# The order of trades in a house renovation > The usual order of trades in a house renovation is: plan and survey (including an asbestos check in pre-2000 houses), strip out, structural and building work, first fix (carpenter, plumber, electrician), plastering, second fix (the same trades back to fit doors, sockets, sanitaryware), then decorating and flooring. The electrician comes before the plasterer for first fix and after them for second fix. Source: Kuote, Market Harborough trades (https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/guides/renovation-order-of-trades/). Updated 2026-11-11. Get the order of trades in a house renovation right and each trade can do their job once. Get it wrong and you pay twice: a freshly plastered wall chased out for a forgotten socket, a new floor scratched by a plumber, or a kitchen fitted before anyone checked where the radiator pipes run. When we renovated our house we learned how much the order of trades matters. This guide sets out the usual sequence, explains first fix and second fix, and answers the question we get asked most: who comes first, the electrician or the plasterer? ## The order of trades at a glance 1. **Plan, survey and paperwork** 2. **Strip out** 3. **Structural and building work** 4. **First fix**: carpenter, plumber/heating engineer, electrician 5. **Plastering** (and drying) 6. **Second fix**: carpenter, plumber, electrician, kitchen fitter 7. **Tiling, decorating and flooring** 8. **Sign-off, certificates and snagging** Every job is different, and on a small project some stages overlap, but this is the backbone most renovations follow. ## 1. Plan, survey and paperwork Before anyone picks up a tool: - **Decide the layout**: where sockets, switches, lights, radiators, taps and doors will go. Changing your mind after plastering is expensive. - **Building Regulations**: some work must be notified to building control, including new electrical circuits and consumer units (Part P), boiler replacements and structural changes. Registered tradespeople can self-certify much of this. See [how to check an electrician is registered](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/guides/how-to-check-an-electrician-is-registered/). - **Planning and conservation**: most internal work doesn't need planning permission, but listed buildings and some external changes do. If your home is in a conservation area, read [renovating in a conservation area in Market Harborough](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/guides/renovating-in-a-conservation-area-market-harborough/). - **Asbestos**: in any house built or refurbished before 2000, materials such as textured ceiling coatings (Artex), old floor tiles and some boards may contain asbestos. Get suspect materials tested **before** strip out, not after. See [plastering over Artex](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/guides/plastering-over-artex/). - **Get quotes** from each trade, with the sequence in mind. See [how to get a good quote from a tradesperson](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/guides/how-to-get-quotes-from-tradespeople/). ## 2. Strip out Old kitchens, bathrooms, fireplaces, damaged plaster, carpets and redundant pipes and cables come out. The electrician and plumber may need to make things safe first, disconnecting and capping supplies. Book a skip. ## 3. Structural and building work Anything that changes the shape of the house goes here: knocking through walls (with steels where needed), new openings, roof repairs, damp treatment, chimney work and new windows and external doors. A builder, and often a structural engineer, lead this stage. ## 4. First fix "First fix" is everything that goes **inside** the walls, floors and ceilings before they're closed up. - **Carpenter**: stud walls, door linings, floor repairs, noggins for anything heavy to be fixed to later (TV brackets, kitchen wall units, radiators). See [first fix and second fix carpentry](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/guides/first-fix-second-fix-carpentry/) and [stud wall costs](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/prices/stud-wall-cost-market-harborough/). - **Plumber / heating engineer**: new water and waste pipes, heating pipework, and pipes for showers and outside taps. Gas pipework must be done by a Gas Safe engineer (see [plumber or gas engineer](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/guides/plumber-or-gas-engineer/)). - **Electrician**: new cables, back boxes for sockets and switches, cable runs for lights, and data or alarm cabling. A full rewire happens here; see [house rewire costs](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/prices/house-rewire-cost-market-harborough/). The order within first fix varies. Often the carpenter goes first to build walls and linings, then the plumber (pipes are less flexible than cables), then the electrician. On many jobs they work around each other. **Before plastering**, walk round with each trade and check every socket, switch, light, radiator tail and pipe is where you want it. Take photos of cable and pipe routes; you'll be glad of them later. ## 5. Plastering Once first fix is done (and insulation or plasterboard is up where needed), the plasterer **boards, skims or replasters**. See [skimming vs replastering](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/guides/skimming-vs-replastering/), and if your house has older solid walls, [lime plaster in old houses](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/guides/lime-plaster-old-houses/). Then **let it dry**. New plaster has to dry before it's painted, which takes days to weeks depending on thickness