For an existing Istanbul apartment, begin with a recorded decision for each element: retain it, repair it, remove and reinstall it, replace it, or investigate further. Compare condition, daily use and compatibility with the proposed work, then include protection, specifications, cost and handover in the scope. Discuss this decision schedule with SMD Decoration before committing to extensive removal or ordering new products.

This guide is for an owner who values the apartment's location but wants to resolve particular frustrations while retaining suitable elements. SMD advertises apartment design and renovation services; the appointment defines the actual design, implementation, supply and checks. The general Istanbul renovation guide explains the wider process. Here the focus is selective decisions and turning them into instructions that can be followed.

Give every element a decision card

Assign the floor, door or cabinet a reference connected to its room and condition photographs. Record the observation, possible cause and questions requiring specialist assessment. Mark the decision as proposed, approved or awaiting information. An unresolved element should not become a removal instruction simply because work has started nearby. Equally, retaining it does not remove the need for protection and coordination.

• Retain: identify what stays in place, its protection and adjacent changes that may affect it.
• Repair or update: describe the treatment, sample reference, assessment responsibility and quoted work.
• Remove and reinstall: identify handling, storage, related components, reinstallation and subsequent checks.
• Replace: connect removal to the selected alternative, dimensions, detail, supply and waste handling.
• Investigate: state the question, responsible party and dependent decision, keeping affected work on hold.

This is a proposed organisational card, not an inspection certificate or a standard contract requirement. When assessment changes a decision, retain the previous revision and record the reason and effects on related items. A shared reference in drawings, quotations and work lists makes the instruction easier to trace. Acceptance and warranty questions remain subject to the project's agreement and relevant documents.

Decide whether the problem is visual or deeper

Group observations under layout, finishes, services and furniture or storage. A room with a workable arrangement may benefit from colour and lighting changes. A bathroom showing damp needs an appropriate investigation before new finishes are selected. A crowded living room may have oversized furniture rather than insufficient floor area. Describe the difficulty experienced in use instead of starting with a predetermined construction solution.

Ask SMD to discuss the observations and compare levels of intervention. The comparison should explain which option addresses which problem and what remains unresolved. This helps distinguish decoration from matters needing another specialist, such as structural assessment or a particular technical defect. It also prevents an attractive visual update from being mistaken for evidence that a concealed or recurring issue has been resolved.

Record the existing condition before removal

Photograph each space and list retained elements, pieces to be moved and items proposed for removal and reinstallation. Gather available information about heating, appliances, cabinets and services. The record provides a reference when the scope changes; memory becomes less useful once surfaces have been opened and furniture moved. Associate observations with room and element references rather than a folder of unidentified images.

Separate visible conditions from issues that can only be assessed after appropriate opening-up. A visual visit cannot establish everything behind walls. Agree how newly revealed conditions will be recorded, assessed and priced before affected work proceeds. Identify the person authorised to make the decision and which drawings or instructions change. Clarity about the process is more useful than a promise that renovation will contain no surprises.

Retain suitable elements through a considered comparison

An older door, floor or section of cabinetry may still be appropriate. Compare its condition, function, repair requirements and relationship with the new design. Keeping a suitable element may release attention and budget for a more important problem, but the result depends on the work required. Age alone does not establish either the need to replace it or the suitability of retaining it.

Retention should not hide a recurring defect or preserve an arrangement that cannot support the intended use. Write the actual treatment and protection requirements in the decision schedule. For removal and reinstallation, investigate how pieces connect and what may need replacement during that process. Site convenience should not silently determine the outcome. An approved instruction should distinguish preserving a finish from simply leaving it outside the quotation.

Check the property's constraints before changing the plan

Opening a kitchen, joining rooms or moving bathroom functions can affect structure, services and permissions. Ask the relevant specialists and parties to review the proposed work for the actual property. An attractive rendering does not establish feasibility, and a wall of unknown function should not be treated as a decorative partition. Keep unresolved technical decisions separate from approved finish selections.

Discuss building management arrangements, work access, deliveries, shared-area protection and waste removal. There is no single access arrangement for every Istanbul building. Record the requirements relevant to the apartment and identify who confirms them. Procurement and site planning should use those actual conditions rather than assuming that crews, vehicles and large items can arrive whenever convenient.

Test a lighter living room intervention

Try the furniture arrangement before choosing construction. A different sofa size, relocated dining table or better storage may address a circulation problem. Show actual furniture dimensions, opening doors and the route from the entrance to other rooms. Consider privacy and daylight alongside the activities the room must support. A visual treatment should reinforce those findings rather than substitute for them.

Ask for alternatives with clear limits: reorganisation and furnishing, additional joinery and lighting, or a broader intervention. Compare the resulting use, scope, disruption and cost. Neither the smallest nor the largest option is automatically correct. SMD's projects can inform a design discussion, but a reference image still needs to be tested against the apartment itself.

Review the kitchen beyond its cabinet fronts

New fronts can change appearance without resolving preparation space, storage or door conflicts. Describe the problem while using the kitchen: inaccessible utensils, an interrupted work surface or an appliance obstructing another cabinet. Then assess whether selected components can be updated or the arrangement needs more substantial revision. Similar-looking kitchens can require very different interventions once their construction and services are examined.

