What is rough repair (finishing) in a new building

Thinking about buying housing on the primary market, you are faced with the fact that they sell apartments with repairs of different degrees of readiness. The most common is the rough finishing of the apartment. What it is, what work includes this concept and what you get as a result – read the article.

Different types of repair of apartments

Apartments in new buildings can be bought with different degrees of finishing:

• Under finishing or without repair.
• Finished.
• With pre-clean white finish.
• With full finishing from the builder.

These are the definitions in advertisements offering living space in new buildings or in construction contracts. At the same time, the price per square meter differs solidly depending on the level of finishing. To understand what the difference is, let’s look at the differences between different types of repairs from the builder.

Under finishing

This is a variant without finishing works at all. You get only the box. The walls themselves – the outer walls and those that limit your apartment stand and nothing else. There may still be partitions that separate the bathroom and kitchen. The rest of the space is without partitions. If the walls are cast in concrete, they are bare concrete. Bare floor slabs over your head, uneven concrete slab under your feet. That’s what you get. The only thing is windows can be installed, and not always. Depends on the project so this point should be clarified with the developer.

There are also no communications. There are points of connection to them: sewerage outlet, water supply, electrical input into the apartment, and most often without a panel. Just wind the phase on the automatic machine. There is no plumbing / sewerage in the apartment. All this you must do yourself. The exception is the heating system. In many new buildings, the developer does the wiring, although there may be exceptions. That is, the apartment without finishing – without any repairs.

Under the finishing

From the previous option differ in the fact that usually there are already some partitions (typical layout or the position of partitions with you agreed at the stage of signing the contract), the walls and ceiling are plastered, the floor is poured screed. Electricity may be installed (check), but other engineering systems are still only marked with entry points.

You should not expect the plastered surfaces to be level. The quality of the work is usually below average. You will still have to level the walls and ceiling. Just need (probably), a smaller layer of material. And so, you are waiting for a full list of works, which includes rough finishing of the apartment, and then the finish.

With pre-finishing

This is an apartment that is prepared for finishing works. Electricity is wired, the walls are leveled, a level screed is poured on the floor, the ceiling is plastered. You only need to lay finishing materials and substrate under them (where necessary). Without finishing remains the bathroom, bathroom, toilet. In these rooms, the repair will still be for you.

It is worth understanding that “leveled walls” must comply with SNiP (building codes and regulations), and it allows deviations of the following order:

• on the walls up to 15 mm per meter of area,
• up to 10 mm on the floor and ceiling.

So, even if the builders and kept the norms (it happens far from always), not all finishing materials can be laid on such “even” surfaces. In favor of this type of repair of new buildings can be said one thing: the house for another 3-5 years will actively sit down, so that the appearance of cracks is quite natural solution. For this reason, it is not worth using expensive finishing materials at once, and under the temporary version will go relatively flat surfaces.

With full repair from the builder

A full range of works, up to the installation of finishing materials, interior and entrance doors, installation of plumbing. All you need is to furnish the apartment and you can live.

This option seems tempting – you do not need to agonize in search of builders-decorators. And it is so. But the quality of repair from the builder rarely when someone is satisfied. Often all the finishing is removed and done again. And often have to putty walls (for painting so 100%), pour a leveling screed.

What includes rough finishing of the apartment

What exactly is included in the concept of “rough repair” each firm and brigade determines for themselves independently. Of the above options under this concept are suitable for two stages: under the clean and with pre-cleaning. As you can see, the degree of readiness of the premises is quite different. And how to sort it out? Require a list of works that will be carried out.

Some put a list of possible works with the price per square meter. In this case, everything is simple: you determine what work and in what volume you will do – this is the best option. If there is no list of works, ask him to voice it or ask for a list of works that are planned to do.

Civilized repair implies the mandatory conclusion of a contract for repair and finishing works. This will minimize your risks in case of unfair actions of the contractor.

