Apartment renovation is one of the most important decisions you will make as a homeowner. Done right, it transforms your daily life; done wrong, it becomes a financial and emotional drain. As a team with experience in over 100 renovation and construction projects in Tirana and Durrës, we have seen both inspiring successes and costly mistakes, and we cover the three finishing trades that matter most through our gypsum works and wall plastering services.
This guide helps you avoid the common pitfalls and plan your renovation with confidence, from the first budget sketch to the final coat of paint.
How do you plan an apartment renovation?
Planning starts long before any tool touches a wall. The clearer your decisions are on paper, the cheaper and faster the actual work becomes. A renovation that is fully planned in advance routinely costs 20 to 30 percent less than one improvised on site, because every mid-project change forces tradespeople to undo finished work.
Begin by writing down three things: what you want to achieve, how much you can spend, and when you need the apartment ready. These three constraints shape every later decision. If you cannot answer all three, you are not ready to call a contractor yet.
Step 1: Define your goal and budget
Before contacting any team, decide which category of renovation you actually need:
- Cosmetic renovation — painting, new flooring, new accessories
- Medium renovation — new gypsum ceilings, plastering, modern lighting
- Full renovation — layout changes, new installations, everything
Set your maximum budget and add a 15 percent contingency. Hidden problems such as damp walls, old wiring or uneven floors only become visible once demolition begins, and the contingency is what keeps these surprises from stopping the project. Never start a renovation without a clear, written budget.
As a rough guide for Albania, a cosmetic refresh lands around 80 to 150 euros per square meter, a medium renovation 150 to 250 euros per square meter, and a full renovation 250 to 450 euros per square meter. For a detailed breakdown of finishing trades see our pricing page, and for a structured method of allocating the money read our renovation budget planning guide.
Step 2: Understand the work sequence
The work sequence is not a matter of preference; there is a strict technical logic, where each trade prepares the surface for the next:
- Demolition — removing old walls, tiles and flooring
- Electrical installations — new cables, outlets, switches and lighting routes
- Plumbing — water supply and drainage pipes
- Gypsum works — new ceilings, partitions and decorative walls
- Plastering — surface preparation for painting
- Tiles and flooring
- Painting — final finishing
- Doors and accessories
- Furnishing
The most common ordering error is deciding lighting after the gypsum ceiling is closed. Recessed spotlights, LED strips and cable routes must be set out before the plasterboard goes up, otherwise the ceiling has to be opened again. Our article on coordinating gypsum with electrical installations explains exactly how the two trades hand work to each other.
What materials and timings should you plan for?
Renovation timelines are driven as much by drying and curing times as by labour. Plaster and paint cannot be rushed, and skipping the cure leads to cracks, blistering and uneven sheen. The table below collects citable figures we use when scheduling a job, so you can sanity-check any quote you receive.
| Item | Typical figure | Notes | |------|----------------|-------| | Gypsum board fire resistance | 30–60 min per layer | Knauf and Rigips fire-rated boards (type F) | | Plasterboard partition build rate | 20–30 m²/day per worker | Single-layer both sides | | Suspended gypsum ceiling | 2100–2300 Lek/m² | Materials and labour | | Gypsum partition wall | 3500–4500 Lek/m² | Depends on insulation and layers | | Gypsum cladding | 2800–3000 Lek/m² | Onto existing masonry | | Standard plastering | 600–1200 Lek/m² | Surface preparation for paint | | Interior painting | 350–800 Lek/m² | Two coats, prep excluded | | Plaster drying time | 1 mm per day | Wait before painting | | Paint coverage | 10–12 m²/litre per coat | Premium emulsion such as Dulux or Jotun | | Recoat interval | 2–4 hours | Water-based interior paint at 20°C | | Acoustic gain, insulated partition | up to 45–50 dB | Mineral wool plus double board |
These figures are indicative; the exact numbers depend on board type, climate and the manufacturer specification. Knauf publishes detailed technical data sheets for each board and compound on the official Knauf website, which is worth checking when comparing products.
5 most costly renovation mistakes
- Changing plans mid-renovation — every change costs 2 to 3 times more than the same decision made before work starts
- Choosing a team by price alone — evaluate experience, materials, warranty and references, not just the lowest bid
- Not planning lighting — every light point must be fixed before gypsum work begins
- Cheap hidden installations — low-quality cables and pipes lead to expensive wall-opening repairs later
- No written contract — always have detailed work lists, prices, deadlines and warranty terms in writing
A sixth mistake worth naming is underestimating dust and logistics. If you are living in the apartment during the work, agree on which rooms stay sealed, where materials are stored, and how debris leaves the building. These practical details protect both your belongings and the schedule.
