Window opening finishing and windowsills

The window belongs to the building, the opening on the inside is renovation work

The Law on Residential Properties (Dzīvokļa īpašuma likums) counts windows in external structures as common property of the building. The owner may restore or replace them at their own expense, in agreement with the building manager, and the apartment owners' association can decide that its consent is also needed.

The Building Construction Regulations (Ēku būvnoteikumi) provide that in second and third group buildings no documents are needed to restore or replace windows if the existing window division, proportions and frame colour are kept. If the building is a cultural monument or in a protection zone, find out the requirements from the building board. This page is about work on the room side after window replacement: the opening around the window and the windowsill.

Window opening finishing: how it is done

After windows are replaced, the reveals can be damaged and uneven, because the old plaster around the frame has been disturbed. The reveals can be plastered, skimmed and painted in the same way as a wall, or covered with panels. If the reveals have to be plastered, the work can be compared with wall plastering.

1. Preparation The old windowsill and loose plaster in the reveals are removed.
2. Windowsill The windowsill is set in place, levelled and fixed before the reveals are finished.
3. Levelling The reveals are plastered and skimmed, forming straight corners.
4. Priming Tikkurila states that rough, absorbent and skimmed surfaces must be primed before painting.
5. Painting Painted in two coats. For Tikkurila Euro Smart 2, the manufacturer allows the second coat after 2 hours (+20 °C, 65% humidity).

Windowsill installation: PVC, wood or stone

The sill material affects both the look and the price. The width of the sill is chosen according to the depth of the opening and how far it should project into the room.

There is often a radiator under the window. Radiators in an apartment are common property if their operation depends on the building's heating, so moving them needs the consent of the apartment owners' association, and switching off the heating is agreed with the building manager. If a radiator has to be replaced, see radiator replacement.

What to write in your request

• How many windows there are and the opening dimensions: width, height and depth.
• Whether the windows have already been replaced or are only going to be.
• Which sill you want: PVC, wood or stone, and whether you will buy it yourself.
• Whether you will paint all the walls afterwards; write this in your request.
• What condition the openings are in from the room side.

Price of window opening finishing

Windowsill installation and window opening finishing: price by estimate. It depends on the number and depth of the openings, the material (PVC, wood, stone) and whether the plaster around the window has to be restored. Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate.

The nearest published prices for work on reveals: wall plastering from €8/m², wall or ceiling skimming from €10/m², wall or ceiling painting from €4/m². An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment. All prices are on the page renovation prices.

What is in the price