Pay attention: when signing the contract, all works must be specified. And the more accurate the definition (with acceptable deviations), the less you will have problems during the acceptance.

The main types of work

As already mentioned, rough finishing of the apartment is understood by each construction company in its own way, but usually offer such a list of works:

• Erection of partitions according to the finished plan.
• Pouring floor screed on beacons with preliminary waterproofing of “wet” rooms. Here you need to be careful. The screed can be reinforced and not. It is also necessary to specify the permissible height differences.
• Electrical wiring:
• Plastering of walls on beacons.
• Plastering of the ceiling (not all this item is included in the basic list, as they often make stretch or suspended ceilings).
• Piping cold and hot water supply, sewerage.

This list of works on the rough finishing of the apartment is basic for most organizations that offer repairs without finishing.

Comments on electrics

A few comments on the wiring. Before carrying out the work should be made a plan, which marked the number of outlets and points of connection of lighting fixtures in each room, calculated cross-section of wires, ratings of automatic machines, RCDs (read here) for each of the branches. You need to clarify who will do this work.

If you develop a scheme of electrical wiring will be the performer, you should familiarize yourself with the project beforehand. And it would not be unreasonable to show a specialist or try to delve into all the subtleties yourself. If the project is all right, you will have to control everything down to the brand of cable and its specific parameters. Namely it will be necessary to measure the actual diameter of copper wires and calculate the cross-section, compare it with the design. Often there are large discrepancies (manufacturers’ faults, but they need to track them to you). Electricity is difficult to redo, because the wires are hidden under the plaster and change them very problematic, even if they are laid in corrugated pipes. That’s why, it is one of the most important stages, which provides rough finishing of the apartment and control it should be very responsibly.

About plastering the walls and leveling the floor

Before drawing up a contract for rough finishing of the apartment, clarify how level the walls and floor will be. It is desirable to achieve specific figures that should be fixed in the contract. Clearly, “under the egg” you will not make no one, but to achieve that the differences were no more than 5 mm per square meter is realistic.

Also clarify whether the plastering of walls includes the processing of slopes. Often this part of the work is put on the list of additional work, so you will have to pay extra for it.

Additional work

In most cases, if you find it necessary, you can add these types of work to the main list of works:

Perhaps you will be offered other types of work. It all depends on the particular firm. Maybe they have special specialists who will offer their own types of work.

Who is better to entrust the repair

If the rough finishing of the apartment will not be done by you personally, you have two options to choose from:

• to pay for an apartment without repair, and to hire a brigade or a repair company for rough repair;
• order an apartment immediately with rough finishing.

According to all the data is preferable to the first option. Finding a company that does a good job of repair in new buildings is not easy, but possible. Customer who rents apartments with satisfactory rough repair – it’s almost a fairy tale. Everything is understandable.

Repair offices recruit specific professionals for certain types of work. They are engaged only in this, it is their bread, their reputation, so the quality of work respectable organizations watch. For the builder the main thing – the construction process itself and the emphasis is on the construction of the box and not on finishing. Finishing work is a side income, not so attractive (in monetary terms) and few people are seriously concerned about their quality. In any case, this is the situation in our country so far.

Perhaps somewhere there are real estate developers who keep highly qualified finishing specialists. But for this they must constantly be in the work of new objects that these specialists were constantly busy, otherwise it is unprofitable. If you are lucky enough to find such a customer, you have seen (not only on the photo) and felt a couple of finished apartments, rough finishing of the apartment can be entrusted to them without question. Otherwise – look for a firm that is engaged in finishing.

What to pay attention to when accepting the work

Draft finishing of the apartment in a new building is over, you need to accept the work. But you need to know what to pay attention to, how and what to check. To help you contract, which you signed with the builder or repair firm. There should be a list of works that must be done. You will need to check:

If there are comments, you need to make a list of them, get it signed by a representative of the firm. Ideally, your remarks should be eliminated.