After accepting partial apartment finishing work, it is important for the new resident to clarify their needs, decide how the living space will be used, and prepare an apartment finishing project together with specialists.
“When preparing a finishing project, the most important thing is the layout, the arrangement of zones and the engineering applied to them. First, we review whether the layout is appropriate and whether it can be adjusted to be more convenient. Possible furniture layout plans are presented. After approving the most suitable one, plans for plumbing, electricity, lighting, ceiling, floor, and wall finishes are prepared for the customer. Door widths and directions are evaluated to make living comfortable and meet ergonomic standards,” says Ramunė Vytė, Finishing Project Manager at “Apdailos formato”.
A home decoration project allows you to find out the full estimate of the work before it begins. If there is no project, the estimate remains indicative only.
“By seeing the final estimate, a resident can reconcile their options and needs in advance. If you have to save money, it is best to make changes before starting work. The more work that has been done, the fewer opportunities there are to reduce costs. For example, there are several savings opportunities when installing ceilings – you can do without niches for curtains or LED lighting. If you need to save more, you can replace plaster ceilings with stretch ceilings, and allocate more funds to better flooring. But if there is no project and the ceiling has already been installed, you will not be able to redistribute the funds,” says the finishing expert.
A finishing project allows you to avoid delays and save money
A prepared project allows not only to calculate finances effectively, but also to carry out work optimally – it is possible to predict what exactly and how much time is needed, in what sequence the work is performed. The quantities of all finishing materials are estimated in advance, which helps to order materials on time and carry out finishing work without delay.
“The clearer the project plan, the fewer surprises there are and the more carefully everything is implemented. When homeowners plan themselves, there are situations where tiles need to be laid and they still have to wait a month. As a result, other work stops,” says R. Vytė.
She notes that qualified designers can be of great help to the homeowner. “Preparing a project requires technical knowledge about electricity, lighting, and materials. Designers have the experience to assess and advise on what will best meet the homeowner’s needs and expectations, not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also practically in the long term. By delving into the lifestyle, hobbies, and habits of the settlers, they can inform in advance about the characteristics of certain selected solutions or materials during their operation,” says the home decoration expert.
According to her, there are many good solutions and materials, but what is suitable for a young person will not always be suitable for a family with children. Additional needs arise for those who have pets, work at home, like to cook, and other solutions are needed when furnishing an apartment that is planned to be rented out.
“A qualified specialist during the project preparation helps to adjust the finish to the client’s financial capabilities. For example, when choosing mosaic for bathroom or kitchen wall decoration, many people do not know that its gluing work will be 3-4 times more expensive than regular-sized tiles,” says the Finishing Project Manager.
A qualified designer can warn the resident about the consequences of decisions made now. For example, if lighting fixtures with integrated LED light sources are installed, if they burn out, the entire fixture will need to be replaced. It is likely that an electrician will have to be called in. If you want to solve such situations more simply and independently, it is better to choose lighting fixtures with bulbs.
“Natural wood parquet is an excellent and high-quality floor covering, but if you have a large dog or like to move furniture around, the floor will not only get a lot of scratches. Over time, this covering changes color from the sun, and when furniture is moved, the differences in floor color can be very noticeable,” says a representative of “Apdailos formato”.
Hire one team for the job
The expert recommends that all finishing work be carried out by one team – this is extremely important for a successful result. If the work is carried out by separately hired craftsmen who do not coordinate their work, progress, and responsibilities, various misunderstandings arise.
“It is important that both electricians and plumbers, painters or plasterers, floor and tile installers coordinate their work with each other. For example, if tiles are glued without properly performing the electrical installation first, later corrections, if possible, are expensive and complicated. I certainly do not disagree with those who say that many things can be solved, but most often the customer has to pay for all changes and corrections. When one team is hired that works according to a properly prepared and client-approved project, such misunderstandings almost never occur, and if a misunderstanding does occur, the work is carried out at the company’s expense,” says R. Vytė.