Allow two to four weeks between “the work is finished” and actually moving in. Snagging takes one to two weeks, deep cleaning takes several days, and new paint, polish and joinery need ventilation before anyone sleeps in the house — particularly children or anyone with a respiratory condition.
Here is what genuinely has to happen between completion and move-in, and why rushing this window is the most common way a good project ends badly.
What still has to happen
Snagging — one to two weeks
A proper snagging round means walking every room with the drawings, listing everything that is incomplete or wrong, agreeing it with the contractor, and then verifying each item is fixed.
Things that commonly appear: shutters not aligned, drawers not running true, paint touch-ups, a switch plate cut awkwardly, a missing silicone bead, grout gaps, a door that catches, a light not on the circuit it was supposed to be.
None are serious individually. Collectively they are the difference between a home that feels finished and one that feels nearly finished for the next two years — because once you move in, getting trades back is considerably harder.
Testing — do not skip this
- Every light, on every switch, including two-way switching
- Every socket
- Every tap and shower, hot and cold, checking pressure
- Every drain, by running water
- Every WC
- Air conditioning in cooling mode, each unit
- Every door and window, opening and closing fully and locking
- Every drawer and shutter
- Water softener and RO, if installed
- Inverter or generator, under load
This takes a couple of hours and routinely finds three or four real problems.
Deep clean — several days
Construction cleaning is not ordinary cleaning. Cement haze on tile and stone, paint spots, adhesive residue, dust inside every cupboard and above every ceiling cove, and protective film on glass and fittings.
Do this after snagging, not before, or you will be cleaning twice.
Ventilation — the part people skip
A newly finished interior off-gasses. Paint, adhesives, sealants, polish and engineered board all release volatile compounds as they cure, and a house full of new joinery releases a considerable amount.
Open everything for as long as you can before anyone sleeps there. Two weeks is a reasonable minimum; longer is better. Run fans to move air through. If the handover lands in Delhi winter when you cannot open windows for long, extend the period and run purifiers continuously.
This matters most for young children, elderly family members and anyone with asthma or allergies.
Curing times worth knowing
Some materials are not finished when they look finished.
- Paint is touch-dry in hours and fully cured in two to four weeks. Avoid scrubbing walls or pushing furniture against them in that window
- Polish and lacquer on joinery hardens over days. Do not load shelves immediately or place rubber-footed objects on fresh polish
- Grout and silicone need their stated cure before heavy water use
- Stone sealer needs time before the surface is used
- Engineered wood flooring should settle after laying
Ask the contractor for the specific cure times of what was used, and get them in the handover file.
What you should receive before you accept handover
- As-built drawings, including electrical and plumbing layouts
- Material specification schedule
- Paint codes for every room
- Hardware brands and model numbers
- Warranties with expiry dates
- Supplier and fabricator contacts
- Appliance manuals and service contacts
- Defect liability period, in writing, with what it covers
- Spare material — tiles, stone, laminate, touch-up paint
- All keys, including duplicate sets
Keep spare material boxed and labelled. Batches vary, and in five years you will want a match.
The sequence that works
- Contractor declares completion
- Snagging walk with the drawings; written list issued
- Snags fixed; second walk to verify
- Full testing of services and fittings
- Deep construction clean
- Ventilation period, with windows open and fans running
- Curtains measured and fitted
- Furniture delivered and placed
- Styling and final touches
- Move in
Note that curtains come after snagging, not before — they are measured only once ceilings and flooring are complete, and then take a few weeks to make. This is the most common reason a finished home sits with bare windows.
Hold back a final payment
Keep a meaningful instalment payable after snagging is signed off, and retain a small percentage through the defect liability period. If nearly everything is paid before handover, there is very little incentive to complete the last five per cent — which is exactly the part you look at every day.
Frequently asked questions
How long after renovation can you move in?
Allow two to four weeks after the contractor declares completion. That covers snagging, re-inspection, full testing of services, a deep construction clean, and a ventilation period before anyone sleeps in the house.
How long should a new home be ventilated before moving in?
At least two weeks with windows open and air moving, and longer where there is extensive new joinery or where young children, elderly family or anyone with a respiratory condition will live there. In Delhi winter, when windows cannot stay open, extend the period and run purifiers continuously.
What is snagging and how long does it take?
Walking every room against the drawings, listing what is incomplete or wrong, agreeing it with the contractor and verifying each fix. One to two weeks for a typical home. It is much harder to get trades back once you have moved in.
Why are my curtains not ready when the house is?
Curtains can only be measured once the false ceiling and flooring are finished, and then take several weeks to make. Order the fabric early and accept the lead time rather than compromising on fullness to get them faster.
Should I pay the final instalment at handover?
Keep a meaningful amount payable only after snagging is signed off, and retain a small percentage through the defect liability period. It is the simplest way to ensure the last details are actually completed.
Getting it right
We treat snagging as a stage with its own time in the programme rather than as a formality at the end, and we issue a handover file on every project — because the last few weeks are what people remember about a year of work.
If you are planning a project, tell us about it. See also how long a project takes, maintaining a finished home, and indoor air quality.
About Pochē Aesthetics
Pochē Aesthetics — also written Poche Aesthetics — is a luxury residential architecture and interior design practice based in Greater Kailash, New Delhi, founded and led by architect Niyati Satsangi. Over more than twelve years the practice has designed private homes — farmhouses, villas, builder floors and apartments — across Delhi NCR and India, handling architecture, interiors, materials, lighting and styling as one connected commission, alongside select restaurant and commercial work. More about the practice.