Renovating after buying a home: budget, order of work and rules

This is also where the schedule can fall apart.

Painting, floors, electrics, plumbing and the kitchen are not five separate projects if they take place in the same rooms. They are connected. The right order depends on the home, the materials and the trades involved.

A good renovation plan therefore starts with three things: what needs to be investigated, what must be finished before you move in, and what can wait.

Short answer

Plan the renovation in this order:

1. Agree when you legally have access to the home
2. Gather reports, drawings and information about installations
3. Split the tasks into necessary, practical and later projects
4. Clarify building permits, the owners' association and other restrictions
5. Have the relevant professionals inspect the home
6. Describe each task so the quotes can be compared
7. Budget for labour, materials, fees and unforeseen issues
8. Plan hidden and dusty work before the final surfaces
9. Allow for delivery times, drying times and inspections
10. Check insurance and documentation before work begins

The order has to fit your specific project. A wall that looks like a painting job may also contain electrics, pipes or a load-bearing structure.

In brief

• You can plan before the handover, but work requires agreed access.
• A measuring visit does not automatically give you the right to start renovating.
• Some alterations require a building permit, others do not.
• Work without a building permit must still comply with the relevant rules.
• Electrics, plumbing, drains and gas may require authorised companies.
• Older homes may contain asbestos, PCB, lead and other problematic substances.
• Construction waste may need to be screened and reported to the municipality.
• Standard buildings insurance does not necessarily cover all damage during building work.
• The tradesperson tax deduction (håndværkerfradrag) only applies to selected services and labour costs.
• Documentation matters both during the work and when you sell later.

Access before the handover

Signing the purchase agreement (købsaftale) does not automatically give you the right to get started.

Before the ordinary handover day (overtagelsesdag), access requires an agreement with the seller. This also applies if a tradesperson needs to view the home or take measurements.

Measuring is not access for work

The seller may well accept a short visit for measuring without also accepting:

• Demolition
• Delivery of materials
• Drilling
• Painting
• Storage of tools
• Access for several tradespeople

The purpose of the visit should therefore be clear.

Read the guide on measuring before the handover.

Right of disposal

If you have a right of disposal (dispositionsret), you can get access before the ordinary handover date. But the agreement should describe what you may carry out, who bears the risk, who pays for utilities and which insurance policies must be active.

Read more about the right of disposal when buying a home.

Do not start work just because you have been given a key. Read the agreement.

Split the projects into three piles

When you are standing in an empty house, everything can feel like "now or never". That is rarely true.

Split the tasks into three piles.

1. Must be done before you move in

These may be issues that affect safety, lawful use or whether you can live in the home at all.

Examples may include:

• Dangerous electrical installations
• Active water damage
• No heating
• Work that makes the kitchen or bathroom unusable
• Dusty or hazardous work

Whether a task is necessary must be judged on the basis of the home and professional documentation.

2. Practical to do in an empty home

These may be tasks that are easier without furniture:

• Floor sanding
• Painting
• Replacing ceilings
• Cable routing
• Major cleaning

Practical is not the same as necessary. If the budget is tight, some of the tasks can wait.

3. Can be planned after you move in

These may be improvements where you benefit from getting to know the home first:

• Changing the layout
• A new kitchen without urgent need
• New storage solutions
• Garden projects
• Cosmetic changes

A month in the home can tell you more about light, sound and everyday routes than a whole evening with the floor plan.

Investigate before you demolish

A condition report (tilstandsrapport) is not a renovation plan. It describes visible damage within the framework of the Danish home inspection scheme (huseftersynsordningen), but does not open up structures and does not necessarily tell you what is hidden behind walls and floors.

Read the condition report together with:

• Electrical installation report (elinstallationsrapport)
• Energy label (energimærke)
• BBR notice (BBR-meddelelse)
• Building drawings
• Previous building permits
• The seller's information
• The owners' association (ejerforening) documents for a flat

A building surveyor (byggesagkyndig) can help with a technical building inspection. Other trades may be needed for structures, damp, electrics, plumbing or environmentally hazardous materials.

If a wall is to be removed, you need to know, among other things, whether it is load-bearing or stabilising. If a bathroom is to be changed, you need to know the structure, the drainage and the wet room solution.

It is cheaper to investigate first than to discover in the middle of demolition that the project is different from the one the quote covered.

Set a renovation budget

A renovation budget should show more than the tradesperson's quote.

Include, among other things:

Unforeseen issues

A buffer should be based on the project's uncertainty. A painting job in a new room carries a different risk from a bathroom in an older house.

