Who, How, and For How Much Does Design Renovation Today?

You have from 2.5 to 3.5 million rubles for capital renovation of a two-room apartment. The option of independently developing design, finding a contractor with a team of builders, and calculating costs is not considered - you already know about it. With Timur Abdrakhmanov, we talk about other possibilities.

Timur Abdrakhmanov - an expert, founder, and general director of the designer renovation service Tim & Team, design bureau "Studio 3.14"

The most common option is to go to a design bureau that will develop an exclusive project from scratch. This way you save your energy, but it is difficult to calculate the final cost in advance.

There is another option - renovation services that adapt ready-made solutions to a specific apartment at a fixed price and within fixed timeframes. The cost of such a project is much lower than an exclusive one.

So what to choose - adaptation or exclusivity? Let's compare.

The first meeting of the client with the designer

Exclusive project

• The client fills out a questionnaire, views references, discusses possible stylistic solutions, and selects furniture and finishing material manufacturers.

• A project brief is formed, and the cost of design and project delivery time are calculated.

• The client specifies the approximate amount they want to spend on all expenses.
  

• Advance payment for the design project. The exact cost of the renovation is still unknown.
  

Adapting a ready-made style

• Introduction and conversation about style: the designer discusses with the client their wishes regarding the future home and its functional features.

• Selection from a catalog of one of the pre-developed styles and its discussion.

• Budget and timeline calculation. The client immediately knows the renovation cost within 5% and the delivery time.

• Signing a contract.

• Advance payment for the general contract with all materials - 40% of the project cost, or signing a design contract.
  

Design: Tim & Team, 'Powder Minimalism'

Layout solution

In both cases, an exclusive project and adapting a ready-made style, the designer prepares three variants of individual layout solutions, from which the client chooses the one they liked most. Meetings with experts are held and key decisions are made regarding technical possibilities of re-planning.

Stylistic solution

Exclusive project

• The designer compiles a moodboard from images that may appeal to the client. After making corrections, the final version - the look of the future interior - is approved.
  
• Time to develop layout solutions and design - about two weeks.
  

Adapting a ready-made style

• A moodboard is not needed, as the style has already been chosen by the client before work begins.

• The designer makes a moodboard if furniture selection service is ordered.

• Time to develop layout solutions and design - 1-1.5 weeks.
  

Design: 'Studio 3.14'

Preparation of working drawings

In both an exclusive project and adaptation of a ready-made style, the designer's team works for one week on the functional part of the project, installs electrical wiring, and prepares a complete set of working drawings. At the same time, the turnkey renovation service allows work to begin on-site at once according to the approved layout plan.

Development of the visual part of the project

Exclusive project

- The designer works on full visualization of each room, individually selecting materials. This takes 4-6 weeks.

Adapting a ready-made style

• If furniture selection is ordered, the designer prepares layouts by configuration and materials, shows them to the client, and gets approval.

Design: Tim & Team, 'Bright Loft'

What's the result?

Exclusive project

• Design project development takes place before the start of renovation work and lasts 2-3 months.

• The exact cost of the renovation will be calculated by the contractor based on the completed design project.

• The works will take another 5-6 months.

• As a result, the renovation of a two-room apartment 60-70 sq. m will last 6-9 months and cost approximately 3.5 million rubles without furniture.
  

Adapting a ready-made style

• Designing is done in parallel with renovation works.

• From the first meeting to the end of the renovation, no more than four months will pass.

• The full contract cost will be fixed at the beginning.

• Renovation of a two-room apartment 60-70 sq. m will cost approximately 2.5 million rubles without furniture.

• Visualization is not needed - all styles are already drawn, and nuances were confirmed at previous stages.
  
  

Design: 'Studio 3.14'

+ another 8 questions to Timur Abdrakhmanov

Usually, the renovation estimate increases 1.5-2 times by the end of the project. But they say that with renovation services, this doesn't happen. Is it true and what are the other obvious advantages of these services? We found out in an interview.

