Interior Renovations Step by Step

Every interior renovation follows the same order, whether it is one bathroom or a whole home, because each trade builds on the one before it. Smaller jobs skip steps: if you are only updating paint or flooring, most of this list falls away. The order can also vary a little from one contractor to the next. Knowing it tells you when your decisions are due, and why a late choice in the second week can hold up the sixth.

Preparation

Before anything is taken apart, the job is set up. Permits are in hand where the work needs them, and in a co-op or condo the building has consented in writing. The schedule is fixed. Water, gas and power to the room are shut off, dust barriers go up and the path the debris will take out of the building is protected. Cabinets are ordered now, because they take the longest to arrive.

Demolition

Before anything new goes in, the old comes out. That can mean pulling up carpet, stripping wallpaper or taking down walls. Some demolition is quick and some takes much longer. Have your own plan ready before it starts: either stay somewhere else, or move what the room did, cooking or bathing, to another part of the home.

Framing

Now the rebuilding begins. New walls are framed, with openings for doors, and a beam goes in wherever an opening has been widened. We check the framing for level and evenness and look at the floor structure at this point, because cabinets and tile will show every fault later. In a house, an addition gets its roof and its outside skin at this stage.

Plumbing, gas, electrical and ducts

With the walls open, the systems inside them are run or moved. Four things are worth knowing.

• Water lines are not easy to move. Plan a kitchen or bathroom around the existing pipes where you can. This is also the moment to replace old supply lines with new copper, which is sturdier and runs more quietly.
• Gas brings its own requirements. Adding gas appliances means new piping and sometimes a larger meter. In New York City a licensed master plumber must get the permit to install or alter gas piping.
• New appliances and more devices may outgrow the panel. If so, the electrical panel is upgraded now. An electrical permit is required for most electrical work.
• Heating and cooling ducts are moved or extended to suit the new layout.

We walk the room with you to confirm where every light, switch and outlet goes. Then the wiring, the plumbing and the framing are inspected. This is the last point at which changing your mind is cheap. Once the walls close, moving an outlet means opening them again.

Walls

Insulation goes in first. Then drywall is hung, taped, coated with joint compound and sanded smooth. Wet areas of a bathroom get cement board and waterproofing in place of ordinary drywall. When the walls are smooth they are ready for paint, wallpaper or whatever finish you chose during planning.

Flooring

Contractors differ here. Some lay the floor after the walls are painted, so that painting cannot damage it. Others lay it earlier and protect it. On our kitchen schedule the finish floor goes down before the cabinets. Either way it is settled with you during planning, not on the day.

Cabinets and counters

This is where your own choices begin to show. Kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities are installed, from the upper storage cabinets down. Counters come after: a template is made from the installed cabinets, and the counter is cut from it with the openings for the sink and the appliances.

Appliances and fixtures

Now the space is made to work. The refrigerator, the range, the sinks, the tub, the faucets and the washer and dryer are fitted and connected. Appliances you decided to keep go into their new positions at the same time, and the plumber and the electrician return to finish their connections.

Final touches and walk-through

The last stage is small work that makes the largest difference to how the job looks: paint touch-ups, the backsplash, light fixtures, door and window trim, hooks, shelving and hardware. Then comes the cleanup and a walk-through with you. Anything that still needs attention goes on a final punch list and is closed out.

The same order, with the tasks in each stage, is laid out room by room on our kitchen remodel timeline and bathroom remodel timeline. For how we manage a whole job, see home renovation in NYC and our design and build process. What to settle before step one is in our tips for planning your home renovation.

Questions people ask