First, obtain dates and documents
The handover date does not tell you when an electrical point or kitchen position must be decided. Ask the change coordinator for a written schedule by discipline, submission instructions and the drawing version in use. If dates are not fixed, establish who will update you and how.
Keep the sales plan, specification, change instructions and available supplier list together. Mark missing information. An undated drawing in a message thread is a poor basis for a decision that will be difficult to reverse.
- What is the earliest deadline, and exactly what does it cover?
- Which documents and format are required, and who approves them?
- What can still change, and what is already fixed for construction?
Work backwards from the earliest deadline
Before submission, allow time to understand needs, test furniture positions, choose a layout and coordinate drawings. Questions, pricing and developer responses also need room. A useful first inquiry is: “Here are our documents and deadline; what scope can be planned responsibly in the time available?”
You do not need a finished solution. Three clear problems are more useful than a large mood board: no quiet workspace, a wish to eat together, or missing entrance storage. These needs help distinguish urgent decisions from those that can wait.
Furniture comes before points on a wall
Illustrative example: a desk by a window needs room for a chair, a screen and accessible power. Marking a socket before testing the desk layout may leave it behind a cabinet. This does not mean buying every item immediately; it means checking dimensions and use before fixing service points.
In a kitchen, an appliance, cabinet and door swing are connected. Separate dimensions and positions affecting infrastructure from a cabinet colour that may sometimes be selected later. Confirm that sequence against the supplier’s and developer’s project requirements.
A proposal, a price and approval are separate steps
A designed option still needs checking against the development’s constraints. Request a written response for each change: feasibility, price, required information and any stated effect on timing. If an option exceeds your spending range, return to the need it serves and consider alternatives.
Keep submitted drawing versions with their approvals. An email answering one question may not approve the entire drawing package; establish precisely what was approved before treating the item as complete.
If the deadline is close or has passed
Ask immediately for an updated list of open decisions. Avoid redesigning the whole apartment on the assumption that a late submission will be accepted. A focused scope, supplier selections or furniture and joinery planning for after handover may be appropriate.
For the first inquiry, include the apartment type, construction stage, earliest deadline and your most important change. A full address or personal documents are unnecessary. Arrange private sharing of drawings later.
