Apartment kitchen renovation
An apartment kitchen is renovated together with the building: the owners’ association, the lift, the neighbours. We prepare all of that before work starts.
The condominium (PPE)
What needs the owners’ consent, and what does not.
Cabinets, worktop and appliances belong to your own unit: you can replace them freely. The façade, the structure and the pipes shared with neighbours are common parts (art. 712b of the Swiss Civil Code). Touching them needs the consent of the condominium owners’ association, under its regulations. We notify the building manager before work starts and help you prepare the request.
Sources: Code civil suisse, art. 712a ss (propriété par étages), RS 210 · Checked on 19.10.2026
No consent needed
- Cabinets, fronts and worktop
- Appliances, on the existing supplies
- A recirculating extractor (filter, no outlet)
- Wall and floor finishes in your unit
Consent of the owners needed
- An extractor outlet through the façade
- Shared water and waste risers
- The building’s ventilation ducts
- A load-bearing wall or the building structure
Access
Everything has to fit through the door.
Lift booked with the building manager or the property management agency (régie), car protected.
Stairwell and landings protected from strip-out to handover.
Worktop slabs: we measure the staircase before drawing. Beyond about 2.80 m up a winding stair, the stone comes in two pieces, with the joint placed where it shows least.
Parking for the van requested in advance (permit from the municipality).
Noise and hours
The neighbours know when, and for how long.
In an occupied building, Geneva’s building-site regulation bans site work from 7 pm to 8 am, on Sundays and on public holidays (RChant, art. 23). Demolition, the noisiest part, is done in the daytime, and a notice in the building tells the neighbours a week ahead.
Sources: Règlement sur les chantiers (RChant), L 5 05.03, art. 23 · Checked on 19.10.2026
How long without a kitchen
Three weeks, one of them without a worktop.
- Strip-out and protection
- 1 to 2 days
- Services (water, power, waste)
- 2 to 3 days
- Cabinets and appliances
- 3 to 4 days
- Worktop, fitted to template
- 1 to 2 weeks after the cabinets
- Finishing and handover
- 1 to 2 days
Asbestos
Before 1990, we test before we demolish.
In buildings constructed before 1990, some tile adhesives, wall tiles and floor coverings may contain asbestos. We have samples analysed before demolition; if any is found, a specialist firm removes it first. In Geneva, the cantonal guidance covers buildings from before 1991.
Sources: Suva, identifier l’amiante (bâtiments construits avant 1990) · Checked on 19.10.2026
Apartment kitchen renovation, from CHF 38’000, including strip-out, appliances, installation and VAT.
Indicative prices of a fictitious company
Before, after
A 1980s kitchen, given back to the building.
Swiss terms, explained
- PPE (propriété par étages)
- Condominium ownership. You own your unit; the façade, structure and shared pipes belong to all owners together, who form the owners’ association.
- Régie
- Property management agency. It manages the building for the owners and often handles lift bookings and building notices.
- Administrateur
- The building manager appointed by the owners’ association. We inform them before any kitchen work starts.
- Règlement de la PPE
- The condominium regulations. They say which works need the owners’ consent and how it is given.
- NPA
- Swiss postcode, four digits (1207 for Eaux-Vives).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the condominium’s consent to change my kitchen?
Not for the cabinets or the worktop, which are in your own unit. Yes as soon as the work touches a common part: façade (extractor outlet), risers, ducts. Your condominium regulations decide; we help you prepare the request.
How many days will we be without a kitchen?
Three weeks as a rule, one of them without a worktop. We leave a temporary water point where possible.
Describe the room, we come back with an appointment.
Drawings and photos welcome. Reply within two working days.
Or by phone: 022 000 00 00