What order do trades come in on a renovation?

Trades follow a sequence on a renovation because each stage depends on the one before it, and because most work has to be installed before something else covers it. The general order is: demolition, structural work, roofing and external weatherproofing, rough-in of services, insulation, wall and ceiling linings, waterproofing, tiling, second-fix carpentry, painting, fit-off, then floor coverings.

That order isn't a convention or a preference. It's the physical logic of the building — what has to be structurally supported before anything else happens, what has to be dry before linings go on, and what has to be inside a wall before that wall is closed.

Understanding it is the difference between a renovation that moves and one that stalls.

The full sequence

1. Demolition and site preparation. Strip back to structure, remove waste, protect what stays. This is also when the house first shows you what it's really made of.
2. Structural work. Footings, framing, beams, lintels, roof structure. Everything above and after depends on this being right.
3. Roofing and external cladding. Get the building watertight before anything internal begins. Internal work in a building that still lets water in is work you will do twice.
4. Rough-in. Plumbing, electrical, gas, data and heating or cooling run through open walls and floors. This is the point of no return for layout changes.
5. Insulation and pre-lining inspections. Checked and signed off before anything is covered.
6. Wall and ceiling linings. Plasterboard hung, set and sanded.
7. Waterproofing. Wet areas membraned, then left to cure to the manufacturer's specification before anything goes over it.
8. Screeding and tiling. Floors and walls, following the falls set at screed stage.
9. Second-fix carpentry. Skirtings, architraves, doors, cabinetry, shelving.
10. Painting. Usually with a return visit for touch-ups after fit-off.
11. Fit-off. Tapware, sanitaryware, switches, lights, appliances, door hardware, shower screens.
12. Floor coverings. Timber, carpet and vinyl last, so they aren't damaged by trades still working.

The logic underneath it

Reduced to principles, the sequence follows four rules.

Structure before everything. Nothing is worth installing beneath something that still has to be lifted, propped or replaced.

Weathertight before internal. Plaster, insulation and timber all behave badly when wet. Closing the envelope first protects every trade that follows.

Hidden before covering. Anything destined to sit inside a wall, floor or ceiling goes in while that cavity is open. Getting this wrong means opening finished work.

Vulnerable finishes last. The more easily something is damaged, the later it arrives.

Where you're unsure about a particular item, ask which of those four rules applies. It almost always resolves the question.

The decisions that must be locked before each stage

Most delays on a renovation are not caused by trades. They're caused by a decision that arrives after the trade needed it. These are the ones that bite.

• Before rough-in: the position of every tap, shower outlet, toilet, basin, power point, switch, light and appliance. Tapware in particular — a plumber sets rough-in positions against the specific product, so the product must be chosen, not just imagined.
• Before waterproofing: floor levels, drain positions and the shower type, since these determine falls and screed heights.
• Before tiling: the tiles themselves, plus layout and setout. Tile thickness affects finished floor levels and door clearances.
• Before second fix: cabinetry design and appliance selections, because carcass sizes are built around actual appliance dimensions.
• Before painting: colours, sheen levels, and which surfaces get what.
• Before fit-off: door hardware, tapware finishes, light fittings and switch plates.

The practical rule: make every selection before demolition starts. Not most of them — all of them. A decision made two weeks late does not cost two weeks. It costs the time until that trade is next free, which is rarely the same thing.

How the sequence changes by project type

Bathroom. The full sequence in miniature, with waterproofing as the critical path. Nothing can proceed over the membrane until it has cured properly, and the shower screen is measured only after tiling, so it lands at the very end regardless of everything else.

Kitchen. Rough-in matters more than most people expect, because appliance and sink positions drive plumbing and electrical. Cabinetry is templated after linings are complete and walls are square, and benchtops are templated after cabinetry is installed — two sequential measure-and-make steps that cannot be compressed.

Whole-house renovation. Sequencing runs room by room but services run house-wide, so electrical and plumbing rough-in are usually done in one pass across the whole house rather than room by room. Plan around that.

Extension. Runs as a new build until lock-up, then joins the existing house. The junction between old and new — flooring, cornices, roof lines, wall thicknesses — is where the sequence gets complicated, and where making good takes longer than people allow.

What happens when the order breaks

It happens on most jobs, and it's usually recoverable if caught early.

The common causes are a late selection, an approval that hasn't landed, a material that hasn't arrived, or something discovered behind a wall during demolition. The consequence is rarely limited to the trade immediately affected — because trades are booked in advance, a stage that slips releases the following trade to another job, and the gap compounds.

What helps: know which items have long lead times and order them first, keep the trade sequence visible to everyone on the job, and when something does slip, tell the following trades immediately rather than hoping to recover. A trade given notice will usually work with you. A trade who arrives to an unready site will not.

Common questions

What comes first when renovating a house?

Demolition and site preparation, followed by structural work. Nothing internal should begin until the structure is resolved and the building is weathertight.

Does flooring go in before or after cabinetry?

It depends on the flooring. Tiling generally precedes cabinetry. Timber, carpet and vinyl generally go in after, so they aren't damaged — though some cabinetry is set on finished floors by design. Confirm the approach with your builder before either trade is booked.

Does painting come before or after flooring?

Painting usually comes first, with touch-ups after fit-off. Floor coverings are laid late to protect them.

When can I change my mind about the layout?

Before rough-in. Once services are in the walls, layout changes mean opening up completed work and re-running plumbing or electrical, which is a variation in both cost and time.

Can trades work at the same time?

Some can, and a good builder will overlap where it's safe — an electrician and a plumber can often rough in together. What cannot overlap is anything that depends on the previous stage being complete and inspected.

Where to go next

Sequence is one half of a renovation running well. The other is knowing what to check at each stage before it's covered up.

Read next: how to check waterproofing before the tiler starts — the single most consequential inspection in the whole sequence. Or start at Renovations & Extensions for the wider picture.

Home Collab publishes the working detail behind building and renovating in Australia — written from job experience, updated as methods and regulations move, and free to read.