New flat in Hyderabad? Your before-possession interior checklist

New homes · H Hue Design Studio, Nanakramguda

The weeks before possession are the cheapest time to get your interiors right. Once the furniture arrives, every change means breaking something.

Start the design before you get the keys

An empty flat is the easiest place to plan. Switch points, false ceilings, lights and plumbing lines can be drawn once and done right. Start talking to designers while the keys are on their way, so drawings are ready the week you get possession.

At the handover inspection

• Check walls, floors and tiles for cracks, hollow sounds and uneven joints, and get them fixed by the builder before you sign off.
• Test every tap, drain, switch and socket.
• Note the beam and column positions and the true floor-to-ceiling height; they decide your ceiling and wardrobe design.
• Ask the builder for the electrical and plumbing layouts.

Decide these before any work starts

1. Where every switch and socket goes. Plan the TV wall, study desk and bedside lamps first, then wire for them.
2. How low the false ceiling sits. Cove lights and spotlights need depth.
3. The kitchen layout. Where the sink, hob, RO and dishwasher go, before the plumber comes.
4. Wardrobe depth and finish. Full height or with a loft, sliding or hinged.
5. Where the pooja unit sits. Its wall, its direction and its lighting.

Order of work

A sensible order is: civil changes and waterproofing, electrical and plumbing, false ceiling, flooring touch-ups, carpentry, painting, then lights, fittings, furniture and styling. Doing painting before carpentry, for example, usually means painting twice.