So ask:

• Which parts of the structure cannot be seen yet?
• Which prices are estimates?
• What is not included in the quote?
• Who pays if the substrate is worse than expected?
• What happens if the schedule slips?

Gather the known costs in the Moving-in Calculator.

Financing

The renovation can be paid for from savings or form part of the overall financing, if the bank has approved it. Do not count on being able to take out an extra loan afterwards without a new valuation and credit approval.

So clarify the financing before you sign binding agreements with tradespeople.

Get quotes that can be compared

Three total amounts cannot be compared if they cover three different jobs.

Write a description of:

• What is to be done
• Which materials are to be used
• Who buys the materials
• What is to be demolished and disposed of
• Which surfaces are to be restored
• Which documentation is to be handed over
• When the work is to start and finish
• How changes are approved

Ask those quoting to indicate:

• What is included
• What is not included
• Which items are estimates
• Which assumptions the price is based on
• What extra work costs

A low price can be a good offer. It can also be a quote where waste, protective covering, materials or restoration are missing.

The order of the renovation

Floor before painting, or painting before floor? That is decided by the type of floor, the painting work, dust, protection and the other trades.

Use these principles:

Investigate before demolition

Structures, installations and problematic substances should be investigated before they are opened up or removed.

Hidden work before closed surfaces

Electrics, pipes, drains, ventilation and reinforcements usually need to be coordinated before walls, ceilings and floors are closed up.

Dusty work before delicate finishes

Demolition, sanding and cutting can affect freshly painted surfaces, fixtures and cleaning.

Drying time before the next layer

Concrete, filler, paint, joints and wet room solutions may need time before the next part can be carried out.

Test before you close up

Installations and solutions should be checked according to the trade's requirements before they are hidden.

Ask the tradespeople involved to approve the overall order. It is not enough for each professional to have a plan for their own day.

The schedule must include waiting time

A renovation consists of both working time and waiting time.

The schedule can be affected by, among other things:

• Delivery of the kitchen and materials
• Processing by the authorities
• Drying times
• Trades that have to work one after another
• Samples and calculations
• Illness and holidays
• Damage discovered during the work
• Changes along the way

Set milestones instead of just one end date:

1. Investigation completed
2. Permits clarified
3. Demolition completed
4. Hidden installations done
5. Inspection and documentation received
6. Surfaces finished
7. Final inspection carried out
8. Home cleaned and ready to move in

Add the milestones to your moving plan, so the tradespeople and the removal van are not booked for the same floor at the same time.

Does the renovation require a building permit?

Some alterations require a building permit. Others can be carried out without an application.

The Danish building regulations (bygningsreglementet) contain examples for, among others, single-family houses, terraced houses and flats in multi-storey buildings. The examples are for guidance and are not exhaustive.^[1]

Work that may affect, among other things, load-bearing structures, fire safety or use may require a permit and documentation.

Even when an alteration does not require a building permit, the work must still comply with the relevant technical requirements in the building regulations.^[2]

Ask the municipality if the project is unclear. A tradesperson's experience with similar projects is not a municipal decision.

Owners' association, local plan and easements

A municipal permit is not necessarily the only approval.

For an owner-occupied flat (ejerlejlighed), the articles of association and house rules may require approval of, among other things:

• Changes to load-bearing walls
• Moving the kitchen or bathroom
• Changes to installations
• Replacing windows and doors
• Work on shared pipes and shafts
• Noisy work
• Use of the lift and shared areas

For a house, local plans (lokalplaner) and easements (servitutter) can affect the facade, roof, extensions, outbuildings and use.

Read the guide on local plans and building regulations.

Get the relevant approvals in writing before the work is finally ordered.

When must the company be authorised?

As a homeowner, you are responsible for ensuring that work requiring authorisation is carried out by an authorised company.

The Danish Safety Technology Authority (Sikkerhedsstyrelsen) describes areas of authorisation within, among others:

• Electrics
• Plumbing, including water and gas
• Drains

Not every task within these areas requires authorisation. But many do. The Danish Safety Technology Authority has guidance on what private individuals may do themselves, and a register of authorised companies.^[3]

Check the company in the authorisation register.

A CVR number (Danish company registration number) is not the same as an authorisation.

Asbestos and other problematic substances

Older building materials may contain substances that require special handling.

These may include:

• Asbestos
• PCB
• Lead
• Heavy metals
• PAH, also known as tar substances
• Chlorinated paraffins

It is not possible to determine everything reliably by looking at the material.

Borger.dk states that, under the rules, screening for problematic substances must be carried out before renovation. If the screening shows a risk, a survey with analyses may be needed.^[4]

From 2025, an authorisation requirement applies to companies that carry out asbestos removal requiring authorisation. Companies can be checked in the Danish Safety Technology Authority's register.^[5]

Stop the work and get the matter clarified if you find a suspicious material. Demolition dust is not the place to guess.

