Guides · Remodelling
Remodelling an apartment: what you can and cannot do
In an apartment you never remodel alone: other people live above, below and next to you. The good news: within your own four walls, more is possible than most people think.
Condominium: what actually belongs to you?
Under condominium ownership (Stockwerkeigentum), the interior of your apartment is yours — floor coverings, non-load-bearing walls, kitchen, bathroom. What is not yours alone: load-bearing walls and ceilings, the facade including windows, riser pipes, the balcony structure. Anything communal needs the consent of the owners' association, as set out in the condominium regulations.
In practice, that means three categories:
- Free to do: renewing kitchen and bathroom in the same location, floors, moving non-load-bearing walls, built-ins. Informing the management is still good form.
- With consent: work on load-bearing walls, merging rooms across the riser zone, anything on the facade and windows, connecting to communal pipes.
- Hardly realistic: glazing the balcony on your own, unauthorised changes to the exterior, relocating bathrooms across the apartment — wastewater needs a slope, and the slope needs your neighbour's ceiling.
Typical apartment remodels and their costs
| Job | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Removing a non-load-bearing wall | CHF 2,000 to 5,000 |
| New kitchen, same layout | CHF 25,000 to 45,000 |
| Complete bathroom | CHF 30,000 to 50,000 |
| New floors throughout | CHF 100 to 250 per m² |
| Full remodel of a 100 m² apartment | CHF 100,000 to 250,000 |
The apartment's trump card: space comes from within
Unlike a house, an apartment cannot be extended. The lever is organisation: the endless corridor that becomes a library. The closed-off kitchen that opens up to the dining area. The storage room (Réduit) that becomes a second bathroom — if the riser zone allows it. A hundred square metres often hide fifteen that are simply in the wrong place. That is exactly what the design work is for.
And in a rented apartment?
The rule: structural changes only with written consent from the property management. Painting in standard colours is fine, removing walls is not. Whatever you install has to be undone when you move out — or the landlord takes it over, agreed in writing. Without paperwork, you are building for the next tenant.
Frequently asked questions
Does an apartment remodel need a building permit?
Interior remodels without a change of use generally need no permit in the Canton of Zurich. Structural work and anything visible from the outside do. For condominiums there is a second layer: the condominium regulations. Check both before you start planning.
How do I handle the neighbours?
Inform them before the hammer drill starts: a notice with the construction schedule and a contact, noisy work in blocks. Most conflicts come not from noise but from surprise.
What about load-bearing walls in an apartment?
Possible, but a project: structural engineer, consent of the owners' association, permit. What it costs and how it works is covered in the guide on removing a wall.
Could your apartment do more?
I will show you where the wasted square metres hide in your floor plan — and what the regulations and planning law allow. The first consultation is free and without obligation.
