I’ve just taken over a new-build flat. Now what? – Part I
After a long wait and a search for financing, I'm finally taking over my flat from the developer – and realising that the hard part of the job is only just beginning. Time is ticking, the first mortgage payment is coming up and the flat still isn't fit to live in.
In this example I'm taking over a flat with the developer's standard fit-out (floors, tiles and sanitary ware), which saves time and sanity – especially for a beginner.
If the budget is big enough and it also makes sense for my business plan, I'll bring in an architect without hesitation. Even then, though, it isn't always plain sailing. But more on that next time.
If my budget is limited, I do it on my own. I have to accept, though, that I won't create a gem the way a professional architect would. First of all, I need an idea of what the flat should look like – something to replace the architect's design.
I can take inspiration from the developer's visualisations, and another excellent source is the website Bydlo.cz. For the better-known Bratislava projects there's a good chance you'll find something that looks like your flat. Bonami is definitely worth a mention too; the downside is that you're tied to their furniture, which limits both your budget and your design options. That's not to say anything bad about Bonami furniture – quite the opposite.
Once I have an idea of what the flat should look like, it's time to get in touch with a good joiner. Many flat owners try to save money on this item, which I consider a mistake. Furnishing a flat with off-the-shelf furniture puts you in the grey average of the market and makes letting it considerably harder later on.
Of course, there's no need to have small items such as a TV stand or bathroom furniture made to measure, but these are definitely important: the fitted kitchen, built-in wardrobes, entrance hall furniture and room dividers. When it comes to joiners, I always prefer smaller local firms or self-employed tradespeople – they'll do honest work for you at a good price. We have had good experience with NovaVízia and Stolárstvo Baša.
It takes the joiner a few weeks to make the furniture, and that time should be put to good use – for example for painting, hanging wallpaper or installing ceiling lights. If the flat is meant for letting, paint is a more practical choice than wallpaper. The walls can stay white, but it's a shame not to warm the flat up at least a little with another colour. The cost runs to a few tens of EUR.
Our favourite place to buy lights is XXXLutz, but there are plenty of other options. With lighting, it's better to install more fittings, even if some won't be used very often, than to leave parts of a room unlit. You can find tradespeople for painting and installing lights through the Willio.sk or hodinovymanzel.sk platforms. We like to use the professionals from Interier IN.
The last task is to buy freestanding furniture (sofa, bed, coffee tables, mirrors), appliances and small accessories. The choice here is really wide and depends on your taste, the flat's design and your overall budget. We most often buy nice furniture at a reasonable price in the shops and online stores of Westwing, Bonami, Dizajnove.sk, Estilofina, Proxima.store, IKEA, Mobelix and Drevko.
Our favourite place to buy appliances is Datart.sk – we like the wide range and convenient delivery. For built-in kitchen appliances we prefer to buy from IKEA, where the appliances come with a 5-year warranty at no extra charge. They are made by Whirlpool, so there's no need to worry about quality.
If your flat faces south or west, you'll also need to fit it with an air-conditioning unit. There are really a lot of options; we always turn to Klimy.net – both their installation work and their servicing are of a high standard at reasonable prices.
If you'd like to add made-to-measure curtains, we definitely recommend Boritex. There are, of course, cheaper alternatives such as IKEA. For interior and exterior blinds we have always relied on Hamax. In most cases we choose either blinds or curtains, but you can certainly combine the two.
You'll find small accessories for staging the interior at JYSK or IKEA. More design-led pieces are available from Westwing or Bonami.
At this point your flat is furnished and you can move in or start advertising it. :)
In the next post we'll take a closer look at what happens when we take over a property as a shell flat (in Slovak “holobyt”), i.e. without the developer's standard fit-out.
