Before buying an apartment to renovate, assess the age and condition of the services, which walls are structural, the clear ceiling height, solar orientation, noise levels, the building's renovation rules, its financial health and the feasibility of the layout changes you want.
Buying to renovate is one of the best value decisions in the property market — when the technical assessment comes before the offer. Done afterwards, it only explains why the bill grew.
What to look at in the apartment
- The building's age and the condition of the electrical panel, risers and pipework.
- Structural walls versus partition masonry — this determines what can be opened up.
- Clear ceiling height: ceilings, air conditioning and recessed lighting all depend on it.
- Solar orientation of each room, not just of the façade.
- Noise: lifts, machine room, garage, roads and communal amenities.
- Wet areas: relocating a kitchen or bathroom requires a compatible riser.
- Window frames: units with good acoustic and thermal sealing are expensive to replace.
What to look at in the building
- Renovation rules: permitted hours, lift use, required technical reports.
- Reserve fund, arrears and future works approved at general meetings.
- Maintenance of communal areas — it indicates how the building will be cared for in the coming years.
- Façade restrictions: not every window or air-conditioning unit can be changed.
Price per square metre says nothing about the real cost of turning that apartment into what you want.
The technical visit before the offer
A visit by the architect together with the buyer, before negotiating, answers the questions that define the deal: is the desired layout possible? What would it cost, in order of magnitude? Which items are deal-breakers? In many cases this visit changes the offer — or prevents the wrong purchase.
It is a service we often provide to interiors clients in Curitiba, even before a design exists.
