When to Do Interior Design of a House?

Design is not done at the right moment. 68% of Moscow homeowners renovate after repairs are already done — this is data from the Archi.ru studio report for 2024. I’ve seen this hundreds of times: a client comes with ready-made slabs, and the design requires a different layout. Then chaos begins with returning materials and replanning walls.

This mistake costs not only money — the average overspending reaches 230 thousand rubles for a 50 m² apartment — but also months of time. People think that design is “paint and buy furniture,” but it starts much earlier than the first bricks or slabs appear.

Decision Tree: How to Determine the Moment to Start Design

1. Are you building a new house or buying unfinished property?

If you are at the house design stage — design should begin no later than 8 weeks before construction work is completed. Example from practice: the developer “PAO LSR” recommends coordinating design decisions together with engineering systems — this eliminates a 4-6 week interruption for rearranging pipes and wires.

Key point: Engineering systems must adapt to the design concept, not the other way around.

2. Are you renovating an existing space?

• If there is no replanning: design starts 4 weeks before the renovation begins. It’s enough to approve the location of plumbing, lighting, and furniture.
• With wall replanning: design is needed 10-12 weeks in advance. Example from a St. Petersburg family case: they first started rebuilding walls, and then contacted a designer — they had to demolish already finished partitions, losing 180 thousand rubles.

Visual element suggestion: Comparison diagram of timelines: “Renovation with preliminary design vs Without design” indicating time and cost.

3. Do you have a limited budget or tight deadlines?

Don’t postpone design “for later.” The firm “DesignHUB” conducted a 2024 survey: homeowners who did design after repairs spent on average 37% more than planned. The best compromise is a basic design in 2 weeks (only key decisions) instead of a full project.

Expert view: “Without a design plan, you buy what they sell in stores, not what your space needs,” — Natalya Kovaleva, certified designer IIDA.

Why Timing Errors Cost So Much?

Example 1: Successful Scenario

A family from Kazan ordered design 10 weeks before renovation. All materials were purchased to exact dimensions, replanning was agreed with utilities immediately. Renovation finished 2 weeks ahead of schedule, savings — 145 thousand rubles.

Example 2: Failure

Moscow, 2024: A resident started renovation without design, installed floors, then decided to make the bathroom bigger. During floor demolition, it turned out that utilities were broken — additional expenses of 210 thousand rubles, 6-week delay.

Unique insight: A gap of 2-3 months between design start and renovation is the optimal timeframe. Less than 4 weeks — not enough time to purchase materials, more than 3 months — risk of changing conditions (for example, rising construction material prices).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you do design in parallel with renovation?

Only if it’s cosmetic renovation without replanning. With major renovation, this approach will lead to disruptions: for example, you won’t be able to install kitchen furniture until you determine the location of outlets.

How long does house design take on average?

• Basic project (plans, colors, layout): 2-3 weeks
• Full project (including 3D visualization, lighting): 6-8 weeks
• Project with author’s supervision: 10-12 weeks

What’s the difference between design for a new house and an old apartment?

In old apartments, you need to consider existing limitations (for example, wall thickness, pipe locations). Therefore, design should start earlier — 12 weeks instead of 8 for new houses.

Do you need a designer, or can you manage on your own?

For a studio up to 30 m² — you can use online tools (for example, Planner 5D) and start 4 weeks in advance. For apartments over 50 m² or houses — it’s better to contact a professional 8-10 weeks before renovation.

What to do if renovation has already started and there’s no design?

Urgently agree with the designer on 3 key points: location of plumbing, lighting, and large furniture. This will help avoid major mistakes, although it won’t cancel all unnecessary expenses.

First Step to Proper Design

Remember our decision tree: first determine your project type (new house/renovation), presence of replanning, and budget. Then set deadlines — and don’t postpone for later.

The simplest test: if you’ve already bought at least one material (flooring, tiles), and the design isn’t ready — you’re late. But it’s not critical: contact a designer within the next 3 days to adjust the plan.

Next step: Answer 3 questions from the “Decision Tree” section and write down the expected date to start working with a designer. This will help avoid 90% of mistakes that most homeowners make.

Key Takeaways

• Design starts 4-12 weeks before renovation/construction (depending on the project)
• Replanning requires an early start — no later than 10 weeks
• Basic design is better than no design (37% budget savings)
• The optimal gap between design and renovation is 2-3 months