Renovation and finishing in Brekši - for new projects and detached houses

Juglasciems on 77 ha and detached-house areas

The neighbourhoods portal writes that in Brekši, on the site of former settling fields, a suburban village with various kinds of homes, Juglasciems, is being built on 77 ha. The rest of the neighbourhood consists of residential development areas with greenery and detached-house development areas, gardens and sparsely built-up places.

In a new home, a renovation is completing the finishing, not demolishing the old. The most important thing is to know what has already been done: whether there is screed, plaster, internal partitions, wiring up to the points, and water and sewage outlets. This can be found in the handover documents or the sales contract, so in the request state what has already been done. In an older detached house, on the other hand, the work may be renovating interiors, fitting out a bathroom and kitchen, and rebuilding the living area.

In Riga, for buildings older than 50 years that are not state-protected, when it examines a construction intent the City Development Department may determine the cultural and historical value and the permitted action. This does not apply to new houses, but it does to older detached houses if a reconstruction is planned.

Biķernieku iela and what to write in the request

Brekši is reached along Biķernieku iela and local roads, but the choice of public transport is more limited. In a new village, street names and numbers may be new, so an exact address or a landmark is useful in the request.

• a new apartment, terraced house or detached house; the year of handover
• the finish level: grey, white or an old home for renovation
• the area in m², the number of floors and the number of rooms
• when the screed was poured and the walls plastered, if you know
• whether you will choose the materials yourself
• the condition of all rooms and what is written in the handover documents

Grey or white finish: where a renovation begins

What is included in a grey or white finish is determined by the developer, and it differs for each project. So before an estimate, compare the handover documents with what can be seen in the rooms: whether there is screed, plaster, partitions, wiring up to the points and plumbing outlets, and what finishes have already been applied.

The order of work in a grey finish: moisture and flatness of the base, floor levelling where needed, bathroom waterproofing and tiles, skimming and painting the walls, flooring, doors and plumbing installation. A turnkey renovation is chosen when you want all the work in one order. See new-build apartment fit-out in Brekši, grey or white finish and turnkey renovation.

Floors in a new house: moisture and flatness

The screed of a new build may be flat but is not always ready for a covering. The manufacturer Ceresit states that under parquet, laminate and resilient coverings the moisture of a cement base may be up to 2.0% without heating and up to 1.8% with underfloor heating. If levelling is needed, Ceresit CN 76 self-levelling compound is poured in a layer of 4–50 mm; it can be walked on after 3 hours and tiled after 3 days.

The base's movement joints are repeated in the levelling compound, and in large rooms they are formed every 36 m² and at room thresholds. Before levelling, the base is primed; Ceresit CT 17 primer dries in about 2 hours. See floor levelling in Brekši, floor screed and drying times.

A bathroom in a new home

In a new home the bathroom may have only the outlets, and it is built up from the base. Before tiling, the wet zones are waterproofed: the manufacturer of Ceresit CL 51 intends it for waterproofing walls and floors in bathrooms, showers and kitchens, also on heated floors, and it is worked with from +5 to +30 °C. The base must be dry and stable.

For tiling, the manufacturer of Ceresit CM 17 requires that tiles are not soaked in water and that the adhesive covers at least 65% of the underside of the tile. If you want a shower with a drain and no shower tray, this is decided before floor levelling, because the slope is formed in the base. See bathroom renovation in Brekši and shower with a floor drain.

A detached house outside the new village

In an older detached house in Brekši, the work is different: you have to see the condition of the pipes, wiring and floor base, and whether the house will be extended. A detached house has no common-property risers and no association consent is needed, but if the volume of the house or its load-bearing structures change, it is a reconstruction. Approval of reconstruction in Brekši takes place at the Riga municipality's City Development Department (Pilsētas attīstības departaments; until 1 September 2021 the Riga City Building Board), and the documents are submitted in the BIS. See private house renovation and summer house renovation.

Prices for new homes and houses in Brekši

Turnkey renovation: from €600/m². Floor levelling, pouring or screed: from €6.50/m². Laying laminate: from €6.50/m². Tiling: from €24/m². Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate.

Example: a 45 m² apartment turnkey is 45 × €600 = from €27,000 (labour). If you only need to level 40 m² of floor, that is 40 × €6.50 = from €260, and laminate in an 18 m² room is 18 × €6.50 = from €117. The thickness of the levelling compound changes the price. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.