Confirm intended appliances and installation information before ordering related joinery. Define cabinet bodies, fronts, worktops and hardware, and review access to serviceable parts. If existing components remain, explain their connection to new pieces and how visible junctions will be reviewed. A colour choice alone does not establish fit, function or product compatibility. Use drawings and samples to make the selected option understandable.

Investigate bathroom issues before choosing new coverings

Visible damp, leaks or drainage concerns require suitable assessment and treatment of their causes. Replacing tiles does not establish that the underlying issue has ended. Define the relevant plumbing, waterproofing, equipment and checks, with the responsible specialist and any required records. Do not cover an unresolved observation merely because the replacement finish has arrived on site.

Review storage, door movement, cleaning access and maintainable components with the intended users. Product information and actual dimensions should guide the arrangement; a standard dimension copied from another bathroom may not suit it. Separate retained elements from new work in both scope and handover information. This helps explain which parts were changed and which remain subject to their existing conditions.

Coordinate electrical use and lighting early

List everyday requirements such as charging, reading, home working, kitchen appliances and curtain controls. Review them with the responsible electrical specialist against existing conditions and equipment. Adding outlets is not simply a decorative decision, and the required assessment should not be postponed until cabinetry has been installed. Keep technical responsibility explicit instead of inferring capacity from the number of visible points.

Connect lighting and control positions to furniture, circulation and ceiling proposals. Where further documentation is needed, discuss architectural and engineering coordination services within the actual appointment. More fittings do not necessarily provide a better result. The useful question is which activities need support and how the selected products, installation and controls will be coordinated and demonstrated.

Assess whether occupation can continue

The answer depends on removal, dust, noise, interrupted water or power, access, protection and the household's needs. Dividing work by room does not automatically separate shared services or make continued occupation appropriate. Discuss affected activities, temporary arrangements and any required move-out with the parties responsible for the work. Do not present a generic phased schedule as suitable for every household.

Compare protection, moving, storage and repeat visits as well as the visible work. Phasing may introduce additional interfaces and activities that need pricing and coordination. Record which areas can be used and which must remain outside household access during the relevant work. The comparison should support a realistic decision rather than a promise that renovation will leave every normal activity unaffected.

Separate known costs from unresolved conditions

Build the scope around defined removal, protection, treatment, preparation, finishes, joinery, furniture and checks. Mark items that still require measurement or investigation. Agree how a newly revealed condition will lead to an assessment, proposed solution, cost and programme review before affected work continues. An undefined allowance should not be mistaken for a fully selected and priced solution.

No universal contingency percentage or guaranteed square-metre price is provided here. Conditions and intervention depth differ. Request assumptions, exclusions and comparable alternatives from SMD. The purpose is to understand what each amount covers and what may change it. A low total without its treatment and interfaces may be less informative than a clearly explained scope that still identifies open questions.

Approve substitutions against the whole requirement

Availability may change during the project. Compare a substitute's dimensions, appearance, texture, edges, care, performance information and applicable warranty rather than colour alone. Keep material codes and sample references so delivered items can be compared with the approved choice. A proposed replacement should remain proposed until the decision maker understands the relevant differences and linked changes.

Resolve selections that affect other work early, including flooring, doors, cabinetry and sanitary equipment. Programme deliveries around actual readiness and appropriate storage. A late product decision can affect adjacent details, while an early delivery can create handling and protection needs. Design and procurement should use the same information where products and construction depend on one another.

A hypothetical selective renovation comparison

Imagine a family apartment needing a more functional kitchen, additional storage and revised lighting, while bedroom floors and doors appear suitable for further use. One option could investigate and retain those elements, directing new work towards the identified problems and coordinating colours and furnishings. Another could replace more items. Compare the assessment, scope, junctions and intended result before choosing either option.

This example is not an executed project or a savings claim attributed to SMD. Retaining an element does not guarantee a lower cost: repair may be extensive or incompatible with the intended result. The value lies in making the alternatives explicit. A decision should follow actual findings and use requirements, rather than a belief that either new products or retained materials are always preferable.

Verify both changed and retained elements at handover

Inspect new work, reinstalled pieces and items the scope required protecting. Compare doors, drawers, lighting, equipment, joints and finish references with the agreed information. Ask responsible specialists for the included checks and records. Keep observations in a room-based list with follow-up responsibility and closure status rather than relying only on verbal comments or a completed-room photograph.

Retain updated drawings where included, product information and applicable warranties. Do not assign a new-work warranty to services that were retained outside that scope. Record how new and existing finishes meet and the limitations agreed for matching older materials. For newly revealed conditions, preserve the assessment and authorised change with related drawings. This makes later care and follow-up easier to trace.

Start with the problems you want renovation to solve

Send SMD the Istanbul location, area, plan, current photographs, occupation status, retained items, main frustrations, intended budget and target date. You do not need to select every material before the first discussion. A reliable description of conditions and priorities is a useful start for comparing appropriate levels of intervention and identifying further information required for a defined quotation.

Use the project enquiry page to discuss selective apartment renovation. Ask the scope to identify what stays, what changes, how retained items are protected and how completion will be reviewed. A successful design discussion should explain the reason for each proposed intervention and its relationship with the home you want to keep using.

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