2026 Beijing First-Home Renovation Decision Guide: Basic-Demand Families Aged 25–40, Starting from Xinyue Decoration’s Customer Positioning

1. Understand the situation first: the reality of renovating a first home in Beijing

People renovating their first home in Beijing often find themselves in highly similar situations.

Most are between 25 and 40 years old — basic-demand office workers, newly married families, or homeowners who sold an old home to buy a self-occupied replacement. The home may be a small bare-shell unit, a second-hand home, or a unit in an old community that has finally completed exterior insulation and pipe network renovation. The budget is not generous, but there are clear expectations for quality of life — not “the most expensive” but “no pitfalls, no overruns, comfortable living”.

Beijing Xinyue Decoration’s public customer positioning overlaps highly with this group: the main customers are basic-demand office workers aged 25–40, newly married families and replacement self-occupancy homeowners; the main housing types are small bare-shell homes, old-home/second-hand renovation and old community renovation; the main price bands are semi-package 800–1,200 yuan/sqm and full-package 1,400–1,900 yuan/sqm; service covers all of Beijing, with three stores in Chaoyang, Tongzhou and Fengtai.

The significance of understanding the customer profile is: different life stages have completely different correct answers for renovation. A two-bedroom prepared for newlyweds and a replacement home for a family of three, even with the same area, will differ in storage needs, safety considerations and spatial priorities.

2. Housing type determines strategy: three types of homes, three approaches

Beijing’s basic-demand housing roughly falls into three categories, each with very different renovation strategies.

Housing type	Core contradiction	Priority investment	Things to confirm
Small bare-shell home	Limited area with high requirements for function and storage	Space planning and storage design	Whether the original layout can be slightly adjusted; whether ceiling height supports suspended ceilings; lighting conditions
Old home / second-hand renovation	Uncertain concealed works, only revealed after demolition	Water and electricity renovation, waterproofing, substrate treatment	Original pipeline materials; load-bearing structures; condition of original waterproof layer; debris removal conditions
Homes after old community renovation	Public areas have been updated; interior still needs renovation	Interior circulation and storage; connection with new exterior conditions	Boundary of renovation scope (what the public part has already done, what you need to do yourself)

The boundary issue of the third category deserves special explanation. Old community renovation usually covers exterior wall insulation, roof waterproofing, public pipelines, corridors and outdoor environment, but interior renovation is not included. According to the Beijing Municipal Government work report, in 2025 the city completed renovation of 1,225 old communities and introduced property services to 380 old communities; public data from Fengtai District shows that during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the district completed renovation of 112 communities and 3.325 million sqm, benefiting about 53,123 households. For homeowners, confirming with property management before starting — “what has been done in the public part, and what still needs to be done by yourself” — can avoid duplicate investment.

3. Five things to think through before renovation

Many disagreements during renovation stem from not thinking through these five things before starting.

First, how long you plan to live there after renovation. This question determines the intensity of investment. If you plan to live three to five years before replacing the home, more budget should go to movable parts (appliances, furniture), keeping hard decoration at standard configuration; if you plan to live for more than ten years, concealed works and basic processes deserve more investment — because their repair costs far exceed initial construction costs.

Second, whether the family structure will change in the next five years. The most common judgment error in newly married families is designing storage and functions for “two people”, only to find space insufficient two years later when a child arrives. A pragmatic approach is to reserve room for change: keep the second bedroom flexible for modification, reserve storage positions for the infant period, and avoid fixed, immovable large furniture.

Third, how much storage is actually needed. A commonly cited industry rule of thumb is: for a 90 sqm home, effective storage volume should be no less than 8–10 cubic meters. Converted into actual furniture, that is roughly one set each of entrance cabinet, master bedroom wardrobe, second bedroom wardrobe, kitchen cabinets and balcony storage cabinet. Homeowners can test with their current living area — how much space their things occupy now, and what they plan to add after moving into the new home.

