Decorating a mansion flat

Establish where your scope ends

Draw up a list of rooms and painted elements. Add entrance doors, internal and external window faces, radiators, fitted cupboards and any balcony separately. Ask the managing agent about responsibility for these elements and any building specification. Keep their instructions with the brief. Avoid assuming that everything visible from inside the flat can be altered as part of an internal scheme.

Plan protection beyond the front door

Trace the route from the delivery point through the entrance, lift or stairs to the rooms. Identify floors, walls and door edges needing protection along that route. Confirm where materials may be kept and how deliveries should be arranged. If furniture has to remain inside, agree who moves it and where it can stand without obstructing access or the working area.

Give preparation its own description

A wall that looks sound from a distance may have layers of paper or local repairs. Send close photographs of cracks, stains and lifting paint. Agree the allowance for stripping, filling, lining and sanding, and how unexpected defects will be reviewed. Water entry and loose plaster need assessment before they are treated as issues that a finish can conceal.

Sequence the rooms around daily use

Identify the kitchen, bathroom, hall and sleeping spaces that must remain available. Discuss the order of work, ventilation and drying requirements for the proposed products. Doors and windows need their own drying and access arrangements. When other trades are involved, record what must be completed before decoration and how later visits will avoid damaging finished surfaces.

Keep a usable record of the finished scheme

Agree which manufacturer, product, colour and sheen will be recorded for each surface. Clarify what happens to spare materials and how care instructions will be provided. Before accepting the quotation, check the treatment of common parts, access equipment, waste handling, exclusions and changes. These details make the scope easier to compare and future maintenance easier to discuss.

• Room and surface schedule
• Managing-agent instructions and permissions
• Protection and delivery route
• Occupancy, sequencing and product records