Renovation and finishing in Sigulda - for apartments, detached houses and guest houses

Detached houses, apartment buildings and tourism sites in the Gauja ancient valley

Sigulda is a town in the Gauja ancient valley with detached-house development, apartment buildings, and tourism, sports, hospitality and public sites. In mixed development the renovation needs vary: from renovating an apartment in an apartment building to the interior finishing of a private house or a new build.

The apartment buildings in Sigulda were built in different years. With Altum support, the buildings at Lakstīgalas iela 3, built in 1960, as well as Pulkveža Brieža iela 24 and Institūta iela 10, both built in 1979, have been renovated; after renovation they have reached energy class B. For the building at Stacijas iela 28, with 42 apartments, a simplified renovation was completed in 2013 with an energy efficiency service contract.

Renovating the building is a job for the whole building, decided by the apartment owners' association, while the bathroom, kitchen and the apartment's pipes and wiring up to the risers remain the owner's own renovation. If the building was built in 1960 and the wires in the apartment have not been changed, find out before finishing whether the electrical wiring has an inspection report.

In an apartment in an apartment building, the limits of the renovation are set by common property. The apartment owns the non-load-bearing partitions, the finish of walls, ceilings and floors, the doors and the utilities up to the risers; external walls, load-bearing walls, risers and the external structures of balconies are common property. In a detached house the owner decides these matters, but changing structures or extending needs documents. See cosmetic renovation in Sigulda, full renovation and private house renovation.

If you plan the renovation in a detached house, list what has to be done on each floor: bathroom, kitchen, rooms, stairs, attic. For an apartment in an apartment building, different information is useful: whether the risers in the building have been changed, whether the electrical wiring has an inspection report and whether you plan to move walls. The Fire Safety Regulations currently in force provide for an inspection of the electrical wiring every 10 years. Sigulda Municipality regulations No. 20 on energy efficiency co-funding apply to rural areas and villages and to buildings put into service up to 1993.

The A2, the railway and the valley terrain: what to put in the form

The A2 and the railway link Sigulda with Riga and the towns of Vidzeme. The terrain of the Gauja ancient valley, the bridges and event traffic can affect local roads, and on slopes access to a house can be different from that on level ground. So write the exact address and where a vehicle can stop by the house.

• apartment, detached house, guest house or cafe;
• floor, lift and approximate year of the building;
• area in m² and the rooms to be renovated;
• whether you will change risers, wires or walls;
• for business premises: when they can be closed;
• a short description of the condition of the rooms; you can send photos or a plan to the specialist when they contact you.

For interior work that does not include renovation, reconstruction or demolition (painting, wallpaper, floor covering), no documents are needed.

A guest house or cafe between seasons

A renovation in a guest house or cafe differs from an apartment renovation in that the business's working hours have to be taken into account. In a cafe, moisture-resistant, easy-to-clean surfaces matter, for example tiles in the kitchen area, and floors that withstand heavy use.

The price for business premises is by estimate. In the request, write the area of the premises, which rooms have to be finished first and when the premises will be free. See cafe renovation in Sigulda, office renovation and renovation for businesses.

A balcony or loggia in an apartment building

The external enclosing structures of balconies and loggias are common property, so joining a loggia to a room affects common property and requires the consent of the apartment owners' association. Ask the building manager what you may do inside the loggia. For glazing a loggia, no documents are needed if a facade glazing sketch or passport has been approved by the building board, or the work matches the municipality's model sketch.

Approval of reconstruction in Sigulda is handled by the Sigulda Municipality building board, and the documents are submitted in BIS. If you want to change a balcony or loggia substantially, first consult the building board and the building manager. See balcony renovation in Sigulda and loggia renovation.

A historic villa: windows and doors

Sigulda also has historic villas. The residential building “Villa Karmena” on Šveices iela is an architectural monument of regional significance, and its energy efficiency is improved without changing the historic windows and doors, after consultation with the heritage board. If your apartment or house is in a cultural monument, before work on windows, doors or the facade find out from the National Heritage Board what you may change. In buildings of the second and third group that are not monuments, no documents are needed to replace windows if the existing window division, proportions and frame colour are kept. See does a renovation need a permit.

Noise and house rules in an apartment building in Sigulda

Demolition, drilling and chasing walls are noisy work. For disturbing a person's peace, a natural person can be given a warning or a fine of up to 100 fine units, that is, up to €500. The apartment owners' association can set house rules, and owners must follow them, so before the work ask the building manager whether the building has set renovation hours. It is worth telling the neighbours which jobs will be noisy. Read renovation working hours.

Prices in Sigulda

• Cosmetic renovation: from €100/m² of apartment area
• Bathroom renovation (the whole job): from €3,000
• Tiling: from €24/m²
• Vinyl flooring installation: from €10/m²

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). A vinyl floor in an 18 m² room: 18 × €10 = from €180. The price changes with the area and the number of rooms, the condition of the walls and floors, replacing pipes and wiring and the chosen finish. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment. Other work: bathroom renovation in Sigulda and kitchen renovation in Sigulda.