Construction waste

The municipality must receive notification of construction and demolition waste no later than two weeks before the work begins when:

• The project generates more than one tonne of waste
• The project includes replacing double-glazed units that may have been made in the period 1950 to 1977

This is stated on Borger.dk.^[4]

The municipality may have a digital solution and local instructions for sorting and drop-off.

Clarify in the quote:

• Who reports the waste
• Who carries out screening
• Who orders analyses
• Who sorts and transports
• Where the waste is dropped off
• Whether documentation is included in the price

"Disposal included" is too vague if the project may involve problematic substances.

Insurance during the renovation

Standard home or buildings insurance does not necessarily cover all damage during major building work.

Clarify with the insurance company:

• Whether the company must be notified before the work
• Whether the home is unoccupied
• Whether the roof or facade is opened up
• Whether load-bearing structures are changed
• Whether contractor's all-risks insurance (entrepriseforsikring) must be taken out
• Who covers materials on the building site
• What insurance the tradesperson has

Read more in the guide on insurance when buying and renovating a home.

Insurance does not replace a clear agreement on responsibility. Both need to be in place.

The tradesperson tax deduction in 2026

The tradesperson tax deduction is up to 9.000 kr. per person in 2026. The deduction only applies to labour costs for selected services, not materials.^[6]

The amount is a deduction, not a cash refund of 9.000 kr.

To use the scheme, the service, the payment and the documentation must all meet the conditions. Check, among other things:

• Whether the work is on the list of approved services
• Whether you are entitled to the deduction at the time the work is carried out
• Whether payment is made in an approved way
• Whether the labour costs are shown separately
• Whether the company meets the requirements

Rates and services can change. So always check the current page on Skat.dk before you factor the amount into your budget.

Example of a renovation plan

A family buys a house and wants to:

• Remove a wall between the kitchen and living room
• Lay new cables
• Sand the floors
• Paint
• Move in

They cannot start by booking the painter for a random Monday.

The plan must first clarify:

1. Whether the wall is load-bearing or stabilising
2. Whether the work requires a building permit or documentation
3. Where the electrics and other installations are
4. Whether the materials require environmental screening
5. Who carries out demolition and disposal
6. When the electrical work can be done and inspected
7. When the floors and painting can be done without damaging each other
8. When the home is ready for cleaning and moving in

The order is then set together with the relevant professionals.

Common mistakes

Starting with the surfaces

Paint and floors may have to be redone if installations or structures are changed afterwards.

Using one standard amount per square metre

Two projects of the same size can have completely different materials, access conditions and hidden problems.

Believing that work without a building permit has no rules

Technical requirements may still apply.

Treating a company's CVR number as proof of authorisation

Authorisation must be checked in the relevant register.

Forgetting construction waste and environmental samples

This can change both the budget and the schedule.

Planning the move without slack in the schedule

Drying time, deliveries and discovered issues can push back the end date.

Counting the whole tradesperson's bill as a deduction

Only labour costs for selected services can be covered.

Starting before access and insurance are clarified

A key or a measuring visit is not necessarily permission to carry out work.

Checklist before the renovation

Project and access

• Agree access and start date in writing
• Check the early access agreement
• Split the projects into now, before moving in and later
• Take measurements and photos

Rules

• Clarify the building permit with the municipality
• Check the local plan and easements
• Check the owners' association's articles of association
• Get the necessary approvals in writing
• Check that companies are authorised

Environment and technical matters

• Investigate structures and installations
• Screen for problematic substances
• Clarify notification of construction waste
• Plan documentation and inspections

Finances

• Describe the tasks in the same way to everyone quoting
• Compare what is and is not included
• Budget for materials, waste and temporary solutions
• Clarify financing before binding agreements
• Check the current rules for the tradesperson tax deduction

Schedule and insurance

• Coordinate the trades in one overall order
• Allow for delivery and drying time
• Clarify insurance and contractor's all-risks insurance
• Only move in once the home is clean and safe to use

In short

Renovating after buying a home starts with access, investigations, rules and budget. The colour chart comes afterwards.

Split up the projects. Have the hidden issues investigated. Describe the work so quotes can be compared. Coordinate the tradespeople in one overall schedule, and set moving day after the tasks that actually need to be finished.

Gather the budget in the Moving-in Calculator before you sign the agreements with tradespeople.

BoligKlar gives you a second pair of eyes and an overview. The municipality, the insurance company and the relevant professionals assess the specific requirements and solutions.

Frequently asked questions