Apartment and house renovation in Dārziņi - for detached houses and houses on former garden plots

Detached houses and family garden plots: which building is being renovated

The Riga neighbourhoods portal (apkaimes.lv) writes that wide-ranging changes took place in Dārziņi in the 1960s, when enterprises allocated garden-plot areas to their employees. Today the environment of the neighbourhood is mostly formed by detached houses and family garden plots. This means that one street can have both a full residential house and a small garden cottage originally built for summer.

For a renovation, this is the key difference. In a house where people already live all year round, the work can be renovating the bathroom, kitchen and rooms. In a building built for the season, before the finish you must decide whether it will be lived in during winter too, because the floor structure, insulation and electrical capacity depend on it. In low-rise buildings with several apartments you must also take into account which parts are shared by all the owners.

Buildings built in the 1960s are now older than 50 years. If the renovation turns into a construction intention, the Riga municipality's City Development Department can determine the cultural and historical value and the permitted actions for such a building that is not state-protected. For interior work, such as painting walls or replacing the floor covering, no construction documents are needed.

Maskavas iela and what to write about the house

The main access to Dārziņi is along Maskavas iela and the local street network. In the first request, describe the house as fully as possible, so that the scope of work can be understood.

• type of house: detached house, garden house or low-rise building with several apartments;
• approximate year of construction and whether the house is lived in during winter;
• area in m², number of floors and which rooms you will renovate;
• type of heating and whether you plan underfloor heating;
• whether the wiring has been replaced and when it was last inspected;
• the condition of the rooms, the floor and the electrical distribution board.

Also add a note on where materials can be placed near the house, because in a garden area the gates and paths can be narrow. If you will keep living in the house during the renovation, write which rooms must stay usable.

A garden house to live in all year round

Houses on former garden plots were originally not meant for winter. If such a house is reconstructed for permanent living, the order of work can be planned like this: first the roof, walls and windows, then the wiring and water, after that the floors, and the finish only at the end. Interior finishing before insulation and utilities would mean opening it up again later. If a seasonal house has no bathroom yet, it is built from scratch: then first you must decide where the water supply and sewerage will be, and only after that the waterproofing and tiles. The manufacturer Ceresit recommends at least two coats for CL 51 waterproofing.

It also matters which work is still interior work. If the volume of the building changes, for example a room is added or the roof is raised, that is reconstruction, and then construction intention documents are needed. In Dārziņi they are considered by the City Development Department (formerly the Riga City Building Board). If you do not know which document is needed, write the construction intention in the request. See summer house renovation in Dārziņi and private house renovation.

An old house and its electrical wiring

The LV portāls explains that in many homes the electrical wiring was built in the Soviet period and the wires are 30–50 years old. In garden-plot houses built in the 1960s or later, before the finish it is worth checking how much load the wires will take if the house becomes a permanent home with electric heating or underfloor heating.

The Fire Safety Regulations currently in force provide for an inspection of the electrical wiring once every 10 years, with an inspection report. From 01.07.2025, when electrical wiring in an existing building is reconstructed, it must be fitted with residual current protection. The wiring is installed under the supervision of a construction specialist, and the measurements are done by an electrical specialist with a certificate. See electrical wiring replacement in Dārziņi and old electrical wires.

Floor and underfloor heating in a house with a ground-bearing floor

In a detached house the floor can be changed after the insulation and utilities. Under tiles, for a cement screed the manufacturer Ceresit requires an age of at least 28 days and moisture below 4%, so the screed is poured early and the finish is left for the end. In a house built on the ground, the floor structure can be timber beams, a concrete slab or something else, and whether a levelling layer can be poured or a new base is needed depends on that. A description of the old covering helps to understand this even before a visit. If you choose underfloor heating in a bathroom or kitchen, the electric floor heating is connected by a qualified electrician.

If the old floor is uneven, it is levelled with a self-levelling compound or a new screed. See underfloor heating in Dārziņi, floor screed and bathroom renovation.

Prices for house renovation in Dārziņi

• Underfloor heating installation: from €16/m²
• Floor levelling, pour or screed: from €6.50/m²
• Socket, switch or light point: from €12 per point
• Bathroom renovation (all the work): from €3,000

Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Example: underfloor heating in a 6 m² bathroom: 6 × €16 = from €96, and 15 new electrical points: 15 × €12 = from €180. For reconstructing a garden house for living the price is by estimate, because it is determined by the area, the number of rooms, the condition of the walls and floors, and whether the wiring and pipes are changed. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the house. All prices: renovation prices.