Rough Works: What the Quality of Your Whole Renovation Rests On

Rough works are the least visible and the most important part of a renovation. Under paint and parquet you cannot see whether the plaster is flat, whether the screed has voids or where the cable runs. You will see it six months later: as a crack by a doorway, a squeaking floor, a wave in the laminate or a socket hidden behind a wardrobe. Fixing it after the finishing almost always means removing something you have already paid for.

Below is the rough stage step by step, the way we explain it to our clients: the order of works, what to check at each step, the most common mistakes and what must be done before walls and floors are closed.

What rough works include

The rough stage is everything that prepares the shell of the apartment for finishing. It includes stripping old finishes and structures, building new partitions, running electrical and low-voltage cables, water supply and drainage, waterproofing wet areas, plastering walls and levelling ceilings, floor screed and underfloor heating, and fixing mounting supports for heavy furniture and appliances.

In new buildings in Almaty and Astana, apartments are often handed over with a basic shell finish, and buyers assume half the work is done. In reality the developer usually provides only the base: block or concrete walls, sometimes a screed and utility inlets. New routes still have to be run for your layout, kitchen and lighting, so some rough works are part of almost every renovation.

The order of works and why it cannot change

The sequence is strict: demolition → new partitions → electrics and low-voltage → water and drainage → waterproofing → wall plaster → screed and underfloor heating → skim coat and preparation for finishing. Each step closes access to the previous one. Electrics after plaster means chasing grooves into flat walls. Pipes after screed means breaking up the floor. Partitions after screed mean sound and shrinkage problems.

That is why each step is inspected separately while it is still visible. You cannot check everything at the end, because at the end only the surface is left to see. We recommend agreeing interim inspections with the crew right in the schedule: after the utilities, after plastering and after the screed. Our guide to accepting works explains how to document them.

Demolition and partitions

Demolition starts with a demolition plan showing which walls and openings go and which stay. Load-bearing walls, ventilation shafts and shared risers must not be touched, and moving partitions, widening openings or combining rooms usually requires an approved redevelopment. Check the procedure with the akimat or a Public Service Centre before work starts: legalising changes afterwards is harder and more expensive.

New partitions are built according to the masonry or installation plan, which gives the material, thickness and references. When inspecting, check plumb with a level, compare opening sizes with the drawing and make sure openings have lintels. For plasterboard partitions, reinforcements for wall-hung appliances, the TV, a wall-hung toilet and upper cabinets are installed in advance: you cannot hang something heavy on an empty stud later.

Electrics: what to plan from the start

Electrics are the most expensive thing to redo. Wiring follows the electrical plan, which marks every socket, switch, light outlet and supply for appliances, underfloor heating and the hood, with heights and references. In apartments, socket circuits usually use 2.5 mm² copper cable and lighting 1.5 mm². Heavy loads such as the hob, oven and water heater get dedicated circuits.

Before plastering, check that every point matches the drawing, cables run horizontally and vertically in their grooves rather than diagonally, wet areas and socket groups are protected by RCDs or RCBOs, and the distribution board is labelled. Most importantly, photograph every wall with a tape measure in the frame before it is closed. This map of cable routes will help every time you drill to hang shelves, curtain rails or pictures.

Do not forget low-voltage networks: a data cable to the TV and the workplace, the intercom, cabling for cameras or a smart home if you plan one. Later they can only be added as surface wiring.

Plumbing and waterproofing

Water and drainage are run according to the plumbing plan, which gives the outlet heights for every fixture. A wall-hung toilet, concealed mixer, bidet shower, washing machine and dishwasher all need different levels, and an error of a few centimetres shows later: a tap off-centre over the basin or a floor drain sitting above the tile.

Before closing, pipes are always pressure-tested. Drain pipes must slope towards the riser with no sagging or reverse falls. In bathrooms, showers and the laundry, the floor is waterproofed with an upstand onto the walls, and in the shower area the walls are treated up to splash height. It is cheap insurance against an expensive dispute with the neighbours below.

Plaster: how to accept the walls

Plaster quality is checked with a two-metre straightedge and a level. The straightedge is placed on the wall in different directions to look for gaps. In practice we require no more than 2 mm under a two-metre straightedge on walls for paint and wallpaper, and on tiled walls and where the kitchen and wardrobes go we also check corners with a square: they must be right angles, otherwise a tapering gap appears between the cabinet and the wall.

Flatness matters most under large-format tiles, mouldings and hidden lighting: any step shows under side light. Also check that window and door reveals are even in width and that the plaster is not delaminating; tap the wall, a hollow sound means a void. Damp walls are not skimmed or painted: let the plaster dry according to the mix manufacturer's instructions.

Screed and underfloor heating

The screed is poured only after all pipes and cables in the floor are laid and tested. Its flatness is checked with a laser level and a straightedge: laminate and parquet manufacturers usually require no more than 2 mm deviation over 2 metres, and the exact requirements are in the instructions for the specific floor. Voids are found by tapping, cracks by eye.

A popular rule of thumb is one week of drying per centimetre of screed, but it is a simplification: the time depends on temperature, humidity and ventilation. It is more reliable to measure moisture. For example, Ceresit specifies for sand-cement screeds an age of at least 28 days and moisture no higher than 2% CM, or 1.8% CM for heated screeds. Parquet laid on a damp screed can warp in its first season.

Underfloor heating follows the floor and heating plan and is not laid where the kitchen, wardrobes and bathtub will stand. The temperature sensor goes into a conduit so it can be replaced without opening the floor.

Typical rough-stage mistakes

Starting without drawings and deciding as you go: the electrician puts sockets where he is used to, you choose the kitchen later and the sockets end up behind a cabinet. Saving on plaster under expensive finishes: a crooked wall ruins both large-format tiles and premium paint. Rushing the drying of screed and plaster to meet a deadline. Not photographing the routes. Closing hidden works without inspection and pressure testing. Changing the layout after the utilities are run.

Most of these mistakes cost not thousands but hundreds of thousands of tenge, because the fix also affects the finishing. Money saved on the rough stage almost always comes back as rework.

Checklist before closing walls and floors

Before you let the crew plaster and pour the screed, go through the list: all sockets, switches and outlets match the electrical plan; cables are protected and run in straight lines; the board is assembled and labelled; pipes have passed the pressure test with no leaks; plumbing outlets are at the right heights; waterproofing is done and checked; supports for heavy appliances and furniture are in place; every wall is photographed with a tape measure.

Before finishing: walls accepted with a straightedge and level, corners behind furniture square, screed flat and dry, underfloor heating tested. A ready-made acceptance checklist and a list of common renovation mistakes are in the Checklists section of our website.

Why the rough stage follows a working project

Rough works are carried out from drawings: demolition plan, masonry plan, electrical, plumbing, floor and ceiling plans. Without them, quality depends on the memory and habits of the tradesman. Our working project has 14 sheets, and these are the sheets the crew uses during the rough stage. In the 93 m² neoclassical apartment in Kamenka Park, for example, quality plaster and the moulding layout were planned at the rough stage from the wall elevation drawings.

We design but do not carry out construction works ourselves. If you want someone to supervise the crew on site, there is design supervision: site visits at least once a week, photo and video records and notice of deviations within 24 hours.

The takeaway is simple: you cannot see the rough stage, but it decides how long the renovation will last. If you are just starting, fill in our project brief or message us on WhatsApp, and we will suggest where to begin and which drawings your crew needs.