The bathroom and toilet are usually separate, while the windows and utilities are the first things worth checking. We carry out cosmetic and full renovation in 103 series apartments in Riga and the Riga region.
What is typical of a 103 series building
103 series buildings were built from the early 1970s up to the 1990s. Mostly they are 5-storey buildings, in the city centre 7–8 storeys, while Ķengarags has 5- and 6-storey buildings. The external walls are of silicate brick or hollow clay brick, the partition walls are aerated concrete or expanded clay concrete panels, and they are published as non-load-bearing.
In Riga the 103 series is found in Ķengarags, Teika, Dārzciems, Bolderāja, Purvciems and Daugavgrīva. The kitchen in these apartments is larger than in Khrushchyovkas, but the exact size and ceiling height depend on the particular apartment.
103 series apartment layout and replanning
If the partition walls are non-load-bearing, as published for this series, in 103 series apartments you can combine the kitchen with a room, move doors or combine the bathroom with the toilet. When enlarging the bathroom, bear in mind that in an apartment building sanitary rooms are placed above similar rooms, but above the living rooms of the apartment below they are permitted if the requirements for soundproofing, waterproofing, ventilation and others are met (LBN 200-21, paragraph 136).
For the estimate, prepare the plan of your own apartment, not a typical one from the internet, and mark the changes you want on it; you can send it to the specialist when they contact you. If there is no plan, a sketch with dimensions will do.
Demolishing a partition wall: which documents are needed
Even demolishing a non-load-bearing wall is not just interior work. According to Riga municipality's explanation, when combining rooms an architect prepares a plan and a construction notice is filed in BIS as a simplified renovation. A notice is not used if the work results in a new apartment. After the work the owner updates the cadastral survey file.
Painting, wallpapering or replacing floor covering needs no construction documents. If you do not know whether your plan needs a notice, write that in the request. More: does renovation need a permit.
Cabinet Regulation No. 529, sub-paragraph 7.1, sub-paragraph 7.¹ 1 and paragraph 7.⁵; explanation by Riga municipality (Rīgas valstspilsētas pašvaldība) on LV portāls, 04.12.2025. Checked 11.11.2026.
Windows, floor slabs and heat
For the 103 series, windows, utilities and heat loss through the floor slabs are mentioned as typical issues. Windows in the external wall are common property of the building: the owner may replace them at their own expense in agreement with the building manager, and the association may decide that its consent is needed too. If the existing window division, proportions and frame colour are kept, construction documents are not needed.
After the windows are replaced, the opening finish and window sills remain, covered on the page window reveals and sills. The floor slabs together with their thermal and sound insulation are common property; in the apartment you own the floor finish, which can be renewed with levelling and a new covering.
Law on Residential Properties (Dzīvokļa īpašuma likums), Section 4(1) and Section 11(2); Cabinet Regulation No. 529, sub-paragraph 7.4.3. Checked 11.11.2026.
Order of work in a 103 series apartment
- Proposal and plan Decide whether the division of rooms will change; if so, prepare the plan and the notice.
- Demolition Partition walls are demolished, the old floor covering, tiles and finish are removed.
- Pipes and wires In a full renovation, new pipes and electrical wiring are installed up to the riser.
- Floor An uneven floor is levelled with self-levelling compound or screed.
- Window openings and walls The openings are finished, window sills are installed, the walls are plastered and skimmed.
- Finishing Tiling in the bathroom, painting, floor covering, doors.
How long the renovation takes depends on the amount of work and the drying time of the materials.
How much a 103 series apartment renovation costs
Cosmetic renovation: from €100/m² of apartment area. Full renovation: from €280/m² of apartment area. Floor levelling, pouring or screed: from €6.50/m². For window sills and window reveal finishing the price is by estimate: it is determined by the number and depth of the openings, the material and whether the plaster around the window has to be restored. Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Removal of construction waste is not part of the renovation estimate.
Example: for a 50 m² two-room apartment, cosmetic renovation is 50 × €100 = from €5,000 (work). If the wiring and pipes are replaced, it is already a full renovation: 50 × €280 = from €14,000 (work). An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment. All prices: apartment renovation prices.
What the price includes in a 103 series apartment
What this work includes
- demolition of partition walls and removal of the finish;
- pipes and electrical wiring in the apartment (in a full renovation);
- floor levelling, wall plastering and all the finishing.
What is calculated separately
- the plan, the notice and updating the cadastral file;
- windows and agreeing them with the building manager;
- window sills, tiles and other materials.
Sources
- Years of the 103 series, walls, bathroom and toilet, kitchen, typical problems checked 11 November 2026
- Storeys and districts of the 103 series in Riga checked 11 November 2026
- Combining rooms and updating the cadastral file in Riga checked 11 November 2026
- Documents for interior work, notice, window replacement checked 11 November 2026
- Windows and floor slabs are common property; window replacement with the building manager checked 11 November 2026
- Sanitary rooms above living rooms checked 11 November 2026