Apartment renovation in Mežciems - for Lithuanian project and 602 series buildings

Two micro-districts, three building types: what this means for a renovation

The neighbourhood history page writes that the multi-storey district of Mežciems was built from 1975 to 1986 and consists of two micro-districts. The development is made up of 5-storey Lithuanian project buildings and 9 and 16-storey large-panel buildings of the 602 and 104 series. If the electrical wiring, pipes and the bathroom and toilet in your building have not been changed, they can be as old as the building itself.

Each type has its own structure. In the 602 series the load-bearing walls are expanded clay concrete panels, and the interior walls are usually load-bearing. In the 104 series the outer walls are aerated concrete panels, and the interior load-bearing walls are reinforced concrete. Lithuanian project buildings are typically grey concrete panels with gypsum concrete partitions. So in one stairwell what is permitted and what is impossible can differ from the building next door.

The practical conclusion: first identify the series, and only then choose whether the renovation will be cosmetic, full or with replanning. The series pages 602 series apartment renovation and 104 series apartment renovation bring together the data on these series.

Biķernieku iela and Hipokrāta iela: what to write in the form

Mežciems is by Biķernieku forest. The neighbourhood is reached along Biķernieku iela and Hipokrāta iela, and there are connections towards Jugla and Dreiliņi. The neighbourhood also has healthcare complexes and a sports track, so if the building is inside a block or next to one of them, write from which street the entrance can be reached and where you can stop briefly with materials.

• The series or year of the building (Lithuanian project, 602, 104), if you know it.
• The floor and whether the building has a lift.
• The apartment area in m² and the number of rooms.
• Which rooms to renovate and whether the bathroom is combined or separate.
• Whether you plan to change the risers or wires or move walls.
• A short description of the condition of the rooms; you can send photos or a plan to the specialist when they contact you.

A Lithuanian project apartment: gypsum concrete partitions and risers

Mežciems has 5-storey Lithuanian project buildings and 9 and 16-storey large-panel buildings of the 602 and 104 series, built from 1975 to 1986. In buildings of this period the risers and electrical wiring are already decades old, so before a renovation it is worth finding out their condition. If that is exactly what your apartment needs, the renovation can be limited to new pipes, wires and finishing, leaving the kitchen and the bathroom and toilet where they are.

Risers are the common property of the apartment owners, but the pipes from the riser to the tap belong to the apartment (Law on Residential Properties, Dzīvokļa īpašuma likums). So if in a bathroom renovation you also want to replace a section of the riser, this must be agreed with the building manager, because the riser is common property. More on this type: Lithuanian project apartment renovation and a bathroom in a Lithuanian project.

So that access to the risers remains after the renovation, it is recommended to leave a hatch in the box around them. The owner must allow the building manager's specialists access to the building's utilities, so a tightly tiled shaft can later mean new tiles.

In the 602 and 104 series: full renovation and load-bearing walls

In the tall buildings of the 602 and 104 series the renovation can stay within the existing layout: the finishing is demolished down to the structure, a new screed is laid, the wires and pipes are changed and new finishing is made. This is a full renovation. If you change pipes or walls, before the work find out from the building board (in Riga, the City Development Department) whether your work needs a construction notice.

In a full renovation of buildings from these years, checking the old wires is also useful. The Fire Safety Regulations currently in force require an inspection of the electrical wiring once every 10 years, and when electrical wiring is reconstructed, it must be fitted with residual current protection (RCD). If the apartment has no smoke detector, one can be planned during the renovation on the ceiling in the room where you sleep: in an apartment in an apartment building it is mandatory.

If you want to make an opening in a load-bearing wall, according to the Riga municipality's explanation you need an architect and a structural engineer, an explanatory memorandum as a simplified reconstruction, and the consent of more than half of the building's apartment owners. Approval of reconstruction in Mežciems takes place at the Riga municipality's City Development Department (formerly the Riga City Building Board). If approval is needed, write it in the request; for the procedure see approval of replanning.

A loggia: the standard glazing for the 602 and 104 series

The annex to Riga's Territory Use Regulations contains standard loggia glazing solutions for buildings of the 103, 104, 119, 464, 467 and 602 series. If you use such a solution, a building design is not needed. The outer structures of the loggia are nevertheless common property, so joining the loggia to a room affects the whole building and requires the association's consent. The interior finishing, floor and walls can be restored without it: see loggia renovation.

If the loggia is already glazed, the renovation can restore the floor and wall finishing and check whether there are traces of moisture by the window. If you see cracks in the loggia floor or wall, describe them in the request: the outer structures of the loggia are repaired under the common property procedure, so they are discussed with the building manager rather than handled only in the apartment estimate. For how work differs on a balcony, see balcony renovation.

Prices for an apartment in Mežciems

• Full renovation: from €280/m² of apartment area.
• Bathroom renovation (all the work): from €3,000.
• Electrical wiring replacement in an apartment: from €20/m² of apartment area.
• Replacing a riser section in an apartment: from €100 per riser.

Prices are for labour, and materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Example: a 1-room apartment of 33 m², full renovation: 33 × €280 = from €9,240 (labour). The total changes with the area, the condition of the walls and floors, whether the wires and risers are changed and which finishes are chosen. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.

Work as needed: bathroom renovation in Mežciems, electrical wiring replacement in Mežciems, riser replacement in Mežciems, kitchen renovation in Mežciems and cosmetic renovation in Mežciems.