Everything on the checklist
This is the whole file, printed below. If you never download it, you can still work from this page — that is deliberate.
1 · Before design starts
- Possession letter, OC copy and society share certificate collected
- Carpet area confirmed from the sale agreement, not the brochure
- Budget split agreed: civil, joinery, finishes, loose furniture, appliances
- Move-in date fixed and worked backwards into a start date
- Storage audit done room by room — what you own, in cubic feet
- Decide what is staying: old wardrobes, ACs, chimney, water purifier
2 · Survey and measurement
- All rooms measured wall to wall at floor, mid and lintel level
- Beam depths and column projections recorded with heights from floor
- Window and door openings measured including frame and sill projection
- Slab height recorded in every room — it is rarely the same
- Existing electrical and plumbing points marked on the plan
- Duct, shaft and dry-balcony access noted before anything is boxed in
3 · Layout and space planning
- Furniture layout drawn to scale with 2 ft 6 in circulation kept clear
- Door swings checked against wardrobe shutters and bed corners
- Dining seat pull-back of 3 ft behind each chair confirmed
- TV viewing distance checked: 1.6 x screen diagonal minimum
- Wet-area positions frozen before any wall is demolished
- Pooja, study or WFH corner located and dimensioned, not assumed
4 · Electrical, data and AC
- Room-wise point schedule signed off before first fix begins
- Bedside sockets at 24 in AFL on both sides of every bed
- Kitchen 16A points counted against the actual appliance list
- AC copper, drain slope and outdoor unit location agreed with the society
- Router position, data points and Wi-Fi dead spots planned
- Switchboard heights and two-way bedroom switching marked on plan
5 · Plumbing and waterproofing
- Concealed plumbing routes marked before tile work starts
- Waterproofing warranty in writing, with the ponding-test date recorded
- Floor falls set towards the trap, checked with water not by eye
- Geyser location, capacity and dedicated 16A point confirmed
- Shower diverter, health faucet and bib-cock heights fixed on the wall
6 · Ceiling, lighting and joinery
- False ceiling levels drawn against beam bottoms and AC drain slope
- Cove, spot and task lighting separated onto different circuits
- Colour temperature fixed per room — 3000K living, 4000K kitchen
- Carcass material confirmed per zone: BWP for wet, MR elsewhere
- Hardware brand and series named on the BOQ, not just 'branded'
- Shutter finish, edge banding thickness and handle type approved on sample
7 · Site discipline in a Mumbai building
- Society NOC, deposit and working hours confirmed in writing
- Service lift booking and debris route agreed with the secretary
- Worker ID list and police verification submitted where required
- Common-area protection, lift padding and daily cleaning agreed
- Water and power source for the site agreed with the committee
8 · Before you release the last payment
- Snag list walked room by room and signed by both sides
- Every drawer, shutter, channel and hinge operated once in your presence
- Warranty documents, brand schedule and appliance manuals handed over
- As-built electrical layout received for future drilling
- Site cleared, debris removed and society deposit refund initiated
How to run it
- Print it and leave it on site. A checklist in an inbox changes nothing; a checklist taped inside a cupboard door gets used.
- Do not skip forward. If anything in a stage is still open, the next stage will have to be partly redone.
- Date each tick. A tick with a date is evidence; a tick without one is a memory.
- Walk the electrical items twice — once on the drawing and once on the wall, with chalk marks, before conduit is buried.
Three mistakes it prevents
- Buying appliances after the carcass is cut. Items 19 to 24 force the appliance list to exist before the kitchen is manufactured.
- Discovering a beam after the layout is approved. The survey stage records beam depths and slab heights before anything is drawn.
- Paying the final instalment before the warranty documents exist. Stage eight ties the last payment to a document list, not to a completion date.
Download the checklist (PDF) →
For what each stage costs, see our interior design cost guide, or start with the cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is this checklist only for new flats?+
No. Stages one and two change for a resale or a renovation — you record what already exists rather than what the builder handed over — but the remaining six stages apply unchanged. For an occupied renovation, use it alongside the renovation planning workbook, which adds the phasing questions.
How long does it take to work through?+
The first two stages take an afternoon if you measure carefully. Stages three to six are spread across the design period, usually four to six weeks. Stage seven happens once, before mobilisation. Stage eight takes a full day with the contractor present.
Can I use it with a contractor who is not Greenbox?+
Yes, and we would rather you did than not use one at all. Nothing on the sheet is studio-specific. It names plywood grades, hardware categories and society requirements that any competent Mumbai contractor will recognise.
Why are there only 42 items when other checklists have 200?+
Because 200 items do not get used. Every item here either prevents a cost or prevents a defect. We removed everything that was merely tidy.
Does it cover the budget?+
Only at stage one, where it asks you to split the budget across civil, joinery, finishes, loose furniture and appliances. For a full budget breakdown use the budget planner spreadsheet, which tracks committed against paid by head.