How do you choose the right renovation team?
Price is the easiest factor to compare and the most misleading. A quote that is far below the others usually hides thinner materials, fewer coats, or excluded preparation work. When you compare offers, make sure each one specifies the same scope: the same number of paint coats, the same board thickness, the same level of surface preparation.
Ask any candidate three direct questions. First, can they show finished projects of similar size and finish. Second, which brands of board, compound and paint they use, since Knauf, Rigips, Dulux, Jotun and Caparol behave very differently from unbranded alternatives. Third, what warranty they give on the finish and what it covers. A serious contractor answers all three without hesitation and puts the answers in the contract.
A single team handling gypsum, plastering and painting also removes the coordination gap between trades. When separate crews hand off to each other, defects fall into the gap between them and nobody takes responsibility. Torra Gips covers all three trades, with location-specific teams for gypsum works in Tirana and painting in Durrës.
Realistic renovation timelines
| Type | 60-80m² apartment | 100-120m² apartment | |------|-------------------|---------------------| | Cosmetic | 1-2 weeks | 2-3 weeks | | Medium | 3-5 weeks | 5-7 weeks | | Full | 8-12 weeks | 12-16 weeks |
These ranges assume continuous work without payment delays or design changes. The single biggest cause of overrun is indecision: a layout or colour choice left open for a week stalls every trade waiting behind it. Lock your finishes early and the schedule holds.
How much disruption should you expect?
A cosmetic renovation can often be done room by room while you continue living in the apartment. Medium and full renovations are different. Plaster dust travels everywhere, water may be shut off during plumbing work, and noisy demolition has fixed permitted hours in most residential buildings. For a full renovation, most families move out for the heaviest weeks, returning once painting begins and the apartment is sealed and clean.
Plan storage and protection in advance. Cover floors that are staying, wrap furniture you cannot remove, and agree a daily clean-down so dust does not settle into finished surfaces. These small measures keep the final result sharp and shorten the snagging stage at the end.
How should payments be staged?
Never pay the full amount up front, and be wary of any contractor who asks you to. A fair payment schedule ties each instalment to a verifiable milestone, so your money tracks the work that has actually been completed. A typical structure for a medium renovation is a 20 to 30 percent deposit to secure the dates and buy materials, staged payments as each major trade finishes, and a final 10 to 15 percent held back until snagging is closed.
Take a worked example for a 90 square meter apartment with new gypsum ceilings throughout. At roughly 2100 to 2300 Lek per square meter for suspended ceilings, the ceiling line alone is about 189,000 to 207,000 Lek. If standard plastering at 600 to 1200 Lek per square meter covers 200 square meter of wall surface, that is 120,000 to 240,000 Lek, and two coats of interior painting at 350 to 800 Lek per square meter over the same area adds 70,000 to 160,000 Lek. Seeing the trades broken out this way lets you check a lump-sum quote line by line and spot where a suspiciously low bid has cut material grade or preparation.
What maintenance keeps the finish looking new?
A good finish is not maintenance-free, but the upkeep is light. Painted walls in living areas usually need a refresh every 5 to 7 years, while high-traffic hallways and children's rooms may want a recoat sooner. Clean emulsion paint with a damp cloth and mild detergent rather than abrasive sponges, which dull the sheen.
Gypsum ceilings and partitions are stable once cured, but they dislike sustained moisture. Keep bathrooms and kitchens ventilated, because repeated condensation softens standard board and can stain the surface; in these rooms moisture-resistant board (the green Knauf or Rigips type) is the correct specification from the start. Hairline cracks at board joints in the first year are usually normal settlement and are filled and overpainted in minutes, so keep a small amount of the original paint after the job for exactly these touch-ups.
Read also
- Apartment renovation guide — a complementary step-by-step overview
- How to prepare walls for painting — the preparation that decides the final finish
- Why gypsum is a key material in modern construction — background on the material
Start your renovation with Torra Gips
We specialise in the three finishing trades that define how a renovated apartment looks and lasts: gypsum works, plastering and painting. Using Knauf, Rigips, Dulux, Jotun and Caparol materials, and with experience across both residential and large commercial projects, we deliver a finish that holds up over years.
Book a free on-site consultation through our contact page or message us directly on WhatsApp at +355 68 858 0058. We will assess your apartment, walk you through the sequence and timeline, and give you a clear written quote with no obligation.