Survey before finishes
Photograph cracks, damp patches, damaged fittings and existing service points before asking for a finish proposal. A site assessment should identify the cause of defects before repainting or covering them. Keep structural changes subject to qualified advice and building permissions. The design scope should distinguish repairs, replacements and purely decorative upgrades.
Room-by-room phasing
Decide which rooms can be taken out of use together. Keep a functioning bathroom and a workable cooking arrangement where possible. Move furniture into a protected zone and agree the route workers and materials will use. A phased plan may take longer than an empty-site job, so compare convenience as well as price when choosing the sequence.
What to retain
Make an inventory of doors, wardrobes, flooring and lights worth keeping. Check their condition and dimensions before designing around them. Refinishing a sound unit can be different from replacing its internals; ask for those scopes separately. Mixing retained pieces with new finishes works best when samples are viewed together in the actual room light.
Scope and variations
Ask for a written room-wise list of removal, disposal, repair, service and finishing work. Note assumptions about concealed conditions and agree how unexpected findings will be documented before extra work begins. Keep a record of approved samples and changes. At handover, check door movement, visible finishing and operation of replaced fittings.