Navigating the sequence of trades during your home renovation is absolutely crucial for a streamlined and successful project.
Missteps in the scheduling or planning can lead to significant delays, increased and unplanned costs, and a lot of emotional frustration and stress for you as homeowners.
At Haysey Designs, we have a wealth of experience navigating and planning complex renovation projects by efficiently planning and overseeing the order of trades.
This short article outlines a detailed structure to help guide you, the homeowners understand the logistical flow of a renovation, ensuring each stage progresses smoothly and logically. The level of detail and amount of trades will vary with your project depending on the level of works being carried out – in some cases even more steps and phases must be included. For most residential renovation situations, the order of things is as follows:
Project Assessment: The journey begins with a comprehensive assessment where a designer, architect, or structural engineer reviews your space to understand structural needs and design aspirations. This phase includes measuring the space, evaluating existing conditions, and discussing the homeowner’s vision and requirements.
Designs and Blueprints: Post-assessment, detailed blueprints and design plans (hopefully carefully executed by your Interior Designer with you over the course of several weeks are created checked and checked again. These documents are essential as they serve as the roadmap for both the construction team and any craftsmen involved. They ensure all parties are aligned on the project scope and design elements.
Hiring a General Contractor: Selecting a competent general contractor is essential. This professional, coordinates all the subsequent trades (and there is quite a list) the calls, the emails, the invoices, the receipts, the ones calling in sick, the backups, the supplies and materials for their work, the checking the spend, the monitoring of the timeline, the extra bits you wouldn’t even have thought of part and parcel to their role, the booking of the authorities to check works at intervals throughout the works, the ordering of the tricky and more bespoke items such as Velux windows, doors and steels for extensions, overseeing windows and bi-fold doors being installed and dealing with issues or checking the works, ensuring the project adheres to the planned timeline and budget. We can’t stress enough the time, frustration, feeling of overwhelm you will save yourself if you enlist a good quality contractor.
Keeping your Designer on hand too, will ensure that any pre planned design decisions that have to be tweaked and adapted due to the nature of the building unknowns as the works take shape, will ensure your design stays on track and as natural problem solvers, you will find the process far less worrisome knowing your design will become as planned, and as envisioned.
Clearing and Demolition: This initial phase involves preparing the site, which may include demolishing existing structures or parts of the building that are being renovated, removing old bathroom suites or kitchens. It’s important to have skilled professionals handle this to avoid damaging structural elements that are to be retained. There is dust, there are lots of people in and around your home and there is often a large skip right outside. It’s messy and the dust gets everywhere despite extreme diligence minimising this. We find it’s best to be fully aware of this when anticipating your project start. This can take anywhere from a few days, to as long as a week or more depending on the size of the project.
Foundation and Structural Work: For projects that extend the footprint of the home or alter its structure, foundational work is then necessary. This might involve pouring new foundations, constructing new walls, or reinforcing existing ones. Accuracy here is crucial for the integrity of the entire project. This step requires time and the initial excitement from the big sudden change will wane as the detailing begins.
Rough-In Work: This stage involves firstly removing any obsolete plumbing and electrics to facilitate the demolition, followed by installation of the building’s “mechanical guts.” Electrical wiring, plumbing pipes, and HVAC systems are installed according to the plans and drawings. It’s essential that this work is performed by professionals and often requires inspection and approval by local authorities before proceeding. You should also be mindful of certificates due on completion that will be applicable for any substantial works carried out, but your electrician can guide you with this.
Extraction, AC Installs & Preparations: Proper installation of extraction systems are crucial, especially in kitchens and bathrooms, to manage moisture and odours. These systems need to be integrated into the building’s structure seamlessly. The professionals will be on top of this, but it is a stage that must be carried out before they can even begin to put the room back together. That goes too, for any rebuilding of walls, building out planned niche sections and waterproofing areas that require it, including levelling of any floors or levelling the substrates. AC Installations will take some time too, although most Clients opt now, for the hidden vents in the pre-planned joinery, which link then to a larger unit installed in their home and the fans outside cleverly hidden behind screens and foliage, strategically placed but – again, the initial pre planned and pre designed work begins at this stage in the process.
Insulation: Proper insulation is key for energy efficiency and comfort. This layer must be installed correctly to prevent issues with heat loss or gain and moisture.
Plasterboard Installation & Plastering: Following insulation, walls and ceilings are enclosed with plasterboard. This stage transforms the space from a construction site into something that starts to look like a home. The plasterboard needs to be properly installed, skimmed and thoroughly dry to prevent cracks appearing down the line ready for the finishing touches like painting or wallpaper.
Interior Painting: A professional paint job is essential for achieving a high-quality finish. A large amount of preparing the surfaces ahead of the decorating, using the correct paint for the surfaces, and snagging is crucial in this stage. This stage really must be complete before moving on to installing expensive fixtures and fittings to avoid any damage. After carefully spending time preparing the room, filling, sanding and preparing the surfaces, Decorators will start with the ceilings and work their way down the room. Tiling surfaces will quickly follow this stage if that too, is required.
Flooring Choices: Selecting the right flooring involves considering durability, aesthetics, and the space’s usage. Installation timing is crucial; installing too early can lead to damage from ongoing construction activities.
Cabinetry and Fixtures: Installation of cabinets, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms, follows the decorating. These elements are critical for defining the functionality of key spaces and need to align precisely with plumbing and electrical fixtures. This may also create a few more snagging items to add to the decorators list and it is entirely normal for a decorator to save a day to come back after everyone has been in and installed the final items to touch up in areas that are likely to get scuffed here and there.
Installing Appliances and Fixtures: Once the major work is completed and the paint has dried, it’s safe to bring in and install appliances and fixtures like light fittings, switches, final sockets, and bathroom fittings.
Decor and Finishing Touches: The final stage of the renovation is where the space truly comes to life. Decor elements, furniture, and final touches are added. This stage often feels the most rewarding as the renovated space finally reflects the envisioned design.
Professional Cleaning: After construction is complete, a thorough cleaning is necessary to prepare the space for the final walk through. Professional cleaners often handle this to ensure the space is dust and debris-free because believe me, the dust gets absolutely everywhere in places you wouldn’t expect too!
Final Inspection and Adjustments: A final walk-through with the contractor ensures that everything is completed to your satisfaction and any last-minute adjustments are made
The order of tradespeople in a renovation project requires careful management and coordination to ensure efficiency and quality. At Haysey Designs, our experience in overseeing projects to completion ensures that your renovation journey is planned meticulously from start to finish, we can make you aware of the possible pitfalls you may experience along the way and if you do unfortunately hit a snag during renovations (which even with the very best laid plans due to the nature of buildings and unknowns often do occur from time to time), we can guide you through to the best outcome, to help keep your design fully on track and your budget where you want it to be, turning your vision into reality.
If you have any questions about the sequence of trades for your renovation as it can vary depending on the works you are carrying out on your home or for a personalised strategy call, contact us at info@hayseydesigns.co.uk or pop your details in our contact form and we will come back to you.
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