I’ve just taken over a new-build flat. Now what? – Part II
Just as in the first case, I'm finally taking over a flat from the developer, but this time a far bigger challenge awaits me. I'm taking it over as a shell flat (holobyt) – without floors, tiles, sanitary ware, skim coat or paint. A state typical of a property boom, when you're grateful to the developer even for finding a front door in the flat.
A shell flat does, however, have one huge advantage: you can fit everything out exactly the way you want. On top of that, the price should be lower than for a flat with the standard fit-out, so you cover part of the cost of finishing it to a habitable state.
In 99% of cases the developer's standard fit-out isn't top quality – developers tend to use cheaper materials. So you should expect that a flat you finish yourself with quality materials will end up somewhat more expensive.
In the first step there's again the option of saving yourself the trouble and contacting an architect. If that service is beyond our budget, we'll tackle it ourselves. First of all, we need an idea of what the flat should look like – something to replace the architect's design. Here I'll borrow a paragraph from the first post in this series:
“I can take inspiration from the developer's visualisations, and another excellent source is the website www.bydlo.cz. For the better-known Bratislava projects there's a good chance you'll find something that looks like your flat. Bonami (bonami.sk) 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.”
The next step is to contact a construction firm that will finish the flat to the state you want. You'll need them to do the skim coat, painting, bathroom tiling, electrical work, and fitting of interior doors and sanitary ware. Ideally, you'll know such a company through a friend or family, because construction is an area where people in the trade can easily take advantage of you and invoice you for nonsense. For this work we use Interier IN, with whom we have had good experience.
Once you've chosen a construction firm, it's time to choose the fit-out. Let's start, as they say, from the floor up. Floors fall into 3 broad groups: laminate, vinyl and wood. Each group has its pros and cons in terms of quality, design, installation and durability.
- Laminate – The main advantages of laminate are its low price, easy installation and wide choice of finishes. The downside is lower quality and durability. You also need to be careful when it comes into contact with water. Material prices range from EUR 5 to 40 per m².
- Vinyl – Vinyl is highly durable, easy to maintain and, on top of that, you can choose a design that is indistinguishable from a wooden floor. The downside is the higher material price and more demanding installation. Vinyl can be click-fit or glued down. With glued-down vinyl you pay a little extra for installation, but it lasts longer than click-fit. Material prices range from EUR 25 to 60 per m².
- Wooden flooring – Wooden flooring is the most expensive option, but with proper care it will last you for many years. Another plus is its beautiful look. The downsides are demanding maintenance and lower scratch resistance. Material prices range from EUR 60 to 150 per m².
Flooring is an item worth investing in, even at the expense of other items. Furniture can be replaced relatively easily; the same can't be said of a floor.
For us, vinyl is the absolute number one for rental flats, thanks to its easy maintenance, attractive design, high durability and good value for money. If you're fitting out a flat for yourself, I wouldn't be afraid to go for wooden floors. In a rental flat, though, I'd definitely avoid them, mainly because of the more demanding maintenance. I'd choose laminate only on a tight budget.
Flooring can be bought in specialist shops as well as in DIY superstores such as Hornbach or Obi. We have had excellent experience with Modo-Design, and once in the past we also used ParkettStore.
In the same shops you can order interior doors together with the flooring. If you like nice design, we recommend investing in flush (rebateless) doors; otherwise, cheaper rebated doors will do the job perfectly well.
Bathroom tiles are available in many different designs and finishes. We have had good experience with both quality and price at Ingema. If you're fitting out a more upmarket flat, we recommend large-format tiles. The price goes above EUR 120 per m², but the end result is top-notch.
For sanitary ware we use the Siko showroom; on a smaller budget you can also shop well at Obi or Hornbach.
At this point your flat is finished to standard. The hardest part is behind you. What next? Find out in our previous article.
