windows, the balcony glazing or the shared services may need the developer's or the homeowners association's approval, and in some buildings the developer requires that its own contractor installs certain elements. We read the building's rules before the schedule is written, obtain any approval needed before the work it concerns, and tell the neighbours when noisy work will happen. A renovation that respects the building is also one that leaves the owner on good terms with the management that will look after the apartment for years.
What can go wrong, and how it is handled
The contractor falls behind: the weekly report shows it the same week, the contract's schedule and penalty apply, and we propose a recovery plan or a change of contractor before the delay compounds. Quality at a milestone is not acceptable: the payment for that milestone is not recommended until the work is corrected, and the report shows the before and after. A hidden problem appears, such as a defect in the screed or a pipe in the wrong place: work stops on that item, you receive photographs and options with their cost, and nothing proceeds without your decision. Prices of materials move: the quote states which items are fixed and which follow the supplier's price, and changes are approved by you before purchase. The building's rules limit working hours or deliveries: they are built into the schedule from the start. In each case you hear about it from us first, with what we propose.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to finish a white frame?
It depends on the area, the standard and the layout. We do not publish a figure until we have a dated, documented source; your quote is built from the scope of your apartment and the contractors' prices for it.
Do you add a margin to the contractor's price?
No. You pay contractors and suppliers directly against invoices. Our fee for managing the work is separate and stated in the quote.
Can I choose my own contractor?
Yes. We can supervise a contractor you choose, with the same scope, schedule and milestone checks, and say in writing if we see a problem with the quote or the work.
Will I see the work while it happens?
Every week, in photographs from fixed positions, with a note of what was done and checked. You can also ask for a live video walk-through at any milestone.
Can you furnish an apartment for rent?
Yes. For rentals we use a standard list of furniture and equipment that tenants or guests expect, chosen for durability, within the budget you set.
What happens after handover?
The contractor closes the defects list before the final payment. If you use the rental management service, the apartment is photographed and listed next.
Change log
- - Service page created with the full description of renovation management; price basis to be supplied by the owner.