3-room apartment renovation - the whole apartment or room by room

How a three-room apartment renovation differs from a smaller apartment

Renovating a three-room apartment is not just a larger area. There are more rooms, and the decisions are linked: the wiring runs through the whole apartment, the floor levels between rooms have to match, and a bathroom is hard to renovate while someone lives in the apartment. So the list of work here is longer, and the order matters more.

The layout depends on the building series. The published layouts of three-room apartments in the 602 series mention a bathroom combined with a toilet and an extra separate toilet by the entrance and a kitchen of about 8 m². For a three-room apartment in the 119 series the layouts mention a separate bathroom with two toilets and a 7 m² kitchen, but the layouts in this series differ. For a three-room apartment in the 104 series, one bathroom and toilet unit and an 8 m² kitchen are mentioned. Check your apartment by the plan or measurements, not by the name of the series.

In “Khrushchyovkas” the area of a three-room apartment is given as about 51 m², and the rooms are often walk-through. This changes the amount of work and whether you want to change the layout. Series pages: 602 series apartment renovation, 119 series apartment renovation, Khrushchyovka renovation.

Whole-apartment renovation or room by room

If the apartment is empty, the renovation can be done in the whole apartment in one sequence: demolition everywhere, then utilities, floors and walls, and the finish at the end. This way no job has to be repeated, for example wires are not pulled through an already painted wall.

If you continue to live in the apartment, the renovation can be divided into stages: first one or two rooms, then the kitchen and bathroom, the hallway last. What to keep in mind in that case is written on the page renovation while living in the apartment.

It is better to plan the electrical wiring for the whole apartment at once, even if the rooms are renovated one at a time. From 01.07.2025, when the electrical installation in an existing building is rebuilt, it must be equipped with residual current protection. The Fire Safety Regulations in force provide for an inspection of the electrical installation every 10 years.

Work order in a three-room apartment

1. List of work What to change in each room: walls, floors, doors, wires, pipes.
2. Demolition The old finish, floor covering, tiles and, if needed, partitions are removed in all the rooms being renovated.
3. Utilities New electrical wiring, pipes within the apartment, radiators. A riser is common property, so replacing it needs the consent of the apartment owners' association, and the building manager organises the work.
4. Floors and walls Screed or floor levelling, wall plastering and skimming. At this stage the drying time of materials matters.
5. Bathroom and kitchen Waterproofing, tiling, installing plumbing, finishing the kitchen walls and floor.
6. Finishing Painting or wallpaper, floor covering, interior doors, skirting boards and window sills.

What to decide before renovating a three-room apartment

• The type of renovation in each room: full everywhere or, for example, full in the bathroom and kitchen but cosmetic in the rooms.
• Whether you will change the layout. Removing a wall or a new opening may need documents, see apartment replanning.
• Whether you will change riser sections. Risers are the common property of the apartment owners, so work on them needs the association's consent, and the building manager organises the work.
• Whether you will choose the materials yourself. Write this in your request, because the materials part of the estimate depends on it.
• When the apartment will be free and whether anyone will live in it during the renovation.

In your request, it helps to give the address, the apartment area in m², the building series or year of construction, which rooms to renovate and the condition of each room. If you have the apartment plan, you can send it to the specialist when they contact you.

How much does a 3-room apartment renovation cost?

Cosmetic renovation: from €100/m² of apartment area. Full renovation: from €280/m² of apartment area. Turnkey renovation: from €600/m². Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Construction waste removal is not part of the renovation estimate.

A 4-room apartment renovation is calculated the same way, by area and the list of work. The price is affected by the apartment area in m² and the number of rooms, cosmetic or full renovation, the condition of the walls, floors and ceilings, whether the wiring, pipes and risers are changed, and the chosen finish. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.