What must be decided before demolition starts?
The layout, the scope of works, the budget, the contract and everything that is ordered with a long lead time. Before the first blow of the hammer, drawings, estimate, programme and the list of items that will take weeks to arrive must be approved: stone, windows, bespoke doors, light fittings. Without that, the crew starts and runs into waiting.
Access is settled separately: who holds the keys, how the permit and the comunidad's consent are handled, where the skip and the materials store go. These decisions look minor, but they decide whether the works start on the agreed day. How to prepare the property is described in our guide to preparing for a renovation, and how to record the flat's condition before demolition in our article on the pre-demolition inventory.
Which decisions cannot be changed after the walls are closed?
Everything hidden inside: the position of sockets, switches and light fittings, water supply and waste points, air-conditioning and ventilation routes, blocking for wall-hung sanitaryware, the TV, heavy shelves and lights, recesses, dimensions of built-in furniture. Once the walls are closed, changing any of it means opening up, repairing plaster and repainting.
So before the walls close the owner receives a pack: an electrical diagram with heights, a ceiling plan, photographs of the services within the wall tied to dimensions and the position of blocking. This is not a formality: in three years a photo on your phone will show where a pipe runs and save the wall from the drill. The order of works before closing is covered in our article on services before closing the walls.
The cost of correction at this stage is out of all proportion to the cost of deciding on time. Moving a socket on a sketch takes a minute; moving it after painting takes two days of several trades. The order and logic of changes are explained in our guide to change control.
What needs approving before the floors go down?
Material, layout, levels and junctions. For stone and ceramics this is the choice of slabs or batch, the pattern of laying and joints and the position of cuts; for parquet, the type, pattern and direction; for all floors, the finished floor height and the transitions between materials. These decisions are approved from samples on site, not from photos.
Levels and thresholds. The finished floor height fixes door heights, thresholds, steps and the junction with the lift landing. If the floor in one room rises by 15 mm, with hidden doors and flush skirting it will have to be corrected by carpentry, not plaster.
Before laying, the underfloor heating zones and thermostat positions are also approved, and for stone the sealer and the protection during works are chosen. If the stone comes from a quarry, confirmation of the slabs must arrive weeks before laying. Material junctions are covered in our guide to floor and wall junctions, and samples in our guide to sample approval.
What is decided before the kitchen and furniture are installed?
Appliance models, worktop and sink dimensions, taps, hardware, front colours and the position of light fittings. These decisions are needed when the joiner takes his dimensions, not when the cabinets arrive. Appliances come with different dimensions and ventilation clearances, and changing a make after the fronts are made means remaking them.
A stone worktop is made from a template after the base units are fitted, so it stretches the programme by 1 to 3 weeks, and during that time the hob and sink cannot be connected. The material and the cut-outs for sink and hob are therefore approved in advance.
Curtains, tracks, pendants and the aiming of lights are approved after the final finish: lighting is tuned in the completed room. Handover and acceptance are covered in our guide to renovation handover, and the choice of appliances before ordering the kitchen in our guide to appliances before joinery.
What happens if you do not answer on time?
The crew either waits or moves to another site, and cannot be brought back to your date. Waiting time is paid for and adjacent work shifts: if the tile is not approved, the bathroom is not closed, the plumber does not come, nothing is painted. The cost of delay grows down the chain, because behind your decision there are queues of other trades.
For long-lead orders, a week's delay in the decision usually equals a week at handover. Stone takes 6 to 12 weeks, made-to-order windows and glass partitions 8 to 16, so a late decision cannot be recovered by speeding up on site.
A practice that saves the programme: write into the contract a response time (for example 2 working days for routine questions and 5 for material selections), what is done in the event of silence and a limit within which an authorised representative may decide. That prevents conflict, because everyone knows the rules in advance. How changes to the estimate work is explained in our guide to change control.
How do you respond faster from another time zone?
Agree a rhythm and a single channel. A weekly decision list works well: the person running the job sends a document with questions, options and a response deadline, and you answer in one pass, usually at a time that suits you. Urgent matters go separately, by voice or message, with a brief description of the consequences.
Each decision comes with a photo, a drawing and a sample, not a description in words. Samples that need to be touched (stone, fabric, parquet) are couriered in advance, not on the day of decision. For routine questions a range is agreed: for example, a representative may approve moving a socket by up to 10 cm or swapping a light fitting for an equivalent from your list.
If the time difference is large, a morning slot is reserved in the schedule for a call: a short 20-minute video call once a week replaces ten emails. Remote working is covered in our guide to renovating while living in another country and in our guide to remote interior design.
How does BCN YARD guide an owner through the decision calendar?
We tie the list of decisions to the stages of work and tell you in advance which decision will be needed in two or three weeks, so that you can choose without hurry. One person responsible for the site handles communication in Russian or Spanish and gathers your answers in a single document. Payment follows the contract, by stages. Write to us: after the visit and survey we will prepare the estimate and a programme that shows when each of your decisions is needed.
Frequently asked questions
How many decisions does an owner make in a renovation?
There is no exact number; it depends on the size and complexity of the project. For a luxury-level flat it runs to hundreds of items, from layout and stone to handles and switches. That is why it is important to split them by stage and present a few a week rather than all at once at the start.
Can I change a decision if I have changed my mind?
Yes, as long as the work has not started, and it costs more at each stage. Before the walls are closed and the floor laid, a change costs money and time, so it is recorded in writing with a price and a deadline. Every change is priced first, approved second and only then carried out.
Who keeps track of the decision calendar?
The contractor's person responsible for the site keeps the calendar and reminds you of deadlines, while the owner or a representative answers. It helps when the list lives in a shared document rather than in correspondence: nothing is lost and any question can be found by stage.