Apartment renovation in Brasa - for pre-war masonry buildings in the historic centre

Part of the historic centre: what is protected, what is yours

Brasa is part of Riga's historic centre. Mixed and residential development areas, typical of the centre, dominate at about 43%. The regulations on preserving the historic centre provide that in unique, very valuable and valuable buildings the original historic windows and doors must be kept. So, when planning to replace windows, first find out the building's value category.

Inside the apartment, the rules are different. The interior finish, doors inside the apartment, non-load-bearing partitions and lines up to the risers are the owner's part. For finishing work only (painting, wallpaper, flooring), no construction documents are needed. Windows and doors in external structures, load-bearing walls and floor slabs are common property. If the building is a cultural monument, the solution is agreed with the National Heritage Board or the cultural heritage unit of the City Development Department.

In pre-war masonry buildings the floor slabs are mostly wooden, ceilings are high and windows are non-standard in size. See pre-war building renovation.

Brīvības iela, Senču iela and zone C

Brasa is easy to reach along Brīvības iela and Senču iela, by tram and train. Brasa is in Riga's paid parking zone (zone C), so in the request write whether a vehicle can enter the yard. If the building is by the railway or an intensive street, mention it: then the renovation can also include a discussion of the finish of window reveals and soundproofing in the bedroom.

• the address, the floor and whether the building has a lift
• the apartment area in m² and the approximate ceiling height
• whether the ceilings have cornices or rosettes that you want to keep
• what the doors and floors are like: original or replaced
• whether you plan to combine the kitchen with a room
• a short description of the condition of the rooms; you can send photos or a plan to the specialist when they contact you

If the apartment has old stoves, write whether you will keep them as decoration or plan to remove them.

Ceilings, doors and floors: what to keep, what to restore

For high ceilings with cornices and rosettes, a plasterboard ceiling is not always needed: they are cleaned, cracks are repaired, and they are skimmed and painted. If the ceiling is on the underside of a wooden floor slab, cracks may recur, so before finishing you need to know the condition of the base. Old panelled doors can be restored: the layers of paint are removed, and they are repaired and repainted. If there is parquet under the covering, it is sanded and varnished.

Before painting, rough and absorbent surfaces of walls must be primed, and paint reaches its final hardness in about a month, according to the Tikkurila data sheet. See wall skimming in Brasa, parquet sanding and installing interior doors.

A kitchen combined with a room in a pre-war apartment

In a large pre-war apartment, you may want to combine the kitchen with the neighbouring room. According to the Riga municipality's explanation, for demolishing a non-load-bearing wall a certified architect prepares a plan, and a construction notice is submitted in the BIS as a simplified renovation. A new opening in a load-bearing wall needs an architect and a structural engineer, an explanatory memorandum and, if the building is divided into apartment properties, the consent of more than half of the apartment owners. After the work, the owners update the cadastral survey file.

Approval of reconstruction in Brasa takes place at the Riga municipality's City Development Department (Pilsētas attīstības departaments; until 1 September 2021 the Riga City Building Board). If the kitchen has a gas cooker, it may be replaced or moved within one room in agreement with the gas supplier. An appliance with a flue needs the supplier's permission and a certificate on the condition of the flues and ventilation ducts even in the same room. Moving to another room needs the supplier's technical conditions, the certificate and a building design. The solution for moving gas pipelines is prepared or approved by a certified person. Gas work is not part of the renovation estimate. See kitchen with a room in Brasa and load-bearing wall.

Ventilation and a cooker hood in an old building

When a kitchen is combined with a room, ventilation becomes important. In residential buildings, kitchens, toilets and bathrooms are ventilated through natural exhaust ducts. Under the Fire Safety Regulations currently in force, natural ventilation ducts are cleaned and inspected at least once every five years in rooms with gas appliances and at least once every 10 years in other rooms.

In an apartment building, it is prohibited to connect a mechanical ventilation appliance to a natural ventilation duct if the room has a gas cooker and no constant air exchange. A cooker hood with a fan may be such an appliance, so in a kitchen with a gas cooker you can choose a recirculating hood or another solution. In the request, write whether the kitchen has gas. See kitchen renovation in Brasa.

New wiring in tall rooms

In a pre-war apartment, the wiring may date from several generations: part from Soviet times, part replaced later. The Fire Safety Regulations currently in force provide for an inspection of the installation every 10 years. When the electrical wiring is rebuilt, residual current protection (RCD) of no more than 30 mA is installed for socket circuits up to 32 A and for lighting circuits. With high ceilings, the positions of light points and the wiring route are planned before the ceiling finishing, so that they do not have to be opened again. See rewiring in Brasa.

Prices for apartments in Brasa

Full renovation: from €280/m² of apartment area. Rewiring in an apartment: from €20/m² of apartment area. Skimming walls or ceilings: from €10/m². Installing interior doors: from €100 per door. Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate.

Example: a 60 m² pre-war apartment in a full renovation: 60 × €280 = from €16,800 (labour). Because of the high ceilings, there are more m² of wall and ceiling work than in a series apartment of the same area. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.