Apartment renovation in Čiekurkalns - for wooden workers' houses and post-war panel buildings

A suburb of carters, with post-war panel buildings alongside

Čiekurkalns developed as a suburb of workers and carters in small wooden houses. Around 1899 there were about 150 low-rise buildings here, and by 1913 already 802 residential buildings, mainly wooden. Today wooden workers' houses, post-war panel buildings and industrial buildings stand side by side, and the neighbourhood has 119 and 104 series buildings.

In the old wooden and masonry buildings the work can be restoring floors, walls and electrical wiring, because the buildings are old, with timber floors. In panel buildings the list of work is different: bathroom, kitchen, wiring and riser. Which walls can be moved is determined by the series: in the 104 series the internal walls are load-bearing, in the 119 series mostly the external walls are load-bearing. So the first question in the request is the building type.

Brīvības gatve, Gustava Zemgala gatve and what to put in the request

Čiekurkalns is linked to the city by Brīvības gatve, Gustava Zemgala gatve and railway lines. If the building is on a side street or deep in a courtyard, write how to reach it and where materials can be placed.

• building type: wooden house, masonry building, 119 or 104 series
• floor and lift
• apartment area in m² and number of rooms
• combined or separate bathroom and toilet
• whether the riser, wiring or radiators will be changed
• a short description of the condition of the rooms; you can send photos or a plan to the specialist when they contact you

Wooden workers' house: floor, walls, wiring

In a wooden workers' house there can be a plank floor on a timber floor structure under the old coverings. Before the new finish, the old layers are removed and what is under them is examined: the planks can be restored and varnished or levelled with boards. If the walls are covered with several layers of wallpaper or plywood, the base for the finish must be prepared anew. If the apartment has an old stove, write whether you will keep it.

If the wiring in a wooden house is old, it can be replaced together with the wall finish; its condition is shown by an electrical wiring inspection. When an electrical installation is reconstructed, since 01.07.2025 it needs residual current protection, and the installation is carried out under the supervision of a certified construction specialist. See wooden house renovation in Čiekurkalns, timber floor restoration and electrical wiring replacement.

119 series: small kitchens and load-bearing external walls

The 119 series was built from the early eighties to about the mid-nineties, usually with 9 floors, from reinforced concrete panels. The kitchen is 6 m² in one-room and 7 m² in two- and three-room apartments, and square. According to the nopo.lv survey of building series, in most apartments only the external walls are load-bearing, and the typical issues are electrical risers and ventilation shafts. A Ministry of Economics study found no typical defects in 104 and 119 series buildings.

In a small kitchen you may want to demolish the partition to the room. According to the Riga municipality's explanation, demolishing a non-load-bearing wall needs a plan by a certified architect and a notice in the BIS; approval of reconstruction in Čiekurkalns is handled by the City Development Department of the Riga municipality (formerly the Riga City Building Board). Which wall is load-bearing in your apartment is checked against the building's design. See 119 series apartment renovation and kitchen combined with a room.

104 series: bathroom by number of rooms

Buildings of the 104 series have 9, 12 or 16 floors, external walls of aerated concrete panels and internal load-bearing walls of reinforced concrete panels. In a one-room apartment the bathroom and toilet are combined, in a two-room apartment separate, and the kitchen is 8 to 9 m². Because the internal walls are load-bearing, an opening in them needs an architect, a structural engineer, an explanatory memorandum and the consent of more than half of the apartment owners.

In a combined bathroom the choice is between a bath and a shower with a floor drain. The washing machine needs space and a connection, and an access hatch is left by the riser. See 104 series apartment renovation and bathroom renovation in Čiekurkalns.

Loggia in a 104 and 119 series building

The annex to Riga's Territory Use Regulations has standard loggia glazing solutions also for 104 and 119 series buildings, and when they are used, no building design is needed. The external structures of a loggia are common property, so joining a loggia to a room affects common property, and you must first consult the building board and the building manager. For the interior finishing of a loggia, for example the floor and painting the walls, the price is by estimate. See loggia renovation in Čiekurkalns.

Risers in a multi-storey building

The riser is the common property of the apartment owners, and the building manager who has been assigned its maintenance is responsible for the work. If a section of the riser is changed in a bathroom renovation, it is agreed with the building manager, because the riser is common property. Management costs are usually covered in proportion to the share of the common property. See riser replacement in Čiekurkalns and who pays for risers.

Prices for apartments in Čiekurkalns

Full renovation: from €280/m² of apartment area. Cosmetic renovation: from €100/m² of apartment area. Bathroom renovation (all the work): from €3,000. Replacing a section of a riser in an apartment: from €100 per riser. Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate.

Example: a 2-room apartment of 50 m², cosmetic renovation: 50 × €100 = from €5,000 (labour); full renovation: 50 × €280 = from €14,000 (labour). In a wooden house the total is changed most by the condition of the floors and walls. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.