Designer Reveals How to Do a Reliable Renovation and Avoid Paying Twice

When receiving an apartment in a new building with basic finishing or planning renovation in secondary housing, most people think about how to reasonably distribute the budget and what to pay special attention to. Our expert from PLAN & DESIGN studio, Sergey Cherkasov, shared several useful life hacks on how to organize space ergonomically and avoid redoing the renovation every few years.

Quality of Engineering Systems
New renovations will last longer if you pay attention to basic engineering systems. Ensure that your plumbing and sewage are of good quality. It is better to fix communication issues at the rough finishing stage and replace old pipes. New reliable materials will last decades afterwards.
To avoid leaks in the heating system, insulate nodes passing through rooms and entering under floor screed. Install special emergency sensors on the water supply system — this is inexpensive yet effective, especially in high-rise buildings.

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Plan ventilation and air conditioning systems in advance. Install main ducts during rough work to avoid dusting later. Install check valves on ventilation so that unpleasant odors from the common system don't enter your apartment.

Ergonomics and Comfort Solutions
Walls and Floors
In new buildings, low sound insulation and climate instability are often encountered. Therefore, it is worth considering insulators and sound absorption. Choose safe fire-resistant materials based on mineral wool for installation, consider radiant floor heating or convective heating systems.

Windows
Check the reliability of windows installed by the builder. Hold a lit lighter against the seal and move along the frame perimeter. The presence of draft will help detect gaps in sealing and determine whether window panes need replacement or repair.

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Doors
Evaluate the tightness of the entrance door in relation to the opening in the door frame. If you see a layer of mineral wool inside, the construction is reinforced with thermal and sound insulation, so the door can be left as is.

Hidden Space in Walls
Study the technical plan of the room for hidden niches and voids. Such spaces can be used to integrate furniture, appliances, storage areas — for example, a boiler or a compartment for household chemicals in the bathroom.

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Cosmetic Renovation: Smart Material Choices
Floors
When selecting finishing materials, there are good ways to save money and get a comfortable result. For floor coverage, it is more economical to use parquet. Its starting price equals that of laminate, but the natural material can be restored over time without full replacement.

Walls
To make wall painting more budget-friendly, choose special wallpapers designed for painting. This will reduce surface preparation costs. When selecting paint, avoid matte finishes — they get dirty quickly, especially in families with children and pets. A reliable solution is water-resistant washable finishing.

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