Apartment renovation in Bolderāja - for 464 and 103 series apartments and old buildings

From the silicate brick village to the panel buildings of 1965

In the early fifties, a workers' village for the silicate brick factory with standard-design apartments was built in Bolderāja. In 1965, construction of panel buildings began, and in the same year the detailed plan of the whole residential district with two microdistricts was drawn up. Today Bolderāja has 464 and 103 series buildings, as well as older “Khrushchyovkas”. Even earlier, in 1909, Bolderāja had 280 wooden and 20 masonry buildings, and wooden rental apartment houses are also part of today's development.

In Soviet-era panel and brick buildings, the work may be renovating the old wiring, bathroom and kitchen and replanning, taking into account load-bearing walls and shared risers. How deep you have to go depends on what has already been changed in the apartment. If the wiring, pipes and the bathroom and toilet are original, you need a full renovation in Bolderāja. If they have been replaced, a cosmetic renovation is enough.

Daugavgrīvas šoseja and what to write in the request

The main link with the rest of Riga is Daugavgrīvas šoseja, and the centre is far away, so it helps to give information that is as complete as possible in the first request. Five-storey “Khrushchyovka” buildings usually have no lift, and this should be stated in the request.

• the series (464, 103, “Khrushchyovka”) or the year the building was built
• the floor and whether there is a lift
• the apartment area in m², the number of rooms
• whether the bathroom unit is combined or separate
• whether the riser, wiring, radiators or walls will be changed

The 464 series and the “Khrushchyovka”: small apartments

The 464 series consists of five-storey buildings of grey reinforced concrete panels with gypsum-concrete partitions. Series surveys name worn risers and electrical wiring and the fact that panel walls are hard to replan. In “Khrushchyovkas” the apartments are small: one-room 29–35 m², two-room 39–41 m², three-room about 51 m², and in the oldest five-storey buildings the bathroom and toilet are often combined.

If the bathroom unit is small, it makes sense to choose a shower with a floor drain instead of a bath, a wall-hung toilet and a washing machine in a niche. If you want to combine the bathroom with the toilet or enlarge it at the expense of the corridor, first find out whether the partition is load-bearing. See 464 series apartment renovation, Khrushchyovka renovation and small bathroom renovation in Bolderāja.

The 103 series: walls and the bathroom unit

In the 103 series, the external walls are of silicate bricks or hollow clay bricks. The bathroom and toilet are separate, and the kitchen is larger than in “Khrushchyovkas”.

For demolishing a non-load-bearing wall in Riga, according to the municipality's explanation, a plan by a certified architect and a construction notice in the BIS are needed. Approval of reconstruction in Bolderāja takes place at the Riga municipality's City Development Department (Pilsētas attīstības departaments; until 1 September 2021 the Riga City Building Board). See 103 series apartment renovation and kitchen with a room.

A wooden house in old Bolderāja

If the apartment is in one of the old wooden rental apartment houses, the list of work differs from that in a panel building. In a wooden house, the floor may be a plank deck on a wooden floor slab, and before a new covering you need to see whether the boards can be restored or sheet material is needed on top. For wet rooms in a wooden house, the base under the tiles and the waterproofing are chosen according to what is seen under the old floor.

The floor slabs between apartments and the external walls are common property in a wooden house too, so work that affects them needs the consent of the apartment owners' association. See wooden house renovation and restoring wooden floors in Bolderāja.

Loggia and riser: the common-property part

In an appendix to Riga's territory use regulations there are standard loggia glazing solutions for 103, 104, 119, 464, 467 and 602 series buildings, and when they are used, a building design is not needed. The external structures of loggias are common property, so joining a loggia to a room affects common property and requires the association's consent; first consult the building board and the manager. See loggia renovation in Bolderāja.

The riser is also common property, so replacing a section of it in an apartment affects common property and the association's consent is needed; turn to the building manager. See riser replacement.

What a renovation of an apartment in Bolderāja costs

Full renovation: from €280/m² of apartment area. Bathroom renovation (the whole job): from €3,000. Replacing a riser section in an apartment: from €100 per riser. A loggia renovation is by estimate. Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate.

Example: a 1-room apartment of 33 m², full renovation: 33 × €280 = from €9,240 (labour). A 2-room apartment of 50 m² in a full renovation: 50 × €280 = from €14,000 (labour). If in the bathroom unit only the tiles and shower are changed: tiling 18 m² × €24 = from €432, waterproofing 5 m² × €6 = from €30 and installing a shower drain from €100, in total from €562 (these three jobs only). The total depends on the condition of the walls and floors, whether the risers and radiators are changed, and the finish chosen. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.