01
Start with the keys and the furniture date
Write down the first day you can get contractors in and the day your furniture arrives. Take out any days the building restricts work and leave time for cleaning and touch-ups. If you only have a narrow window, make one room genuinely ready instead of leaving a little work unfinished in every room.
02
Walk the flat with two lists
The first list covers the work that makes the place feel ready, such as patching damaged walls, repainting marked rooms or replacing worn handles. The second is anything that depends on investigating a leak, changing a layout or waiting for made-to-measure parts. Price and schedule that work separately so the simple jobs can go ahead.
03
Pick finishes you can check in person
Ask the supplier to confirm that the quantity and batch you need are available before you build a programme around a sample. Try the paint against the flooring in the actual room. Agree how the contractor will protect the rooms you are keeping and who puts back switches, curtains or fittings taken down for the work.
04
Have a plan if something is still drying
Ask when each finish can take foot traffic, furniture or cleaning under its installation instructions. Decide where the movers can put boxes if a room is still off limits. Keep a short list of repairs to walk through with the contractor before you bring in the sofa and cover the areas you need to inspect.