White box

White box (pre-finish handover) is a way of delivering a new-build in which the developer takes on part of the rough and services work but does not do the final finishes. The apartment is an intermediate between a concrete shell and a ready home: walls are levelled, the floor is screeded, services are brought in. The buyer still has to do the final finishes and furnish it.

What is usually included. As a rule, a white box includes levelled walls and ceilings, floor screed, electrical and plumbing wiring to end points, windows, the entrance door, sometimes radiators and internal partitions as per design. But there is no single standard: each developer decides what counts as white box, so the scope should be checked against the contract and its appendix. In Kazakhstan the term and scope may differ, so ask the sales department.

What is left to the buyer. Final wall finishes (filler for paint, wallpaper, tile), final floor coverings, interior doors, sanitary ware and sockets, the kitchen, wardrobes, lighting. The advantage is that you do not have to dismantle someone else's "standard" solutions. The disadvantage is that you pay for readiness which you may later have to partly redo for your own layout.

Pitfalls. The wiring in a white box is made universally, without regard to your furniture: sockets may end up behind a wardrobe, water and drainage points may not be where your bathroom or kitchen needs them. The quality of walls and screed varies, and geometry often needs correcting for tile or built-in furniture. Hidden defects (voids in the screed, weak waterproofing) are only visible on inspection. So before ordering furniture and before finishing, the apartment should be accepted against a checklist and its geometry checked.

When to choose it. If you want to save time at the rough stage and your layout is standard, white box makes sense. If you need a non-standard layout, a moved bathroom, hidden doors or complex lighting, part of what has been done will have to be opened up and the benefit disappears. Check what exactly has been done before buying: both budget and timing depend on it.

How we do it. In such apartments we first make a measured plan and check the wall geometry, then move some of the electrical and water points to suit the specific layout. This is cheaper than living with sockets behind a wardrobe. Our site has an "Apartment handover" checklist, which you can use before finishing. If you need help, message us on WhatsApp or fill in the project brief.