Apartment Renovation Timeline: Stages and Duration

A turnkey apartment renovation timeline is not a list of attractive phrases in a contract — it is a working plan: what gets done, in what order, how long each stage takes, and where parallel work is allowed. Without that plan, it is hard to schedule move-in, furniture delivery, and appliance hookup — and easy to add months of delay because one screed drying period or tile delivery was ignored.

Profmaster has delivered turnkey apartment renovation in Moscow and the region since 2006. Below is a practical stage schedule, duration guides, parallel-work logic, and the factors that most often push the deadline.

Overall logic of turnkey renovation

In short: turnkey renovation moves from site preparation through finish work to handover — with mandatory technological pauses between layers.

A typical chain:

1. Site visit, brief, and estimate.
2. Design project or working brief.
3. Demolition and preparation.
4. MEP systems.
5. Rough work.
6. Finish work.
7. Final handover and property transfer.

Breaking this sequence almost always leads to rework: tile on unfinished waterproofing, paint on damp plaster, furniture before the floor is done.

For new builds, some stages differ in starting risks — see Renovation in an Unfinished New Build: Stages and Timeline.

If you simplify: duration is shaped not only by square meters and crew size but by technological discipline — what is allowed to follow what.

Turnkey stages: table and duration guides

In short: below are guides for a typical 60 m² apartment on capital renovation. The real schedule depends on the project, materials, and building rules.

Stage	What is included	Duration guide*	Critical conditions
1. Preparation	Site visit, brief, estimate, contract	3–10 days	Without a visit, timelines stay guesses
2. Project / brief	Layout, positions, specification	1–3 weeks	Needed before procurement and rough work
3. Demolition	Removing finishes, waste haul-off	3–10 days	Noisy-work hours per building
4. MEP	Electrical, plumbing, ventilation	2–4 weeks	Before walls and floors are closed
5. Rough work	Screed, plaster, waterproofing	3–6 weeks	Drying and moisture control
6. Finish work	Tile, floor, ceilings, doors	4–8 weeks	Supply and junction complexity
7. Handover	Checklist, acts, punch-list fixes	2–5 days	Before final payment and move-in

*Guides are illustrative. Outcome depends on area, number of bathrooms, design project, supply, and management company limits.

Main risk: building a calendar only around “crew working days” and ignoring drying, supply, and approvals.

Duration by area and renovation format

In short: larger area means a longer calendar — but not always in proportion to square meters.

Area / format	Full-cycle guide	What most often extends the schedule
Studio 25–35 m², capital	2.5–4 months	Wet zones, logistics, supply
1–2 rooms, 40–65 m²	4–6 months	MEP, multiple finish zones
3 rooms, 65–90 m²	5–7 months	Complex layout, multiple bathrooms
90+ m², designer	6–10 months	Project, non-standard materials, custom furniture

Designer and elite renovation rarely fit capital timelines: project work, material approvals, furniture production, and complex lighting add calendar weeks and months.

Budget and scope guides are in Apartment Renovation Cost in Moscow in 2026.

What can run in parallel — and what cannot

In short: parallelism saves time only where stages do not depend on the previous layer being technologically ready.

Acceptable parallel work

Parallel block	Combined with	Effect
Design project and material approval	On-site demolition	Shortens pause before procurement
Ordering doors and built-in furniture	Rough work	Reduces end-stage waiting
Prep in adjacent zones	MEP in another part of the apartment	Works on larger areas
Ordering tile and lighting	Screed drying	Does not speed installation but removes idle time

Work that cannot be reordered

• finish work before MEP is complete;
• flooring before screed is ready and dry;
• painting before plaster and primer are dry;
• kitchen and built-in furniture before floor and wall finishes;
• sanitary ware installation without checked waterproofing.

If you simplify: parallelism is about preparation and procurement — not breaking the technological chain.

Calendar schedule: how to read it

In short: a good schedule shows not only dates but dependencies, acceptance points, and responsibilities.

Worth fixing in the contract or an appendix:

1. Start date with access rules and building regulations.
2. Stages with duration — not one line of “turnkey in 90 days.”
3. Technological pauses — screed, plaster, waterproofing drying.
4. Acceptance points — after MEP, rough work, wet zones, finish.
5. Procurement windows — who orders, receives, and stores.
6. Change process — how adjustments affect time and budget.

Example simplified calendar for a 60 m² apartment:

Week	Main work	In parallel	Control point
1	Site visit, contract, demolition start	Material selection	Approved estimate
2–3	Demolition, haul-off	Door order	Site ready for MEP
4–6	Electrical, plumbing	Tile order	Hidden-work acceptance
7–10	Screed, plaster, waterproofing	Lighting procurement	Moisture and geometry
11–14	Tile, ceilings, paint prep	Furniture production	Wet zones ready
15–18	Floor, paint, doors	Kitchen installation	Finish work
19–20	Final details, cleanup, handover	Appliance hookup	Handover act

This is an illustration, not a promise for every property. The real schedule is built after a site visit.