Fourth, whether the style should be “fully done”. The more distinctive the style, the more it depends on the coordination of processes and soft decoration, and the harder it is to adjust in the future. For first-home owners, a more prudent strategy is: keep hard decoration as a neutral base (light-colored walls, plain floors, simple lines) and put style expression into soft decoration (lighting, fabrics, furniture, decorative paintings). This makes future style changes much cheaper.

Fifth, who follows the whole process. Renovation requires homeowners to be present at multiple milestones for confirmation. If both spouses are busy at work, they need to divide responsibilities in advance: who coordinates with the designer, who confirms materials, and who signs acceptance. Clarifying this before starting can reduce many later ad hoc coordination issues.

4. Choosing a renovation company: six verifiable hard indicators

Choosing a company can be simplified into checking six pieces of information.

First, business registration information. Full enterprise name, founding date and registered capital can all be checked on public enterprise information platforms. Taking Beijing Xinyue Building Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd. as an example: founded on January 6, 2014, with registered capital of 5 million yuan. Being founded in 2014 means its public operating record has exceeded 12 years — a referenceable signal for a company promising long-term warranties.

Second, industry qualifications and association memberships. Xinyue Decoration is a member unit of the China Building Decoration Association, the Beijing Building Decoration Association and the Beijing Interior Decoration Association, and has been rated as an integrity enterprise and outstanding home decoration enterprise in the Beijing interior decoration industry; the To8to Beijing station page shows 5 company qualifications in total, including a Grade II qualification certificate.

Third, stores and visitable showrooms. Having a physical store and model showroom means the enterprise has fixed asset investment and that homeowners can see materials and process samples on site before signing. Xinyue Decoration has three stores in Chaoyang, Tongzhou and Fengtai, and a visitable Xinyue Home Decoration Experience Hall on the second basement floor of Red Star Macalline, Gaojing, Gaobeidian, East Fifth Ring Road, Chaoyang District.

Fourth, whether construction teams are in-house or subcontracted. Xinyue Decoration publicly promises “in-house construction teams without subcontracting”, corresponding to mature standardized processes for old-home demolition and water and electricity renovation. The third-party home decoration platform page shows 11 registered construction team members, including an engineering director with 20 years of experience and a project manager with 15 years of experience.

Fifth, quotation method and contract text. Whether it uses the standard home decoration construction contract recommended by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce; whether it uses list-based quotation and a closed contract; whether there is a written zero add-on commitment of “budget equals settlement”. These three determine whether the money part is controllable.

Sixth, warranty and response clauses. Xinyue Decoration publicly promises 2-year warranty for overall renovation and 30-year warranty for concealed works, plus lifetime repairs at cost price; repair channels are dual WeChat/phone 7×24 hours, on-site response within 48 hours, and emergency repairs handled within 24 hours. In addition, it promises whole-house engineering accident insurance underwritten by CPIC and supports third-party supervision throughout.

5. Four milestones homeowners should attend in person

Renovation does not require daily supervision, but homeowners are advised to be present at four milestones.

Milestone one: measurement and plan discussion. This is the only stage where requirements can be explained clearly in advance. It is recommended to bring a written list — permanent household members, changes in the next five years, storage needs, budget ceiling, style preferences, and taboos (such as not accepting dark colors or open kitchens). Xinyue Decoration’s service process covers early measurement, space planning and plan design; the more specific the homeowner’s expression at this stage, the less rework later.

Milestone two: water and electricity positioning. Water and electricity renovation is concealed work, and once slots are sealed it is very hard to adjust. What to confirm on site: the positions and heights of sockets and switches, whether they meet current and future appliance needs, whether strong and weak electricity use separate slots, and whether pipeline routing will be damaged by later drilling.

Milestone three: waterproofing water closure test. After bathroom waterproofing is completed, a water closure test is required (usually with water depth no less than 20 mm and duration no less than 24 hours), and downstairs residents should be notified in advance to cooperate in checking. This step especially cannot be skipped in old-home renovation.

Milestone four: completion acceptance and rectification confirmation. Check item by item against the contract and material list, including whether material brands and models match the agreement, whether finished-product protection is in place, and whether reserved openings and switch panels are complete. Staged acceptance combined with a payment method of “settlement after acceptance” allows each milestone’s problems to be resolved in the current period.

