Expat Mates / Guide
Updated August 2026 · 9 min readApartment renovation in Lithuania: cost, timeline and process.
A practical guide for people who have bought — or are about to buy — an apartment in Lithuania and don't speak Lithuanian. Real 2026 prices per square metre, realistic timelines, what "partial finish" actually includes, and how to hire a team you can talk to. Written by Expat Mates, an English-speaking finishing team based in Vilnius.
1. What you actually get in a Lithuanian new build
Almost every new apartment in Vilnius, Kaunas or Klaipėda is sold with partial finish — dalinė apdaila. For buyers from countries where "new apartment" means "ready to move in", this is the biggest surprise of the purchase.
Partial finish normally includes: plastered (not painted) walls, a concrete floor screed, windows and window sills, an entrance door, the heating system with radiators or underfloor heating loops, and electricity, water and sewage brought to the apartment.
It does not include: flooring, interior doors, bathroom waterproofing and tiling, sanitary ware, sockets and switches, lighting, a kitchen, painted walls, or any built-in furniture. Depending on the developer, the electrical wiring inside the apartment may be only partially done as well.
In other words, a "new apartment" is a shell. Turning it into a home is a separate project — turnkey finishing — and it is the main thing we do at Expat Mates.
Partial finish means plastered walls and a bare screed. Everything else is still to be done.
2. How much renovation costs in Lithuania (2026)
Prices below are per square metre of apartment floor area, as quoted for full turnkey finishing in Vilnius in 2026. They are indicative — a detailed estimate always follows a site visit — but they are what real projects cost, not marketing numbers.
| What | € per m² of apartment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Finishing works (labour + preparatory materials) | from ≈ 500 | Electrics, plumbing, plaster, screed levelling, painting, tiling labour, door and floor installation, cleaning |
| Finishing materials — budget level | ≈ 200 | Laminate or vinyl floors, standard tiles, stock doors, basic fixtures |
| Finishing materials — mid level | ≈ 400 | Engineered wood, large-format or terrazzo tiles, flush doors, built-in mixers |
| Finishing materials — premium | ≈ 800+ | Natural stone, custom joinery, designer lighting and sanitary ware |
| Move-in-ready total | ≈ 700 – 1,300 | Premium interiors with furniture: 1,500 and above |
Where the money goes in a typical turnkey project (share of the works budget, from our estimates): walls and ceilings 25–30 %, bathroom and toilet 15–20 %, electrical 10–15 %, plumbing and heating 10–15 %, floors 10–15 %, doors 5–8 %, lighting, fixtures and final cleaning 5–8 %.
Three things move the price most: the bathroom (tiling is slow, waterproofing is non-negotiable), the ceiling design (drywall ceilings with hidden profiles and shadow gaps cost more than painted concrete) and the number of electrical points. A 60 m² apartment easily needs 60–80 sockets and switches once you count the kitchen, the desk and every bedside.
VAT in Lithuania is 21 %. A registered company quotes with VAT and gives you invoices; a private "brigade" may be cheaper on paper, but you carry the risk and get no contract, no warranty and nobody to call if something leaks.
3. How long it takes
A full finishing of a 50–70 m² apartment takes 3–4 months with one team doing all the works in sequence. A rough formula for smaller flats: area in m² + 10 = working days — about 45 working days for a 35 m² studio.
| Stage (60 m² apartment) | Weeks | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Dismantling & rough works | 2–3 | Electrical wiring, plumbing and heating pipes, partitions |
| Screed & plaster, drying | 2–3 | Levelling floors and walls; drying time is physics, not laziness |
| Bathroom & tiling | 2–3 | Waterproofing, tiles, built-in fixtures |
| Ceilings & painting | 2 | Drywall, profiles, two coats of paint |
| Floors & doors | 1–2 | Engineered wood or tiles, interior doors, skirting |
| Lighting, fixtures, cleaning | 1 | Sockets, lights, sanitary ware, final cleaning, handover |
| Total | 12–16 | Add 2–4 weeks if the design project is still being finalised during works |
What makes it longer: changing decisions mid-way, waiting for materials ordered late (doors and tiles can take 4–8 weeks), and several independent contractors who wait for each other. What makes it shorter: one team, a finished design project, and materials ordered before the rough works are done.
4. The process, step by step
- Send the plans. A floor plan or design project, the address and when you want to move in.
- Sample calculation. Within 1–5 days: price per m², prices per type of work, and estimates of finished projects with a similar layout. Need it faster? Say so — we speed up.
- Site visit and estimate. Measurements, a detailed line-by-line estimate, and honest advice on where to save.
- Contract. Fixed scope, schedule, payment stages, official invoices.
- Works. The team coordinates details with your designer and sends photo updates and budget reports — you can be abroad the whole time.
- Handover. Cleaned, checked, defects fixed, warranty in writing.
