Full design project vs space plan for an apartment in Batumi

Full design project vs space plan: what you get

A space plan answers the question "where": where the walls, bed, wardrobes, kitchen and table go. You get a measured drawing, two or three options and one approved plan, which the crew uses to set out the partitions. A full design project adds the answers to "what is it made of" and "how is it built": finishes with product codes, socket and switch heights, the tile layout, construction details and a furniture specification.

The difference shows on the very first day of the renovation. With a space plan, the electrician asks where the sockets should go, and you answer. With a full project, the electrician opens the sheet and marks out the wall from it, and you see the result in the weekly photo report.

Who makes the decisions on site

An apartment renovation is made up of many small decisions: the height of the mixer tap, the spacing of the lights, how to finish the tiling by the door. If the answer isn't on paper, it comes from whoever is standing at the wall with the tools. When you are in Batumi and drop by the site a couple of times a week, that is a normal way of working.

When you are in another country, every such question turns into a message, a photo and a wait for the answer. Meanwhile the crew either waits or does it their own way, and both cost money. That is why we recommend a full project to owners who are abroad, or at least a furniture plan and an electrical plan. The photo report shows what has been done, but it is too late to argue about a socket once the wall has been plastered.

Estimate, budget and changes

An estimate based on a space plan remains a rough framework. It uses typical mid-range items for tiles, sanitary ware and lighting, and the total depends on what you pick in the shop. With a full project, the items are chosen in advance, and the estimate is built from them, without average prices or assumptions.

Under our contract, a stage's price doesn't go up unless the scope of work changes. With a space plan the scope changes more often: on site you decide to add accent lighting, move sockets, build a recess. We agree every change in writing, but the budget still grows, just bit by bit.

Another difference is how you compare contractors. With a full project, different crews price the same scope of work and the same materials, so their estimates can be laid side by side. With a space plan, each crew fills in the gaps in its own way, and a difference in price more often reflects different assumptions than who is cheaper.

Made-to-measure and built-in furniture

Furniture makers design made-to-measure kitchens and wardrobes themselves, but only once the walls are finished. If by then the sockets, water outlet and hood duct have been placed by guesswork, the kitchen is adjusted to fit them. The sink moves away from the window, and the dishwasher ends up wherever the drain could reach.

In a full project, the kitchen is drawn before the rough work, and the outlets are placed to suit it. The same goes for a walk-in wardrobe and recesses: the sizes, lighting and sockets inside the cupboards are set in advance, and the material for the fronts is chosen with humidity in mind from the start.

Timing: when the renovation can start

A space plan is ready sooner, and the rough work can start earlier: building partitions and laying the screed while you choose the finishes. A full project needs time for the concept and drawings, but after that the renovation runs without pauses for decisions.

There is a workable compromise. The project can be issued in parts, timed for when the crew needs each set of sheets: first partitions and wiring, then plumbing and tiles, and furniture last. The renovation starts earlier, and the decisions are still made on paper.

An apartment for rental or for yourself

For a long-term rental with catalogue furniture and basic finishes, a space plan is often enough. A tenant lives in the apartment for months and cares more about a convenient layout and storage space than about designer finishes.

For short-term rental, the look in the listing matters as well as the layout, so it is worth adding a concept with materials and lighting to the space plan. For your own apartment with a made-to-measure kitchen and wardrobes, a layout change and complex lighting, we recommend a full project: you will live there for years, and every mistake will stay with you.