Apartment renovation in Bergamo with an architect, from survey to handover

Renovating an apartment in Bergamo means making a lot of decisions in a short time: how to change the layout, which materials to choose, which contractor to hire, which permits to file with the municipality. I guide you through the whole process, from the first survey to handing over the keys, as a single point of contact who designs, chooses with you and supervises the works. I work on apartments and houses in Bergamo and its province, Milan, Monza e Brianza and across Lombardy, often on 1960s and 1970s homes that need rethinking from scratch.

The first step is a site visit to get to know the home and understand what you want.

Why hire an architect for your renovation

A turnkey contractor builds; an architect designs and works on your side. The difference shows in three ways:

• A design made for you, not a package. Every choice starts from how you live in your home: layout, light, colour, custom furniture. Not a catalogue of standard solutions.
• Compared quotes and supervised contractors. I prepare the bill of quantities, request and compare several quotes on the same design, and on site I check that the work matches what was drawn and paid for.
• Permits are my responsibility. I prepare and sign the building permits, deal with the municipality and close the works with the land registry update.

If you're still deciding who to hire, I've written a guide on how to choose an architect, with the questions to ask at the first meeting.

How I work: from survey to handover

The process has five stages. You can hire me for all of them or just some: if you already have someone helping you with part of it, I can support you even in a single stage.

1. Survey

I measure and photograph every room, then redraw it in 2D plans that become the basis for the whole project. If needed, I request the municipal records to check that the current state matches the legally approved one: better to find out before the works start than halfway through.

2. Architectural and interior design

• Concept design: layout options and furnished floor plans, to compare the first alternatives.
• Developed design: the LOOKS & FEELS board with style references, the materials and colour moodboard, furnished elevations and 3D views with the chosen furniture and finishes.
• Technical design: detailed drawings of demolition, construction and services for tendering, a shopping list for furniture and drawings for the custom pieces.

3. Design supervision

I prepare the cost estimate, find and compare contractors and suppliers, go with you to showrooms and help you choose samples, and on site I check that finishes and details are built as designed.

4. Site coordination

I share the schedule and organise the stages of the works, carry out site visits and meetings, check progress valuations before each payment and help you handle the invoices needed for tax deductions.

5. Permits and land registry

I prepare the drawings and certified technical reports, file the application with the municipality taking professional responsibility for the permit, and at the end I file the completion notice and the land registry update.

A real project: LOVINGCOLORS Apartment, Bergamo

An 80 m² 1960s apartment in Bergamo, with a long narrow corridor, a double entrance and a kitchen cut off from the rest of the home. With the full renovation we:

• joined kitchen, dining room and living room into a single bright living area, removing the corridor;
• separated the kitchen with a large iron and glass sliding door that keeps out smells and noise without blocking the view;
• built a custom wardrobe wall at the entrance with shoe storage, a sideboard, a coat cupboard and a hidden home office;
• reduced the hallway in the sleeping area to a minimum and turned it into a concealed laundry;
• gained an extra room that wasn't there before.

Colour tells the owners' story: the terracotta in the living room recalls a church in Seville, the blue-grey kitchen the sea glass they collected in Barcelona. The project was published in [Cose di Casa] magazine(/news/cose-di-casa-ottobre-2022) and on the design blog Homeadore.

See all the photos of the project: LOVINGCOLORS Apartment.

Bathroom and kitchen within the renovation

Bathrooms and kitchens are where services, costs and technical decisions concentrate. I design them for each home, either as part of a full renovation or on their own: layout, tiles, sanitaryware, colours and furniture.

• Bathrooms: ITALIAN SUMMER (7 m²), CASA PEONIA (4.5 m²), CASA ARCHI & COLORI (5.5 m²).
• Kitchens: MITE in Milan (11 m²) and PARIGINA in Monza (8.2 m²).

Measurements, mistakes to avoid and the choices behind these projects are gathered in two guides: tips for designing a bathroom and how to design a kitchen.

Timing, permits and tax incentives

Timing depends on the home and on your choices: design and permits usually take a few weeks, and the works for a full renovation a few months. After the survey I give you a schedule with the dates of each stage.

Almost every interior renovation needs a building permit: moving or removing partition walls, redoing the services or changing the bathroom usually can't be done without notifying the municipality. Which permit applies in Italy (CILA or SCIA) depends on the works, and I check it from the survey stage. At the end I file the completion notice and, if the layout changes, the land registry update.

If you haven't bought yet, check planning and land registry compliance first, for example with a home-buying consultancy: an irregularity has to be regularised before you can renovate.

For tax deductions I help you prepare the paperwork and handle invoices correctly. Rates and caps change almost every year: we check them together when we design, with no promises made in advance.

How much it costs

The cost of a renovation depends mainly on three things: how much work goes into services and walls, the level of finishes and the amount of custom furniture. That is why every estimate starts from the survey and the design, not from a one-size-fits-all price per square metre. To help you get your bearings, I've gathered price ranges in a guide to renovation costs in Bergamo and explained how much an architect costs.

The fee depends on the project and on the stages you entrust to me (design, permits, site supervision): I set it out in a written quote after our first meeting, before we start.

Where I work

I supervise works in Bergamo and its province, Milan, Monza e Brianza and the rest of Lombardy: that's where the projects on this page are. I see clients at my studio in Bergamo, by appointment. For remote consultations such as ArchiAdvice, I also work outside Lombardy.

About me

I'm Martina Pozzi, an architect registered with the Ordine degli Architetti di Monza e Brianza. Before opening MP_archistudio in Bergamo in 2021, I worked in architecture practices in Seville and Barcelona, including Studio Vázquez Consuegra. I handle the renovation from survey to land registry update; LOVINGCOLORS, the project on this page, was published in Cose di Casa magazine. My background.

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep living at home during the works?

In a full renovation usually not: dust, disconnected services and an unusable bathroom make the home uninhabitable for much of the works. For smaller jobs the work can be organised room by room. We discuss it at the first site visit.

Do you work with your own contractors or can I choose?

I request and compare several quotes on the same design, so you can choose with the facts in hand.

Do I need a permit to remove a partition wall?

Almost always: even a non-load-bearing wall changes the layout and normally requires a CILA, plus the land registry update at the end. I check it case by case.

How far ahead should I start?

Get in touch as soon as you have the keys, or even before buying: design, quotes and permits take time before the works can begin.

What if I only want the design?

That's fine: each stage can be hired on its own. Many clients start with the design and decide later whether to hire me for site supervision too.

Tell me about your home: fill in the contact form or call me on +39 327 126 7024.