- Timur, you lead the design bureau "Studio 3.14," where people come for the development of exclusive interior design. And at the same time, with the same team, you opened a service for ready-made interior solutions Tim & Team. Tell us who your clients are?

- Our client is a person who wants to get designer interior at reasonable prices. When visiting a design bureau for an exclusive project, the budget is usually calculated based on a sum of 50,000 rubles per square meter, and the overall time to create an interior can reach 12 months. Such a client works very closely with the designer, visits material selection points, and participates in the process in various ways.

Our client is a person who wants to get designer interior at reasonable prices.

And in the Tim & Team interior service, those come who already know what style they want and are not willing to wait a whole year. These clients don't need to imagine themselves as designers or contractors. The main thing is to choose a style they like, adapt it to their apartment, and then everything is done for them based on pre-developed solutions.

Design: 'Studio 3.14'

- Which style is ordered most often now?

- Our catalog of styles is a collection of the overall expectations of the client from "EcoStyle," the "Scandinavian" style, or "Loft" using characteristic materials, details, and colors.

The most popular ones are two variants of the Scandinavian style: light tones and minimalism are universal for decorating any apartment. Second place is modern classicism. It doesn't have to be pompous and bulky, and it can look great in a regular Moscow apartment.

Design: Tim & Team, 'Scandinavia'

- What are the obvious benefits of adaptation?

- The client knows the exact cost and timeline from the beginning, as these are written in the contract. Also, they choose a ready-made style from a large catalog that is constantly being updated. Many don't like the terms "typical" and "ready solution." This does not mean that all apartments will look the same.

The client knows the exact cost and timeline from the beginning, as these are written in the contract.

Each client has their unique layout solution, and furniture and decor are individually selected for each interior. This is always an artistic project, an author's approach, and individual work.

- Does the Tim & Team service only work with new construction or do you also renovate secondary housing?

- We even work with pre-revolutionary houses! The difference is only that in such apartments, demolition will be required.

We always give a guarantee on our work - three years for engineering systems and one year for finishing and installation works. Additionally, you can purchase a post-project technical maintenance package for all engineering communications.

- Everyone knows that usually, the initial estimate of renovation increases 1.5-2 times by the end of the project. What causes this and how to avoid it?

- Yes, this is a common practice. Often the estimate increases due to unprofessionalism of contractors who make material purchasing decisions mid-process or the total renovation cost is deliberately underestimated to "not lose a client." With us, it's different: the client receives a full estimate before renovation starts, and the final price doesn't change.

Another common option is when the client first creates a design project and only then looks for a contractor to implement it.

Here, teamwork is important: the designer incorporates specific tiles into the project, the manager purchases exactly those tiles, and the master of the working crew knows how to lay them.

Design: 'Studio 3.14'

- Tell us about author supervision: you don't just prepare the design project, but also do the renovation yourself. Is it a mandatory condition or an option?

- Author supervision in the Tim & Team service is a mandatory condition, without which designer renovation makes no sense.

Also, the client always has a personal manager who oversees their project, monitors the quality of work, and quickly resolves any issues.

- It seems that in the adaptation of a ready-made interior, there are only benefits. What about side effects from automation and speed of execution - what are they?

- Of course, there are also downsides to this type of renovation. For example, if a client wants to change too much in a ready-made style, we refuse - this is already the format of an exclusive project. For a client who likes to control everything, our service won't suit.

If someone wants to be involved in the process, they should go to a design bureau for an exclusive project and then work with a private team. This will take longer and cost more, but the client becomes a co-author of the interior.

Also, in the Tim & Team service we don't do 3D visualization. This is not very convenient, but it allows us to reduce design time by several times, which benefits the client in the end.

Design: Tim & Team, 'Modern Classicism'

- And lastly: a prolonged renovation can be paid in parts. In our service, this option is not available - from the first meeting with the client to the moment of handing over the keys to the completed apartment, no more than four months pass. During this time, the full amount for renovation must be paid.

As a disadvantage, probably all else - pure benefits.

On the cover: design project Tim & Team, 'Scandinavia'