Apartment renovation in Ziepniekkalns - for micro-district series buildings and old Ziepniekkalns houses

Old Ziepniekkalns and the 1980s micro-district

The neighbourhood has “old” Ziepniekkalns and the Ziepniekkalns micro-district. The old part is dominated by one and two-storey single-family houses, while in the 1980s the planned development of the micro-district began, and the micro-district has 119, 104 and 602 series buildings. At the edges there are warehouses, production and retail sites.

In Soviet-era panel and large-panel buildings the typical work is renovating old electrical wiring, the bathroom and the kitchen, and replanning that takes into account the load-bearing walls and the shared risers. 119 series buildings were built from the early 1980s to about the mid-1990s, usually 9 storeys high, of reinforced concrete panels. Public sources write that in most 119 series apartments only the outer walls are load-bearing, but check this in your building's design.

In the 104 series the outer walls are aerated concrete panels and the interior load-bearing walls are reinforced concrete panels, and the buildings are 9, 12 or 16 storeys high. Public sources write that in the 602 series usually all the interior walls are load-bearing. So whether a wall in your apartment is load-bearing is decided by the building's design, not by the series. More: 119 series apartment renovation, 104 series apartment renovation and 602 series apartment renovation.

Vienības gatve, Ziepniekkalna iela and the request

Ziepniekkalns is reached along Vienības gatve, Ziepniekkalna iela and the connections of Dienvidu tilts. Large inner courtyards and busy arterial roads affect access, so in the request write the building's entrance and a place where you can stop by it.

• the series (119, 104, 602) or, in the old part, the year of the house and the number of storeys
• the floor and whether there is a lift
• the area in m² and the number of rooms
• whether the bathroom and toilet are together or separate
• whether you will change the risers, radiators or electrical wiring

A loggia in a 119, 104 or 602 series building

The appendix to Riga's Territorial Use Regulations contains standard loggia glazing solutions for buildings of the 103, 104, 119, 464, 467 and 602 series. If the glazing matches this sketch, a building design is not needed. This applies to all three series of the Ziepniekkalns micro-district.

The outer structures of the loggia are common property. So joining a loggia to a room affects common property and requires the consent of the apartment owners' association; before that, consult the building board and the building manager. The interior finishing of a loggia, the floor covering and painting the walls are ordinary renovation work. See loggia renovation in Ziepniekkalns.

A bathroom in the 104 and 119 series

In the 104 series a one-room apartment has a combined bathroom, and a two-room apartment has a separate bathroom and toilet. In the 119 series the bathroom plan differs by apartment: a one-room apartment may have a combined bathroom, and a three-room apartment a bathroom with two toilets. So check this in your own apartment and write the dimensions in the form.

A bathroom renovation includes demolition, waterproofing, tiling and the installation of plumbing fixtures. A riser is common property, so if it is changed, the work is agreed with the building manager, and when covering a riser with a box, leave a hatch for access. For the 119 series, sources also name ventilation shafts as a typical issue: bathrooms are ventilated through a natural exhaust duct, so do not cover it over. See a bathroom in a 119 series building and riser replacement in Ziepniekkalns.

A kitchen: 6–7 m² or 8–9 m²

In the 119 series the kitchen is 6 m² in one-room and 7 m² in two-room and three-room apartments, and square, while in the 104 series it is 8 m² in a one-room, 9 m² in a two-room and 8 m² in a three-room apartment. In a small kitchen every cabinet and socket must be planned in advance: where the cooker, sink and fridge will be, and where extra electrical points are needed. The kitchen splashback between cabinets can be tiled, and it is tiled according to the layout of the cabinets.

If you want to combine the kitchen with a room, the answer depends on the series: in the 602 series public sources write that the interior walls are usually load-bearing, so combining would mean an opening in a load-bearing wall with an explanatory memorandum and the consent of more than half of the owners. See kitchen renovation in Ziepniekkalns and kitchen splashback tiling.

Electrical wiring in a panel apartment

For the 119 series, sources name electrical risers as a typical issue. The riser in the stairwell is common-property electricity supply, provided as part of the management of the building, while the user is responsible for their own installation in the apartment. If the wires in the apartment are changed completely, since 01.07.2025 the reconstructed installation is fitted with residual current protection. See electrical wiring replacement in Ziepniekkalns.

A family house in old Ziepniekkalns

A one or two-storey single-family house has no common-property risers and no building manager, and decisions about pipes, heating and wires are up to the owners. If the volume of the building or load-bearing structures change, approval of reconstruction in Ziepniekkalns takes place at the Riga municipality's City Development Department (formerly the Riga City Building Board), and the documents are submitted in the BIS. For interior work that does not involve renovation, reconstruction or demolition (painting, wallpaper, floor covering), documents are not needed. See private house interior work.

Prices in Ziepniekkalns

• Full renovation: from €280/m² of apartment area
• Bathroom renovation (all the work): from €3,000
• Removing old tiles: from €9/m²
• Tiling: from €24/m²

Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Example for a bathroom: removing old tiles 20 m² × €9 = €180 and tiling 20 m² × €24 = €480, in total from €660 (only these two jobs; the whole bathroom renovation from €3,000). Large-format tiles and patterns cost more. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.