5. Older apartments vs new builds
Lithuania has a large stock of Soviet-era apartments (1960s–1980s) in good locations at lower prices. Renovating one is a different project from finishing a new build:
- Dismantling first. Old floors, tiles, doors and often plaster come out — budget 1–2 extra weeks and disposal costs.
- Replace, don't patch. Aluminium wiring, steel pipes and cast-iron risers are usually replaced completely; this is where most "hidden" costs live.
- Levelling. Walls and floors in older buildings are rarely straight; levelling adds material and time.
- Layout changes. Removing or moving walls and wet zones requires a project and approval from the municipality; load-bearing walls are not negotiable.
- House rules. Works hours, lift use and waste removal are regulated by the building's rules — agree them before the first day of works.
As a rule, a full refit of an older apartment costs about the same per m² in works as a new-build finish, plus dismantling and replacement of engineering systems — and takes 2–4 weeks longer.
6. Hiring a contractor when you don't speak Lithuanian
The honest picture: most tradespeople in Lithuania speak Lithuanian and often Russian; English on site is rare. Marketplaces can connect you with individual English-speaking handymen for small jobs, but a full renovation needs one responsible party. Things worth checking before you sign:
- A registered company with a company code and VAT number (MB Expat Mates: 306289251, LT100016482010) — both are public in the Register of Legal Entities.
- A written contract (rangos sutartis) with scope, schedule, payment stages and warranty.
- Finished projects you can see — photos are easy; a visit to a completed apartment is the real test.
- One contact person who speaks your language and answers the same day.
- Reports: photo updates and a running budget, so you can follow the project from anywhere.
This is the model we built Expat Mates around: one English-speaking contact, our own electricians and plumbers, materials bought at trade prices with every receipt shared, and real-time photo reports. We have realised projects by Zrobim Architects, Archroom Studio and other studios, and we work across Lithuania — Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Palanga, Elektrėnai.
7. Materials, suppliers and where to save
The big chains — Senukai, Ermitažas, Moki-Veži — cover most needs; tiles, sanitary ware and lighting come from specialist showrooms in Vilnius. Contractors get trade discounts that usually exceed what a private buyer can negotiate, so letting the team buy is rarely more expensive — as long as every receipt is shared.
Where saving is smart: choose mid-range tiles and paint (the difference is invisible on the wall), use engineered wood glued straight to the screed (about 20 % cheaper to install than a floating floor with underlay), keep the existing layout. Where saving is expensive: bathroom waterproofing, electrical panel and cables, underfloor heating, and anything that is hard to replace later.
Want a number for your apartment?
Send the floor plan — we reply within one working day and send a sample calculation within 1–5 days, free, in English. Need it faster? Just say so.
FAQ
In 2026, finishing works in Lithuania cost from about €500 per m² of apartment area, including preparatory materials (plaster, screed, primers, cables, pipes) and labour. Finishing materials, fixtures and furniture add another €200–800 per m² depending on the level you choose. A complete, move-in-ready home therefore usually costs €700–1,300 per m²; premium interiors can exceed €1,500 per m². Prices include 21% VAT when you work with a registered company.
A full finishing of a 50–70 m² apartment takes 3–4 months (12–16 weeks) with one team doing all works. A rough rule of thumb for smaller flats: the area in square metres plus 10 gives the number of working days — about 45 working days for a 35 m² studio. Drying times for screed and plaster are the main reason it cannot be much faster.
Most new apartments in Lithuania are sold with "dalinė apdaila" — partial finish. You receive plastered walls, a concrete floor screed, windows, an entrance door, heating, and electricity and water brought to the apartment — but no floors, interior doors, bathroom tiling, sockets, lighting, kitchen or painted walls. Everything from that point to a move-in-ready home is the buyer's job, and that is exactly what a turnkey finishing contractor does.
Yes. The practical problem is not the work itself but communication: most tradespeople, suppliers and building administrators speak little English. The simplest solution is one English-speaking contractor who takes responsibility for the whole project, buys materials and sends you photo reports — so you never have to translate.
It is not legally required for finishing works, but it is strongly recommended: a design project (interjero projektas) fixes the layout, electrical points, lighting and materials before anyone starts, which means fewer surprises and a more accurate estimate. Structural changes — removing walls, moving wet zones — do require a project and municipal approval.
A developer's full finish (pilna apdaila) is convenient, but it is usually a standard package with limited choices and a higher price per m² than an independent turnkey finish. If you want your own layout, materials and lighting, buying partial finish and hiring your own team typically gives better value and a home that is actually yours.
Either you or the contractor. Professional teams buy at trade prices in Senukai, Ermitažas, Moki-Veži and specialist suppliers and pass on the receipts; if you prefer to choose materials yourself, a good contractor tells you exactly what and how much to buy.
Registered companies do: you get a contract (rangos sutartis), VAT invoices and a warranty on the works. Ask for the company code and VAT number before signing — both are public and can be checked in the Lithuanian Register of Legal Entities. MB Expat Mates: company code 306289251, VAT LT100016482010.