and conditions. See [how long plaster takes to dry](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/guides/how-long-does-plaster-take-to-dry/). Typical prices are in [the cost to skim a room](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/prices/skim-a-room-cost-market-harborough/). ## 6. Second fix The same trades come back to fit the visible parts: - **Carpenter**: internal doors, skirting boards, architrave, built-in wardrobes and shelving. See [internal door fitting](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/prices/internal-door-fitting-cost-market-harborough/) and [skirting board costs](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/prices/skirting-boards-cost-market-harborough/). - **Kitchen fitter**: units and worktops. - **Plumber**: radiators, taps, toilets, basins, baths and showers. - **Electrician**: sockets, switches, light fittings, consumer unit connections, testing and certification. ## 7. Tiling, decorating and flooring - **Tiling** usually goes in between first and second fix plumbing in bathrooms, so the plumber fits basins and toilets onto finished tiles. - A **mist coat** goes on new plaster first, then decorating. - **Hard flooring** may go in before or after kitchen units depending on the floor type; agree this with the fitter. - **Carpets go in last**, after all the dusty and heavy work is finished. ## 8. Sign-off and snagging Collect your paperwork before final payments: - **Electrical Installation Certificate** and **Building Regulations compliance certificate** for notifiable electrical work - **Gas Safe** compliance certificate for a new boiler - building control completion certificates for structural work - manufacturer warranties Then walk round and make a snagging list: sticking doors, missing covers, paint touch-ups. ## So who comes first, electrician or plasterer? **The electrician comes first.** First-fix electrics (cables and back boxes) go in before plastering, so the walls are only chased once and the plasterer finishes over them. The electrician then **comes back after plastering** for second fix, fitting the sockets, switches and lights and testing everything. If the electrician has to come back after plastering for extra cables, expect damaged plaster and patch repairs. That's the single most common sequencing mistake. ## Getting the trades lined up The trades we recommend, an electrician, a plumber, a plasterer and a carpenter, are the people we used on our own renovation. Message us and we'll pass your enquiry to whichever you need. We're not paid for recommendations. We just pass you to people we trust. Message us on WhatsApp: https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/go/any Read more about [our electrician](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/electricians/), [our plumber](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/plumbers/), [our plasterer](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/plasterers/) and [our carpenter](https://kuote.co.uk/market-harborough/carpenters/). ## Frequently asked questions ### What order should trades come in a renovation? Plan and survey first, including an asbestos check in houses from before 2000, then strip out and structural work. Next is first fix by the carpenter, plumber and electrician, then plastering and drying time. The same trades then return for second fix, followed by tiling, decorating, flooring, and finally collecting certificates and snagging. ### Who comes first, electrician or plasterer? The electrician comes first. First-fix electrics, meaning cables and back boxes, must go in before plastering so walls are chased only once and the plasterer can finish over them. The electrician then returns after plastering for second fix, fitting sockets, switches and lights, and testing and certifying the work. ### What is first fix and second fix? First fix is the work hidden inside walls, floors and ceilings before they are plastered or closed up: cables, pipes, stud walls and door linings. Second fix is everything that goes on after plastering: sockets and switches, radiators and sanitaryware, doors, skirting and architrave. Carpenters, plumbers and electricians all do both. ### Does the plumber or electrician go first? It depends on the job, but the plumber often goes first in first fix because pipes are larger and less flexible than cables, so it is easier for the electrician to route cables around them. In practice they often work in the same week. The important thing is that both finish first fix before the plasterer arrives. ### When should flooring be done in a renovation? Near the end. Carpets go in last, after all decorating and heavy work. Hard flooring depends on the type and the kitchen design: some fitters lay it before units, others after. Agree it with your kitchen fitter and flooring fitter before work starts, and protect any finished floor while other trades are still working. ## Sources - [Planning Portal: Part P electrical safety](https://www.planningportal.co.uk/applications/building-control-applications/building-control/approved-documents/part-p-electrical-safety) - [APHC: Notifiable work requirements for plumbing and heating contractors](https://aphc.co.uk/news/notifiable-work-requirements-for-plumbing-heating-contractors/) - [HSE: Check an engineer, are they Gas Safe registered?](https://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/gas-safe-register-check.htm) - [HSE: Asbestos, where can you find it](https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/building.htm) - [Homebuilding: What is Approved Document P?](https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/advice/approved-document-p)