Turnkey Services in Malta and Gozo
From bare shell to keys in hand.
One team taking a shell or a dated home to move-in ready: finishes, fit-out, furnishing and the trades in between, coordinated across Malta and Gozo.
What turnkey means
The work between the developer's last day and your first
In Malta, new apartments are commonly sold in shell form, semi-finished or finished. A shell has walls, a roof and little else; a semi-finished unit adds plastering and services but leaves the finishes to you. Turnkey is the work that closes the gap: one team taking the property from where the developer stops to the day you walk in and switch on the lights.
It suits an older home just as well. Strip out, rewire, re-tile, refit the kitchen and bathrooms and furnish the rooms, run as one project with one point of contact rather than a dozen trades you chase yourself.
Where a project starts
Shell form, semi-finished or finished
Shell form
The structure, the roof and the common parts. Inside, bare walls and no services: everything from the plaster onwards is part of the project.
Semi-finished
Usually plastered, with electrics and plumbing roughed in and sometimes the apertures fitted. Floors, bathrooms and the kitchen are left to the buyer.
Finished
Ready to furnish, to the developer's own specification. Turnkey here usually means furniture, fittings and any changes you want to that specification.
Every developer defines these terms a little differently, so read the specification sheet of the property you are buying.
Browse new developmentsHow a project runs
Five stages, one point of contact
Survey and brief
The property is measured and inspected, and the brief is set: how you will use it, the standard of finish and the budget.
Design and approvals
Layouts, finishes and fittings are chosen. Where the work alters the structure or the facade, a perit is engaged and any permit the work needs is applied for before anything starts.
Building and services
Plastering, electrics, plumbing, air conditioning, apertures and screeding: the work that has to be right before anything visible goes in.
Finishes and fit-out
Floors and tiling, gypsum and paintwork, the kitchen, bathrooms, wardrobes and internal doors.
Furnishing and handover
Furniture, lighting, curtains and appliances in place, the property cleaned, the snags fixed and the keys handed over.
You are the client, not the project manager.
That is the point of turnkey. The decisions come to you; the chasing of trades, deliveries and snag lists does not.
What can be included
As much or as little of the work as you need
Project management
One person coordinating every trade, delivery and decision, and answerable for the result.
Kitchens and bathrooms
Designed, supplied and fitted, from the plumbing points to the last tap.
Flooring and tiling
Porcelain, stone, timber or restored patterned tiles, laid and finished.
Electrical and plumbing
New installations or full rewires and replumbs, with the certification that goes with them.
Carpentry and wardrobes
Internal doors, built-in wardrobes and storage made to measure.
Furniture and soft furnishings
Furniture, lighting, curtains, appliances and linen, down to the cutlery if you want it.
Who it suits
Buying off plan
Plan the finish while the block is still being built, so the work starts the day you take possession.
Owners abroad
A finished home without flying back for every decision on tiles and taps.
Buying to let
Furnished to the standard tenants and guests expect, and ready for property management.
Renovating an older home
A dated apartment or townhouse brought up to date as one coordinated project.
Choosing a turnkey contractor
Questions worth asking first
- Is the price fixed, and what would make it change?
- Who is my single point of contact from the bare shell to the keys?
- How are payments staged against the work completed?
How an enquiry works
Tell us what you need
A few lines about the property and the work is enough to start.
It comes to our team
The Abode Boutique team reads it and passes it to the right service provider for the work.
You deal with them directly
The service provider contacts you to talk through the work, the timing and the price.
or
One point of contact
Rather hand over the whole job?
Some owners would rather have it managed than arrange each part themselves. We coordinate the interior design, keep an eye on a turnkey fit-out, look after the property once it is ready, and bring in the right people for anything else it needs.
One point of contact instead of several.
Talk to us about itQuestions
Frequently asked questions
What does turnkey mean when buying property in Malta?
A turnkey project takes a property from the state the developer or seller leaves it in, often shell form or semi-finished, to ready to move into. One team coordinates the finishes, the fit-out and, if you want it, the furnishing, and hands you the keys at the end.
Can a turnkey project start before the property is finished?
The planning can, and it should. Layouts, finishes and orders can be settled while the developer completes the block, so the work on site starts as soon as you take possession rather than after months of choosing.
Do I need a permit to finish an apartment?
Internal finishing usually does not need one, but work that alters the structure, the facade or the use of the property can. A perit can tell you what your plans need before anything starts, and a turnkey team will bring one in where the work calls for it.
Can I run a turnkey project from abroad?
That is who it suits best. Decisions come to you by message, call or video, and the team on the ground handles the site, the suppliers and the snags.
Is furniture included in a turnkey project?
It can be. Some projects end at the finishes, others include furniture, appliances and soft furnishings down to the bedding. Say which you want when you enquire.
How is a turnkey project priced?
On the brief: the size of the property, the state it starts from and the standard of what goes in. The service providers on this page quote for the work directly once they have seen the property.