Apartment renovation in Dzirciems - for low-rise wooden houses and 464 and 104 series buildings

Low-rise wooden and masonry buildings next to the panel estate

A Riga neighbourhood portal writes that Dzirciems has low-rise wooden and masonry buildings, but the biggest changes in the area took place in the 1980s. The largest residential estate is in the west of the neighbourhood between the Bolderāja railway line and Dzirciema iela. Wikipedia mentions 464 and 104 series buildings in Dzirciems.

The 464 series is a five-storey building of grey reinforced concrete panels with gypsum concrete partition walls and small kitchens. According to nopo.lv, its typical weak points are waterproofing, worn risers and electrical wiring, and the panel walls are hard to replan. The 104 series is taller, with 9, 12 or 16 floors; its external walls are aerated concrete panels, and the internal load-bearing walls are reinforced concrete. A Ministry of Economics study found no series-wide defects in this series, but mentioned individual shortcomings in the joints and balcony fixings.

If your apartment is in a low-rise wooden or masonry building, check the year it was built. In Riga, for buildings older than 50 years that are not state-protected, the City Development Department can determine the cultural and historical value and the permitted actions when it considers a proposal, so changes to the facade or windows there are planned with that in mind.

Dzirciema iela, Jūrmalas gatve and what to put in the request

Dzirciems is linked to the centre and the western neighbourhoods by Dzirciema iela and Jūrmalas gatve. The neighbourhood has large education and medical areas, where access must be assessed for the particular address, so write from which street the entrance is and where materials can be unloaded. If you are renovating only one room, for example the bathroom, its dimensions and a short description of its condition are enough.

• type of building: wooden house, low-rise masonry building, 464 or 104 series;
• the floor and whether there is a lift (in tall 104 series buildings it matters for long sheets);
• the area in m² and which rooms you will renovate;
• in a wooden house: the type of floor and whether the stove is still there;
• whether you will renovate a loggia or a balcony;
• the condition of each room, including the floor and the distribution board.

Wooden house: floor, walls and wiring

In a low-rise wooden building, what matters in renovation is what is under the finish: the timber floors and floor structure, the wall lining and the old wiring. If the floorboards are sound, they can be restored rather than laying a new covering on top; if there is parquet under the linoleum, it can be sanded and varnished. The LV portāls explains that in many homes the electrical wiring was built in the Soviet period and the wires are 30–50 years old, and the Fire Safety Regulations currently in force provide for an inspection of it once every 10 years.

An example of a Riga wooden apartment building on Kuldīgas iela shows how such a building is restored as a whole: new windows and doors, new facade boarding, repaired water supply and sewerage, while the decorative elements are kept. In an apartment renovation this means that window and facade work is a common property question. See wooden house apartment renovation and timber floor restoration in Dzirciems.

Loggia and balcony in the 464 and 104 series

The external structures of balconies and loggias are the common property of the apartment owners. The annex to Riga's Territory Use Regulations has standard loggia glazing solutions also for 104 and 464 series buildings; if you use them, no building design is needed. Consult the building manager before the work.

Joining a loggia to a room affects common property, so the consent of the owners' association is needed, and the other requirements must be found out from the building board. The interior finish of a loggia, its floor and lighting are ordinary renovation that can be done at the same time as the room. If you want a socket or a light on the loggia, it is included in the wiring plan, because if the installation is reconstructed, it must be fitted with residual current protection.

In the request, write the size of the loggia, whether it is already glazed, whether the floor is level and what the inside of the loggia is like. If the balcony fixing shortcomings mentioned in the Ministry of Economics study are visible in your building, that is a question for the building manager, not for the apartment renovation. See loggia renovation in Dzirciems and balcony renovation.

A small kitchen and a room as one space

In the small kitchen of the 464 series you may think of combining it with a room. First check whether the wall between them is a gypsum concrete partition or a load-bearing panel. According to the Riga municipality's explanation, to demolish a non-load-bearing wall an architect prepares a plan and a construction notice is submitted in the BIS, while an opening in a load-bearing wall needs an architect, a structural engineer, an explanatory memorandum and the consent of more than half of the apartment owners.

Approval of reconstruction in Dzirciems is handled by the City Development Department of the Riga municipality (formerly the Riga City Building Board). If there is a gas hob in the kitchen, it may be replaced or moved within the same room, in agreement with the gas supplier. For an appliance with a flue, even in the same room, the supplier's permission and a report on the condition of the flues and ventilation ducts are needed; moving it to another room needs the supplier's technical conditions, a report and a building design. The solution for moving gas pipes is prepared or approved by a specialist with the appropriate certificate. See kitchen combined with a room in Dzirciems and 464 series apartment renovation.

What renovation costs in Dzirciems

• Cosmetic renovation: from €100/m² of apartment area
• Parquet sanding and varnishing: from €23/m²
• Electrical wiring replacement in an apartment: from €20/m² of apartment area
• Plasterboard partition wall: from €12/m²

Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Example: parquet in a 20 m² room, sanding and varnishing: 20 × €23 = from €460. Electrical wiring replacement in a 40 m² apartment: 40 × €20 = from €800, sockets and switches separately. For loggia renovation the price is by estimate, and it is determined by the area, the condition of the walls and floor and the chosen finish. If you put a new plasterboard wall between the kitchen and a room, 3 m × 2.6 m: 7.8 m² × €12 = from €93.60. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment. All prices: renovation prices.