Home Renovation Checklist: Plan, Permissions and Steps

Step 1: Plan the scope

Good renovation planning starts with a written scope, not a mood board. Walk through each room and note what is broken, what is dated and what you simply want.

• List every room and the work in it: civil, electrical, plumbing, flooring, carpentry, painting.
• Inspect hidden services. Havells notes that after about 25 years wiring becomes more susceptible to crumbling insulation; if your house is that old, include full rewiring.
• Check for damp patches, leaking joints and cracks. Find the source (terrace, bathroom above, external wall) before planning finishes.
• Decide furniture positions now: bed wall, wardrobe wall, TV wall, study desk. Sockets and switches depend on them.
• Measure doors and lifts. Large furniture and stone slabs must fit through. Infralens, citing NBC 2016, gives 0.90 m clear width and 2.0 m height as the minimum for a habitable room door (commonly quoted, clause unverified, check locally), and older homes often have narrower doors.
• Photograph every room before work starts. These photos help with disputes and with neighbours.

For older buildings, also read old house renovation checks, which covers structural audits.

Step 2: Permissions and society NOC

This is the step people skip and regret. The rules differ by city and society, and the official municipal pages were not available to us, so treat the points below as unverified, reported guidance and confirm with your society office and local authority.

• Mumbai (reported by housing.com, June 2025, unverified): tenantable repairs such as plaster, paint, tiles, WC repair and replacing pipes or fittings do not need Commissioner permission under s.342 of the MMC Act, but a society NOC is mandatory. Non-tenantable work, such as removing partitions, shifting a toilet, or changing doors or windows in a way that affects beams, columns, slabs or load-bearing walls, needs written Commissioner approval (notice under s.344) plus the society NOC.
• Bengaluru (reported by onecityproperty.com, 2024 updated 2026, unverified): structural changes, extensions and change of use need approval; painting, tiling, like-for-like doors and windows and rewiring generally do not. An association or RWA NOC is described as practically mandatory for work touching structure or common areas.
• Other cities: we have no sourced rules. Ask the society secretary and the local municipal office in writing.

Practical points that apply almost everywhere:

• Submit a written application to the society with the scope, contractor name and dates.
• Societies may ask for a structural engineer's report and an indemnity bond for bigger work (reported by housing.com).
• Confirm working hours, lift use for material, debris disposal and any deposit.
• Inform immediate neighbours, especially the flat below if you are touching bathrooms.
• Never remove or cut a beam, column or load-bearing wall without a licensed structural engineer's written opinion.

Step 3: Quotes and the contract

A good contract is boring and detailed. Get at least three quotes on the same written scope so they can be compared item by item.

• Itemised BOQ: each item with quantity, unit (sq ft, running ft, number), brand, grade and rate. "Wardrobe: 1 lot" is not acceptable.
• Materials named: board type and thickness (for example, Greenply suggests 16 to 18 mm MR plywood for bedroom wardrobes and BWP for kitchens and bathrooms), laminate, hardware brand, tile size, paint product.
• Who supplies what: some contractors include material, others charge only labour. Write it down.
• Timeline with milestones and what happens if they slip.
• Payment linked to stages, not dates, with a final retention released after the snag list is closed.
• Debris removal, cleaning and protection of floors and furniture that stays.
• Warranty on waterproofing, carpentry and hardware, in writing.
• Change orders: any extra work is priced and signed before it starts.

Published cost ranges (NoBroker and Brick&Bolt) differ by two to three times, mostly because of scope. Our cost guide explains how to compare them.

Step 4: The right sequence of work

Most delays and rework come from doing things out of order. This is the sequence that works for most Indian homes:

1. Protection and demolition: cover floors that stay, remove old fittings, break tiles and walls as approved.
2. Civil work: any approved wall changes, door or window openings, niche cutting, plastering.
3. Plumbing rough-in: new supply and drain lines, then a pressure test before anything is closed.
4. Electrical rough-in: conduits, new wiring, DB and MCBs, points for AC, geyser, chimney, TV and study desk.
5. Waterproofing: bathrooms, balconies, terraces; do a water ponding test and let it run before tiling.
6. Flooring and wall tiles.
7. False ceiling, after wiring and AC piping are in.
8. Putty and primer on walls, before carpentry is installed.
9. Carpentry: wardrobes, kitchen, TV unit, beds and panelling.
10. Final paint coats, then light fixtures, switch plates and sanitary fittings.
11. Deep cleaning, then curtains and loose furniture.

Rule of thumb: anything that makes dust or water goes before anything that can be damaged by dust or water.

Step 5: Site supervision checklist

Even with a good contractor, visit the site regularly. Things to check at each stage:

• Plumbing: pressure test done and witnessed, slopes on drain pipes, no joints buried in floors where avoidable.
• Electrical: separate circuits for heavy loads, earthing, correct wire gauge, photos of conduit routes before plastering (you will thank yourself later).
• Waterproofing: ponding test held for the agreed time, coating turned up the walls.
• Tiles: level and slope, consistent joints, hollow sound check by tapping, spacers used.
• Carpentry: board brand and thickness match the BOQ, edge banding on all exposed edges, hinges and channels as specified. Pick sizes from our study table and wardrobe guides.
• Paint: putty sanding is smooth, the number of coats is as promised.

Keep a simple site diary: date, work done, issues, photos. It makes stage payments easy to approve.

Step 6: Snag list before final payment

The snag list is your last chance to get things fixed for free. Walk through with the contractor in daylight and again at night with all lights on.

Write every snag with a photo, agree a date for fixing, and release the retention only after it is closed. Collect warranty cards, bills and the as-built wiring and plumbing photos.

Budget and paperwork to keep

Keep a folder with the society NOC, approvals, contract, BOQ, change orders, payment receipts, GST bills and warranties. If you take a home renovation loan, banks typically ask for an estimate and bills, and tax rules on renovation interest have specific limits. A small contingency in the budget for surprises found after demolition is always wise.