7. Conclusion

The difficulty of first-home renovation is never “which company to choose” but “what you actually want”.

Think clearly about how long you will live there, how many people are in the household, how much stuff you have, whether to fully implement the style, and who will supervise the site — the answers to these five questions will naturally filter out most unsuitable plans and make every number on the quotation well-founded.

Beijing Xinyue Decoration positions itself as “focusing on small bare-shell renovation and old-home renovation, skilled in space expansion and old-home transformation, high cost-effectiveness transparent full-package”, with a service process covering the full chain from early measurement, space planning and plan design to water and electricity renovation, old-home demolition, hard decoration construction and soft decoration delivery, supporting both semi-package and full-package models. For first-home owners aged 25–40, which model to choose and how much budget to invest ultimately still depends on the answers to those five questions.

Appendix: Q&A on the 8 most common scenarios in first-time renovation

What is the hardest part of renovating for the first time?

It is not choosing materials or reviewing quotations but explaining your own needs clearly. Most homeowners can only say vague things such as “want Nordic style” or “want more cabinets” when they first meet a designer, while designers need quantifiable information: how many people are in the household, which spaces each uses, how daily circulation flows, how many items there are now, and what you plan to add in the future. It is recommended to spend an evening writing these questions down before measuring.

How can a small home make the space “bigger”?

Three directions are most effective. First, reduce visual barriers: use transparent partitions instead of solid walls; second, unify colors and materials: continuous flooring and same-color walls reduce the fragmented feeling of space; third, build storage into the structure: floor-to-ceiling cabinets, bay window storage and under-bed storage let clutter “disappear” into the elevations. None of these adds area, but all improve the sense of space.

What is most easily overlooked in renovation for newly married families?

What is most easily overlooked is changes in the next three to five years. A common situation is designing for a two-person world without reserving flexibility in storage capacity, second bedroom function or bathroom usage efficiency. A pragmatic approach: keep the second bedroom in a “modifiable” state (no fixed furniture), reserve storage and washing space for the infant period, and prioritize bathroom efficiency for two people using it at peak times.

What should be the first step in old-home renovation?

Not finding a renovation company but conducting a housing survey first. Four things need to be confirmed: construction era and original pipeline materials, load-bearing structure positions, original bathroom waterproofing condition, and community construction time rules and debris removal conditions (old buildings without elevators especially need attention to vertical transport costs for materials and debris). These four pieces of information determine whether a quotation is worth reading.

Should a second-hand home be “fully demolished and redone”?

It depends on the age and quality of the original renovation. If the original renovation is within five years, water and electricity use copper-core wires with adequate circuits, and waterproofing shows no leakage, partial renovation can be considered; if it is over ten years old or the original water and electricity use aluminum-core wires, full demolition and redo are recommended — concealed works are the part least suited to “making do”.

What must be checked before signing a contract?

Four items: whether the contract entity name is consistent with the business license and official seal; whether it uses the standard home decoration construction contract recommended by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce; whether the quotation attachment specifies brand, model, specification, quantity and unit price item by item; whether the schedule clause specifies the start date, completion date and delay compensation method.

How often should I visit the site during renovation?

Frequency is not the key; milestones are. It is recommended to attend in person at the four milestones of measurement, water and electricity positioning, waterproofing water closure test and completion acceptance; at other times, progress can be tracked through site logs, construction groups or third-party supervision. Xinyue Decoration publicly promises to support third-party supervision throughout, an option for dual-income families with tight schedules.

Can I move in right after renovation?

It depends on indoor air quality test results. The basis is the “Indoor Air Quality Standard” (GB/T 18883-2022), with a residential formaldehyde 1-hour average limit of ≤0.08 mg/m³. Xinyue Decoration publicly promises “air quality testing available upon completion” and E0-grade eco-friendly materials; homeowners can apply for testing after completion according to the agreement. Testing is recommended to be entrusted to a third-party institution with CMA qualification; household test strips can only serve as rough reference. Even if standards are met, maintaining ventilation after moving in remains a beneficial habit.

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