A renovation runs from the hidden to the visible: strip-out, then services, then masonry and plastering, then ceilings, floors and tiling, then painting, then fitting. Each stage relies on the one before being finished and checked. Changing the order to save time almost always creates rework later, so a good schedule shows the stages and the checks between them.
Why does the order of trades matter so much?
A renovation is built in layers. Pipes and cables sit inside walls and floors; plaster covers them; tiles and paint cover the plaster. Each layer locks in the one below. If anything underneath has to change once the top layer is on, the top layer comes off — and that is where budgets and schedules break.
Order also matters for protection. Floors laid before the painters arrive need covering; a kitchen fitted before the ceiling is finished gets dusty; a bathroom tiled before the screed has dried properly can crack. None of these are rare. They are the predictable result of starting a trade early to fill a gap in someone’s diary. The rest of this guide walks through the stages in the order we plan them on our own jobs.
What happens first: strip-out and checks?
The job starts by removing what is being replaced: tiles, sanitaryware, kitchen units, partitions that are moving, old floors where they are coming up. Debris leaves the property as it goes, in bags or a skip. In many towns a skip on the street needs its own occupation permit from the town hall (to be verified with your ayuntamiento), and apartment blocks often have rules about using the lift.
Strip-out is also the moment of truth. Once walls and floors are open, the real condition of pipes, cables and supporting structure becomes visible. If something unexpected shows up, this is the cheapest moment to deal with it. We photograph anything unexpected and agree the way forward with you before closing anything. If what you need is only the strip-out, our sister site on interior demolition covers that.
When do plumbing and electrics go in?
Immediately after strip-out and any new partitions, before plastering. This is the “first fix”: pipes and cables are run inside walls, floors and ceilings to every point where they will be needed. Positions for sockets, switches, lights, taps and appliances are agreed with you beforehand, because moving them later means reopening finished walls.
Electrical and gas work is carried out by authorised partner installers. The supply pipework is usually pressure-tested before it is covered, and waste pipes are checked for fall. Only once these checks are complete does the albañil close the chases. The “second fix” — fitting sockets, switches, taps and lights — comes at the very end, after painting.
What comes between services and finishes?
The masonry and plastering stage. New partitions are completed, chases are filled, walls are plastered and corners finished with beads. Suspended plasterboard ceilings are framed, any cables and ducts are placed above them, and then the boards are closed. Floors are levelled with a screed where needed, and wet-room floors are formed with the correct falls towards the drain.
Two checks matter here. First, that walls and floors are flat and square enough for the chosen finish — large tiles are unforgiving. Second, that screeds and plaster are dry enough for what goes on top. Drying depends on thickness, season and ventilation, so a reliable schedule leaves room for it rather than assuming a fixed figure. Our masonry page explains this stage in more detail.
In what order are floors, tiles and paint done?
Waterproofing goes on first in wet areas, then wall and floor tiling in bathrooms and kitchen splashbacks. Floors in the rest of the property usually come next and are immediately protected. Skimming and painting follow, with a final coat after other trades have finished to cover any marks.
Some teams prefer to paint before laying a floating timber floor, to avoid splashes; others prefer to lay all floors before painting so skirting can be fitted and painted in one go. Both can work. What does not work is improvising the order day to day. We decide it at the planning stage and show it in the phased plan that comes with the quote.
What is left for the end of the job?
Fitting: sanitaryware, taps, shower screens, kitchen units and worktops if they are not already in, interior doors, sockets and switch plates, light fittings. Then the installers test everything, a full clean is done and the property is ready for a walk-through.
The final stage is where impatience shows. Fitting a kitchen while the painters are still working, or installing doors before the floor is finished, creates small damage that then has to be repaired. A clean finish is mostly the result of a disciplined sequence earlier on. That discipline is one of the main things you are paying for when you choose a turnkey contractor rather than coordinating separate trades.
How can you tell if a schedule is realistic?
Look for three things. First, the stages appear in the order described above. Second, there is room for checks and drying between stages rather than one trade starting the day after another finishes. Third, materials with long lead times — kitchens, made-to-measure shower screens, special tiles — are ordered early enough to arrive before the stage that needs them.
If a builder promises to complete a job much faster than others, ask which stages overlap and how drying and checks are handled. Overlapping trades is sometimes possible, but it needs a reason. Our post on what can go wrong in a renovation describes what happens when the sequence is compressed.
Official sources
- Town hall guidance on filing a declaración responsable for works (Monachil)
- Ley 7/2021 (LISTA), consolidated text – BOE
Bauman Raymond Attila · Reformas Integrales Málaga · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
