Guides
Phasing a Large Renovation
Updated 2 min read
The short answer
Phasing works well provided you design the whole thing up front and only build in stages. Designing phase by phase is what produces houses where every room clearly happened in a different year. Phase boundaries should fall at closed doors or floor changes, never mid-sightline.
Rules for phasing well
- Design everything firstOne design conversation, one set of drawings, one material and finish palette. Then build it in agreed stages, each with its own fixed price.
- Draw phase boundaries at closed doorsTrim that changes height at an open doorway cannot be resolved neatly. A floor, or a set of connected rooms, is a sensible boundary.
- Do everything behind a wall in phase oneBlocking, conduit and wiring are cheap while walls are open. Install them for later phases now.
- Record everythingPaint codes, stain formulations, profile drawings, hardware model numbers, and photos of what is inside each wall.
- Buy trim for later phases earlyIf a profile is being custom-run, running extra at the same time costs far less than a second setup years later.
- Start where you spend timeMain living space and entry first. Secondary bedrooms last.
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Sensible phase boundaries
| Good boundary | Poor boundary |
|---|---|
| A whole floor | Half of an open-plan space |
| Rooms behind closed doors | One wall of a room |
| A self-contained basement | Kitchen cabinetry but not the island |
| Public rooms, then private rooms | Trim in some rooms but not connected ones |
| One complete room at a time | Partial work across several rooms |
Answers
Frequently asked questions
- Does phasing cost more overall?
- Somewhat, yes — setup, mobilisation and material ordering repeat with each phase. The trade-off is spreading cost and disruption, which for many households is worth the premium. Doing everything at once is more efficient; doing it in stages is often more livable.
- How long can I leave between phases?
- Practically, as long as you like — provided specifications were recorded and anything custom was bought at the outset. The risk grows with time as products change, so the recording step matters more the longer the gap.
- Should I use the same contractor for every phase?
- Ideally yes. Continuity means someone remembers what is behind the wall and what was used where. If that is not possible, a good record from phase one is what makes a new trade able to match it.
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