Make a brief before making a shopping list
Start with how the apartment must work: number of occupants, storage, working from home, accessibility and the date you need to move in. Separate essential outcomes from preferences. “Keep the only bathroom usable until the temporary arrangement is ready” is a real constraint; “finish quickly” is not a workable plan.
For each room, list what stays, what changes and what needs investigation. Take dated photographs and measurements without opening suspect materials or interfering with services. Record the ceiling height, openings and access route as well as floor area. Send the same document to each company.
Distinguish a visible condition from a verified condition
| Observation | Next action | Decision it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| A wall might be removed | Have its role and affected services assessed by a competent professional | A feasible layout |
| Old flooring will be lifted | Determine investigations needed for materials disturbed | A suitable removal method and budget |
| Bathroom has damp marks | Identify the source and inspect affected supports | Scope before new finishes |
| More cooking equipment is planned | Have the electrical installation and proposed loads assessed | Appliance and circuit planning |
| Window or external outlet will change | Check co-ownership and planning requirements | Whether the proposed option can proceed |
A sales diagnostic pack provides information for a transaction; it does not prove that every surface is safe to drill or demolish. INRS explains the client’s asbestos-investigation duties before operations that could expose workers. Commission the investigations relevant to the exact work area before stripping out, not after the crew encounters suspect material.
Resolve approvals before booking an irreversible start
Read the règlement de copropriété. Under the ordinary co-ownership rules, work affecting common parts or the exterior can need a general-meeting authorisation even if paid for privately. Planning permission may also be needed. An email saying the syndic has been informed is not the required vote where a vote is necessary.
Discuss insurance before opening the site, particularly if the work affects structure or falls within the construction-insurance regime. Owner-side dommages-ouvrage insurance has a different role from the contractor’s insurance. Ask the insurer about your described scope rather than assuming the property’s ordinary home policy covers construction risks.
Plan dependencies instead of allocating arbitrary weeks
A useful programme names the predecessor for each task. Demolition needs relevant investigations and authorisations first. Concealed services must be checked before closing them. Drying and product-specific curing times constrain when finishes can proceed. Final kitchen measurements may depend on finished geometry; the installer must specify the required state.
For energy work, ADEME recommends coordinating insulation, ventilation and heating. Do not make a decorative sequence the basis for an energy design. A professional should resolve the technical interfaces for the proposed building and systems.
- Finish the brief and required investigations.
- Approve feasible layouts and obtain the relevant permissions.
- Compare itemised quotations and confirm responsibilities.
- Order long-lead products once dimensions and interfaces are approved.
- Sequence preparation, services, closure checks and finishes.
- Allow time for commissioning, acceptance and any recorded corrections.
Use a decision list to prevent expensive late changes
An illustrative kitchen decision list might say: appliance references before electrical first-fix; approved plumbing positions before closing walls; final dimensions confirmed by the installer before cabinet manufacture. These are dependencies to agree, not universal deadlines measured in days.
| Decision | Owner | Evidence before release |
|---|---|---|
| Shower layout | Owner and bathroom contractor | Feasible drainage and waterproofing solution |
| Kitchen connections | Designer, electrician and plumber | One approved dimensioned drawing |
| Tile system | Owner and tiler | Product, substrate and build-up confirmed |
| Flooring | Owner and installer | Finished height and substrate condition agreed |
Write down the cost of a late change before deciding: alterations to services, repeated visits, replacement materials and delivery changes. A small visible design change can affect several trades.
Define site logistics and financial readiness
- Who holds keys, protects common areas and checks the starting condition?
- Where can deliveries be unloaded, stored and carried upstairs?
- Who arranges water or electrical shutdowns, and how are neighbours informed?
- Who is the named coordinator when two companies disagree about a junction?
- What happens if the only bathroom becomes unavailable or a delivery is delayed?
Request the inclusions, waste arrangements and payment terms described in the official quotation guidance. Compare the dated cash requirements with funds actually available. Keep the contingency outside ordinary spending so you can see whether it remains unused.
A practical go/no-go check
Before the start meeting, assemble the signed scope and drawings, required permissions, relevant investigations, insurance records, programme, payment stages and unresolved-decision list. Agree how site reports and changes will be recorded. Do not call a project ready while a major structural assumption or permission is still open.
You can hold this file in a shared folder and track stages in a spreadsheet or Reno Pro. The useful result is that every participant knows the next task, the condition for starting it and who must decide if that condition is not met.
Sources and method
- Service Public — Devis et contrat de travaux
- Service Public — Travaux dans l’appartement en copropriété
- INRS — Amiante : réglementation et repérage avant travaux
- ADEME — Dans quel ordre réaliser les travaux de rénovation ?
- Service Public — Assurance dommages-ouvrage
Sources consulted on 18 October 2026. Worked cost tables are editorial examples, not average market prices or contractors’ offers. Tax explanations concern metropolitan France.