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Understanding Trades in Home Renovations

Behind every successful renovation is a team of experienced trades. Coordinating these professionals at the right time is key to avoiding delays, managing budgets, and ensuring quality workmanship throughout the project.

Trades Involved in Home Renovation

A successful renovation depends on the skills of multiple licensed trades, working together at the right time. Below are the key trades categorised into groups to help make the process easier to understand and plan.

Core Trades

The main trades involved in nearly every kitchen, bathroom, or home renovation.

Electrical

Covers wiring for power points, lighting, switches, and appliance connections. Begins with rough-in work after demolition, and finishes with final installation once walls and joinery are in place. Requires at least three visits. Any changes to layout or lighting should be decided upfront to avoid rework later on.

Plumbing

Involves setting up and connecting all water, gas, and waste services. It starts early, once old fixtures are removed, and returns near the end to fit off taps, sinks, toilets, and appliances. Usually involves two visits. Changing the location of plumbing can affect the timeline and budget, so it needs to be planned early.

Tiling

Comes in after waterproofing is done, usually just before final fixtures go in. Tiling includes floors and walls, and needs to align carefully with cabinetry, plumbing points, and fittings. Good preparation here ensures a clean finish and helps avoid delays.

Joinery

This includes design, build, and installation of cabinetry for kitchens, bathrooms, and laundries. Accurate measurements and coordination with plumbing and electrical are essential, as even small errors can cause delays. Usually happens after rough-ins are complete and before benchtops or splashbacks are installed.

Site Preparation & Finishing Trades

Trades that prepare the space for work and complete the final finishing touches.

Removal & Disposal

Covers the demolition and removal of existing fixtures, cabinetry, flooring, tiles, and fittings. It’s one of the first steps in a renovation and clears the way for all trades that follow. Usually completed in a day or two, depending on the scale of the job.

Flooring Specialist

Involves installing new surfaces such as timber, vinyl, laminate, or hybrid flooring. Their work often follows demolition and any major trade work but must be completed before final joinery and fit-off.

Wall Fixing / Patching

Takes care of any damage or changes to walls caused by demolition or trade work. This includes plastering, patching, and preparing surfaces for paint or tiling. It may also involve removal of materials such as asbestos, or repairing damage caused by termites or moisture.

Painting

Adds the final finish to walls, ceilings, doors, and trims. Although generally scheduled last, to avoid damage from other trades, it is important to consider it early on to select the right tones for your room. Number of visits may vary depending on the size of the space or number of coats required.

Cleaning

A thorough clean is carried out once all works are finished. This includes floor protection, followed by removing dust, debris, stickers, and any surface residue left by other trades. Involves one visit, and is essential before final inspection or handover.

Specialist Trades

Additional trades required for specific features, finishes, or compliance needs.

Bulkheading

Bulkheads are often used to house ducting, conceal lighting, or create definition between spaces—especially in open-plan kitchens. A bulkheading specialist builds these custom ceiling or wall structures to fit cabinetry, rangehoods, or architectural details.

Framing / Structural Work

Involves modifying or building internal walls, bulkheads, or ceiling frames. This may be necessary to change room layouts or support cabinetry and appliances. The scope determines how many visits are required; smaller changes may be completed in one visit, while structural changes can take longer.

Ducting / Exhaust

Handles the installation of ducting for rangehoods, bathroom fans, or laundry exhaust systems. The work often involves routing ducts through cabinetry and ceilings to the exterior. It must be carefully scheduled around cabinetry and ceiling works.

Need Help Planning Your Renovation?

Renovations involve many moving parts, and getting the timing right between trades is essential. Delays, miscommunication, or missed steps can easily disrupt the process.
At Nouvelle, we coordinate every step—from planning to completion—so the right people are on site at the right time, and the project stays on track.

FAQs

That depends on the layout, finishes, and features you’re planning. Some renovations require only core trades like plumbing, electrical, and joinery. Others may involve structural work, ducting, waterproofing, or custom features that need specialist trades.

During the early planning phase, we’ll assess your existing space and your design goals to identify exactly which trades are required—and when.

You won’t need to make those decisions alone—we’ll walk you through it.

No, we take care of that for you.

A typical renovation sequence looks like: demolition → plumbing/electrical rough-in → wall fixing → waterproofing → tiling → joinery → final fit-off → painting → cleaning.

Nouvelle works with a trusted network of licensed, experienced trades, and we handle all the coordination in the correct order, without overlaps. You won’t need to make separate calls or chase down contractors—we’ve got it covered.

Get in touch with us today to find out more on how we can assist you on your renovation trades.

The best place to start is with a conversation. Every home and renovation is different, and it’s normal not to know what to expect.

Booking a consultation is a great first step. We’ll talk through your ideas, inspect any plans or measurements you have, and explain how we approach renovation—from design to trades and final delivery. It’s obligation-free and gives you a clear sense of what’s involved before you commit.

Speak with our team today to let us know how we can get started.

If a trade is late, it can delay everyone else. For example, if electrical rough-in is pushed back, joinery can’t be installed on time.

Delays can happen, but we plan for that. Nouvelle manages all trade bookings and responds quickly to delays by adjusting the schedule without compromising quality. Because we work with a regular team of trades, we can often adjust the schedule without disrupting the entire project.

We’ll always keep you informed, and our site supervisors are on hand to manage changes quickly and efficiently.

The need for specialist trades depends on your design and site conditions.

For example:

  • A bulkhead might be required to frame a rangehood or conceal ducting.
  • Ducting specialists are needed for venting a cooktop or exhaust fan.
  • Structural work is required when removing walls or adjusting layouts.

Your renovation consultant will flag any specialist trades early in the design stage so they can be scheduled properly.

Book a visit to a Nouvelle showroom to discuss which trades your project may need.

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