What is ordered first, before building work starts?
Stone, windows and glass partitions, bespoke doors, joinery and the kitchen, light fittings, sanitaryware and taps, furniture. These are items made to your size or brought from far away, and it is they, not the crew's work, that determine the completion date.
The logic is simple: the longer the lead time and the more an item affects the construction, the earlier it is ordered. Windows and doors affect the openings and wall finishes, stone the layout and waterproofing, sanitaryware the water and waste routes, light fittings the ceiling and electrics. They are ordered once the drawing and sample are approved, but before demolition starts or just after it. What is approved in advance is described in our guide to materials before a renovation, and how a purchasing programme is built in our guide to procurement for a house.
How long do you wait for stone and bespoke windows?
Stone usually takes 6 to 12 weeks from slab selection, bespoke windows 8 to 16 weeks, glass partitions with a slim steel profile 10 to 20, bespoke doors 8 to 14, light fittings from design studios 6 to 16, taps and sanitaryware 4 to 12, a kitchen 8 to 16 and furniture 8 to 20. These are guides, not promises: the lead time is given by the manufacturer after the dimensions are confirmed and the deposit is paid.
What takes longest is made to measure on finished openings: windows, glass walls, steel profiles, stone worktops. Their dimensions are taken after demolition or after adjacent elements are installed, so measuring time is part of the lead time. In summer and before holidays lead times stretch: in August many factories in Italy and Spain are closed.
Take any lead time in writing and check it directly with the manufacturer. If the date was given orally and the renovation programme is built on it, you are fitting the programme to words. How substitution of material works if an item does not arrive is described in our guide to substitution without losing the concept.
In what order should items be ordered?
First what determines the shell and the dimensions, then what depends on them. A typical sequence: stone and slabs (layout, blocking), windows and glass partitions (openings), doors and joinery (leaf and frame sizes), kitchen and bespoke furniture (by dimensions and appliances), sanitaryware and taps (water routes), light fittings (ceiling and electrics) and, at the end, finishing materials and furniture.
Some decisions depend on each other. A stone worktop is templated after the base units are fitted, so the units are needed earlier. A wall-hung WC and a concealed mixer need a frame at the rough-in stage, so the model is chosen before the walls close. A lamp with a long drop needs reinforcement in the ceiling, so ordering the fitting precedes the ceiling finish.
Make a line for each item: decision, order, lead time, delivery, installation. From such a list it is clear which decision cannot be postponed. The owner's decision calendar is described in our guide to the decision calendar.
How is the work programme tied to deliveries?
By the reverse formula: order date equals the required installation date minus the manufacturing time, minus an allowance for delivery and the unforeseen. The allowance is usually two to four weeks and is bigger the more complex the item. If stone is needed in week 20 and the lead time is 10 weeks, with a 3-week allowance the order must be placed no later than week 7.
The critical path is defined by the longest chain: for example, windows set the timing of wall finishing, wall finishing that of the parquet, and parquet that of the furniture. A slip at the start of a chain shifts everything, so critical-path items are watched constantly.
For each item three dates are recorded: needed on site, order by, and confirmation from the manufacturer. The list is updated every week and shown to you. If the confirmed date lags behind the required one, the programme is adjusted at once, not on the day the crew stands idle. More on organising procurement in our guides to procurement for a house and to material substitution.
What do you do if a delivery slips?
Confirm the new date in writing, assess which works shift and consider fallback options at once. Do not wait in silence: the earlier the problem is known, the more options there are. The first questions to the manufacturer: what is the new date, what caused the delay, can part of the order be shipped.
Options: take an equivalent from stock, resequence the works (what does not depend on the item is done earlier), fit a temporary solution (a working kitchen, temporary glazing), redistribute between suppliers or order elsewhere. Any change of material must be agreed with you before ordering: how a substitution is reviewed is covered in our guides to material substitution and to materials replaced with lower quality.
If the delay is the supplier's, look at the contract: whether lead times, penalties and refund of the deposit were agreed. If it comes from your own late decision, the cost of the standstill may be shared differently. That is why a written confirmation of the date is needed: it separates the supplier's responsibility from the client's.
How do you avoid crew downtime while waiting for materials?
Close the critical orders before work starts and do not begin a stage until the required item is confirmed. The rule sounds harsh, but it saves the most. A building site begun without the windows ordered leaves an opening exposed, and without stone it delays the whole bathroom.
Three tools: a reserve front (work the crew can do while waiting for the item), staggered dates (splitting the delivery into parts: first openings and base, then finish) and storage (materials arrive early and wait for installation). All three cost money, but less than standstill.
For orders with a deposit, the payment schedule is discussed in advance: the manufacturer launches an item after payment, and a delayed transfer from abroad shifts the lead time. More on deposits in our guide to a reasonable advance; on paying from afar in our guide to the NIE, account and payments. Such planning removes the main cause of standstill: waiting for answers and for money.
How does BCN YARD manage long-lead purchasing?
We keep a procurement table with each item: decision, order, confirmed date, delivery, installation, and show it to you. One person responsible for the site watches the dates and tells you if anything shifts. We run projects in Russian and Spanish; write to us and, after the visit and survey, we will prepare the estimate and a programme with the dates by which your decisions are needed.
Frequently asked questions
What is ordered first?
Stone, windows, glass partitions and bespoke doors: they have the longest lead times and determine opening sizes and finishes. Then the kitchen, sanitaryware and light fittings. They are ordered after sample and drawing are approved, but before or just after demolition, when the real dimensions are known.
What do I do with an order if the renovation is postponed?
Tell the manufacturer at once: some orders can be postponed, but the deposit on made-to-measure items is usually not refunded. Clarify the terms before paying. Finished items can stay at the supplier's warehouse for a paid period, and new orders can be launched later, once the renovation date is confirmed.
Can furniture be ordered before the renovation ends?
Yes, and it is sensible: furniture lead times are 8 to 20 weeks, and an order at the start of the renovation coincides with its completion. Conditions: dimensions and electrics approved, and a place for storage and receipt. If furniture arrives a month before handover, it needs a warehouse and not a flat full of dust.