Renovation — Questions Answered

Because part of the scope is concealed until work starts. A new flat has known conditions; a 1985 flat may have aluminium wiring, a leaking concealed pipe, uneven floors needing 40 mm of levelling, or damp behind a wardrobe nobody has moved in twenty years. A good renovation quotation names provisional sums for these rather than pretending they will not appear.

Usually, and the comparison should include the cost of living elsewhere for three to five months. A full renovation at ₹1,100–₹2,600 per sq ft on a 900 sq ft flat is ₹10–₹23 lakh. Whether that is better value than moving depends entirely on the building, the location and what a comparable finished flat costs.

Twelve to fifteen per cent, against 10% for a new flat, and more if the building is older than about thirty-five years. Renovation contingency is consumed by genuine discoveries rather than by client changes, which is why it should be held separately and not treated as a discretionary buffer.

If the flat was wired before about 1995, almost certainly. Aluminium conductors, undersized cables for modern loads, no earth on some circuits and no RCBO protection are all common. Full rewiring of a 2BHK costs ₹1.1–₹2.4 lakh and it is the least visible and most important thing you will spend money on. See electrical planning.

Tape a 300 x 300 mm sheet of polythene tightly to the suspect wall and leave it for 48 hours. Condensation on the inside face means moisture is migrating through the wall. A moisture meter reading above 16% on plaster confirms it. Do this on every external wall and every wall shared with a bathroom or a duct before any finish is specified.

Galvanised iron pipework has a service life of roughly 25–30 years and most Mumbai flats built before 2000 have reached or passed it. Replacing concealed plumbing means breaking tile, so it should be done during a bathroom renovation rather than as a separate future project. CPVC or PPR replacement of a 2BHK runs ₹70,000–₹1.6 lakh.

Seepage from the flat above, from a common terrace or from a leaking external wall is the society's or the neighbour's responsibility, not yours, and no amount of internal work will fix it. Get it resolved and documented before finishing the affected wall, or you will redo the finish and the argument in the same year.

Only a non-structural partition, and only with society permission. Columns, beams, shear walls and most 230 mm walls in older buildings carry load. In many Mumbai buildings, even a non-structural removal requires a structural engineer's certificate submitted to the society. Removing a load-bearing element without approval is both dangerous and a serious problem at resale.

Rarely, and not cheaply. Both are tied to the building's plumbing stacks and drainage falls. Moving a WC more than about 1.5 m from the existing stack usually requires either a raised floor to gain fall or a macerator, and altering a wet area's position is exactly the kind of change that needs BMC approval as well as society consent.

Technically often yes, legally it is involved: society approval, an amalgamation application to the BMC, a structural engineer's opinion on any opening in the party wall, and updates to the property tax and share certificate records. Budget six to twelve months for the paperwork alongside the construction, and start it first.

For a full renovation, yes. Rewiring, plumbing and flooring make a flat genuinely uninhabitable, and staying adds two to four weeks and a great deal of stress. For a partial renovation confined to one or two rooms, staying is workable with proper dust sheeting and a functioning kitchen and bathroom.

More than expected. Chasing walls, breaking tile and sanding produce fine dust that penetrates every cupboard in the flat regardless of sheeting. Insist on plastic zip-door partitions rather than loose sheets, daily debris removal, and a water-damping regime during chasing. It is a specification item and should be in the BOQ.

Working hours of 10 am–6 pm on weekdays, no Sunday work, a refundable deposit, a workman list with ID, debris removal only at specified times and via a specified lift. Confirm the debris rule in writing — disposal in Mumbai costs ₹6,000–₹18,000 per renovation and is frequently omitted from quotations.

Photograph and inventory everything before work starts, move valuables out entirely, and wrap and box anything that stays. Existing flooring being retained needs hardboard protection, not just a sheet. Get the protection method agreed in writing; damage to retained items is one of the commonest renovation disputes.