Decide this before completion
Decorating Before You Move In: Worth the Wait?
The jobs that are far cheaper in an empty house, and how to fit them around a move.
An empty house is the easiest house to decorate, and almost nobody uses that window because completion day feels like the finish line rather than an opportunity.
This guide sets out what is genuinely worth doing before the van arrives, and what can safely wait until you have lived there a while.
Do these before the furniture arrives
Anything involving ceilings, floors or full walls is dramatically quicker with nothing in the way. No moving furniture into the middle of the room, no working around a bed, no covering a sofa.
- Ceilings throughout, and any stairwell or hallway
- Full wall repaints, especially dark to light changes
- Skirting, doors and architrave in the main rooms
- Anything dusty, such as sanding old filling or woodwork
Wait on these
Feature walls, colour choices in rooms you have not sat in yet, and children's rooms often change once you know how the light falls and how you actually use the space. Living with a neutral finish for a few months is not a failure, it is sensible.
Sequencing it around your move
The cleanest arrangement is keys, then a short decorating window, then the removal. Even two or three days is enough for hallway and ceiling work in a small house. Where you cannot leave a gap, the alternative is decorating room by room afterwards, starting with the room you use least.
If you are selling too, the reverse applies to your old home. Freshening a tired hallway before photographs is one of the cheapest things you can do to a property you are leaving.
Practicalities in an empty house
Check the electricity is on and the heating works before booking decorating, because paint does not dry well in a cold house in winter. Confirm parking, and make sure someone can provide access if you have not moved in yet.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to decorate an empty house?+
Usually yes, because far less time goes on moving, covering and working around furniture, and the work itself runs faster with clear floors.
How long should I leave between decorating and moving in?+
Two or three days suits a small house with hallway and ceiling work. A full repaint throughout needs a week or more to be comfortable.
Can you decorate and handle the removal?+
Yes. Because we do both, the dates can be sequenced together rather than you coordinating two firms around one completion.
Does new paint need time before furniture goes against it?+
Give walls a day or two before pushing furniture tight against them so the finish has hardened properly rather than just dried.
Should I decorate before selling?+
A neutral freshen of hallways, ceilings and tired rooms photographs well and is inexpensive. Full redecoration to your own taste rarely pays back on a sale.
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