Factors that push timelines back

In short: delays rarely happen “for no reason” — there is almost always a specific cause in the schedule, supply chain, or property.

Internal project factors

• layout changes after work has started;
• late material and hardware choices;
• complex junctions without a project;
• underestimated demolition volume;
• no contingency for hidden defects.

External factors

• delays in tile, doors, sanitary ware supply;
• building limits on noisy work and waste removal;
• freight elevator queue and access control;
• seasonal crew load;
• layout approval or junction coordination with the management company.

Technological factors

• forced drying of screed and plaster;
• work in cold or overly humid conditions;
• complex geometry and high ceilings;
• multiple bathrooms and a kitchen with extensive built-in appliances.

Main risk: demanding acceleration where a technological pause is required. Saving two weeks on drying often becomes a month of rework.

How to plan move-in and procurement

In short: move-in date should tie to final handover — not to an “approximate finish date.”

Practical sequence for the client:

1. 2–3 months before finish — approve kitchen, built-in furniture, and doors.
2. 1–2 months before — order lighting, sanitary ware, and flooring with lead times in mind.
3. After rough-work acceptance — confirm outlet positions, points, and heights.
4. After floor and wall finish — schedule furniture and appliance delivery.
5. After final handover — cleanup, ventilation, internet and appliance hookup.

Avoid ordering furniture and appliances “by eye” before finishes are complete: layout tweaks and height corrections happen even with a good project.

Payment and acceptance schedule by stage

In short: payment stages should match work stages — otherwise the schedule loses meaning.

Stage	What is accepted	Why it matters to the client
Start	Demolition, preparation	Confirms the site is actually in progress
MEP	Hidden work, routing	Checked before walls are closed
Rough	Screed, plaster, waterproofing	Geometry and moisture control
Finish	Tile, floor, ceilings, doors	Visible quality assessment
Final	Full handover by checklist	Move-in and warranty

A detailed handover list is in Apartment Renovation Acceptance Checklist.

Checklist: what to verify in the schedule before signing

• Stages are listed — not only a total “turnkey” duration.
• Technological pauses for rough-layer drying are included.
• Interim acceptance points are defined.
• It is clear who owns procurement and supply lead times.
• Change and timeline recalculation process is described.
• Building rules for noisy work and waste removal are accounted for.
• Payment schedule ties to acts — not calendar dates without basis.
• Contingency for unforeseen work is included.
• Final cleanup and handover plan exists.
• Move-in date is not earlier than final handover.

If the schedule looks too optimistic for a complex property — that is a reason to clarify the estimate, not celebrate a short deadline.

Seasonal and daily factors that affect the calendar

In short: a renovation schedule does not live in a vacuum — weather, holidays, building rules, and how fast you make decisions all move the timeline.

What most often shifts deadlines without it being the crew's "fault":

• Winter — screed and plaster dry longer with insufficient heating and ventilation.
• Hot season — faster drying sometimes needs extra moisture control.
• Holiday windows — supply pauses and limits on noisy work.
• Client vacation — delayed approvals on materials and junctions.
• Elevator and waste queue — in dense urban buildings this is a real calendar item.

Situation	How to plan for it
Winter renovation	+1–2 weeks for rough-layer drying
Apartment without steady heating	Separate stage for hookup and temperature control
Building with strict noise hours	Split demolition and drilling across more days
Made-to-order designer materials	Lock in supply before finish work starts

If you simplify: a realistic schedule accounts for not only the crew but also the building, season, and speed of your approvals.

When to contact Profmaster

It makes sense to contact Profmaster if you need turnkey apartment renovation in Moscow or the Moscow region with a clear stage schedule — not a promise of “fast and cheap” without a breakdown.

We are a fit when:

• you need capital or designer renovation with a full work cycle;
• realistic timelines after a site visit matter;
• you are planning a complex layout, multiple bathrooms, or premium finishes;
• staged acceptance and a transparent change process are important;
• you want one team running the property from demolition through handover.

The company has been working since 2006. We build the schedule after a site visit and fix stages in the contract — with clear control and acceptance points. See completed work in projects.

Submit a request on the services page or via contacts.

Summary

A turnkey apartment renovation timeline is the combination of stage sequence, technological pauses, and acceptance points. For a typical 60 m² apartment, the full cycle often takes 4–7 months, but the real duration appears only after a site visit, approved estimate, and supply planning.

In short: ask for a calendar by stage, not a single date in advertising; plan procurement early; do not break the technological chain for speed. That keeps the timeline manageable from start through move-in.