What a Full Apartment Renovation Actually Involves (Tashtib)
Need it done, not just explained? Turnkey renovation contractors in Beirut - Every trade under one contract.
Turnkey — tashtib — means one contract, one accountable party, and a finished apartment at the end. The alternative, which most people fall into by accident, is five separate tradesmen, five schedules, and every gap between them becoming your problem. This is how the work is actually sequenced, and what determines what it costs.
- The order of trades is not negotiable — getting it wrong is the most expensive mistake in a renovation.
- Budget is driven by scope, condition and finish level, in that order.
- Anything hidden behind a finished surface must be decided before that surface closes.
- Compare quotes on scope and specification, never on the bottom line alone.
The correct order of work
Every trade depends on the one before it. This sequence exists because violating it means redoing work, and redoing work is where renovation budgets die.
- Survey and scope
Measure, assess condition, identify what is structural, and agree exactly what is included. Everything downstream depends on this being honest.
- Demolition and removal
Strip out what is going. Debris handling in a Beirut building — lifts, stairs, permits, timing — is real work and belongs in the scope.
- Civil works and blockwork
New partitions, openings, and any structural adjustments. Nothing that follows can move a wall cheaply.
- First-fix MEP
Plumbing, electrical and HVAC routed inside walls and ceilings. This is the point of no return — every socket, every outlet, every drain position is fixed here.
- Waterproofing wet areas
Bathrooms, kitchens, balconies. It happens before tiling and it is the one item never to economise on.
- Plastering and gypsum
Ceilings, bulkheads and partition boarding. Access hatches for anything concealed are agreed at this stage.
- Tiling and stone
Floors and wet-area walls, over sound and level substrate.
- Second-fix MEP
Fixtures, fittings, switches, sockets, sanitary ware and terminals installed into the finished surfaces.
- Joinery and aluminium
Kitchens, wardrobes, doors, windows and glazing — measured against as-built dimensions, not drawings.
- Painting and finishing
Preparation is most of it. Paint reveals every shortcut taken underneath.
- Clean, snag and hand over
A written snag list, worked through and signed off. This is the difference between finished and nearly finished.
Choosing sanitary ware, kitchen layout and lighting positions after the walls close. Every one of those decisions has a pipe or a cable behind it. Late changes mean chasing finished walls, re-plastering and repainting — paying twice for the same square metre.
What actually drives the budget
We do not publish price lists, because a number attached to an apartment nobody has surveyed is a number that gets revised upward later. What we can be completely transparent about is what moves it.
| Driver | How it moves the number |
|---|---|
| Scope | Cosmetic refresh, standard renovation and full gut are different jobs by an order of magnitude. Define which one you are buying. |
| Condition of the existing building | Old risers, failed waterproofing, damp, or non-compliant electrics all add necessary work that has nothing to do with your taste. |
| Finish level | The same layout in local ceramic versus imported porcelain and natural stone is a very different specification. |
| MEP replacement | Reusing existing plumbing and wiring is cheaper today and frequently more expensive within five years. |
| Layout changes | Moving wet areas means moving drainage, which is the most disruptive change you can make. |
| Access and logistics | Floor level, lift availability, permitted working hours and debris removal all carry real cost in Beirut buildings. |
| Programme | Compressed schedules mean more trades on site simultaneously, and that has a price. |
How to compare quotes properly
Three quotes with three different totals usually describe three different jobs. The lowest number is frequently the least complete scope, and the difference surfaces as variations once you are committed.
- Is it itemised by trade? A single lump sum with no breakdown cannot be compared with anything.
- Are materials specified or allowed for? A "tiling allowance" is not a specification. Ask what exactly is included.
- Is demolition and debris removal in there? A common omission, and a real cost in Beirut buildings.
- Is making-good included? Chasing, patching, re-plastering and repainting after MEP work has to be somebody's line item.
- Who coordinates the trades? If the answer is you, you are the main contractor whether you meant to be or not.
- What is the payment schedule tied to? Milestones with defined completion, not dates.
- What is the guarantee, in writing? Especially on waterproofing and concealed MEP.
When five separate trades work on one apartment, every problem lands in the gap between two of them, and that gap belongs to you. One contract removes the gap.
Why turnkey exists
What one contract actually changes
The practical benefits are unglamorous and they are exactly what people wish they had bought after managing a renovation themselves: a single schedule with real dependencies, one party responsible when the tiler and the plumber disagree, one guarantee covering the concealed work, and no argument about whose damage it is.
We work as a general contractor across Lebanon — homes, offices, clinics, shops and buildings. See turnkey renovation, the full list of divisions, or our track record.
It depends on scope, size and how many decisions are made before work starts. The single biggest determinant of programme is not the building — it is how quickly selections are finalised.
During a cosmetic refresh, sometimes. During a gut renovation with MEP replacement, no — water, power and dust make it impractical and unsafe.
Structural changes and some façade work require approvals, and buildings often have their own rules on working hours and lift use. We handle the process as part of the scope.
Because it would be a guess, and guesses get revised upward once the surveyor arrives. We survey, then quote a fixed figure you approve before anything starts.
Need it done, not just explained? Turnkey renovation contractors in Beirut - Every trade under one contract.
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