Apartment and house renovation in Katlakalns - for detached houses between Bukaišu iela and the Daugava

Detached houses with allotments: what changes in them

In Katlakalns, the area between Bukaišu iela and the Daugava is occupied by low-rise detached houses with allotments. The neighbourhood is in the south of Riga, by the Daugava and the Ķekava border. The rest of the development consists mainly of industrial and public buildings between Bauskas iela and Bukaišu iela and along Lejupes iela, and part of the Katlakalns land was included in Riga's administrative territory only in 1968.

A detached house has no apartment owners' association as an apartment building does, but the questions of construction documents remain. But you yourself need to know what is under the floor and in the walls: how the floor is built, where the water and sewerage run, how old the wires are. This determines whether the renovation will be cosmetic or full. A cosmetic renovation renews the walls, ceilings, floor covering and doors, while the existing wires and pipes stay; a full renovation strips back to the structure and fits new installations, screed and all finishing.

In Riga, for buildings older than 50 years that are not state-protected, the City Development Department can determine the cultural and historical value and the permitted action when it examines a construction proposal. If your house is old and the renovation changes its volume or facade, you have to take this into account. Katlakalns also has a few architectural monuments of local significance, and most of them are along Bauskas iela. If the building is a monument of local significance, the solution is agreed with the cultural heritage unit of the City Development Department. For interior work, such as painting walls, hanging wallpaper or replacing the floor covering, no construction documents are needed.

Bauskas iela, the Southern Bridge and the description in the request

Katlakalns is reached along Bauskas iela and Ziepniekkalna iela, and from the right bank of the Daugava along the Southern Bridge, built from 2004 to 2008, which links Ķengarags with Katlakalns at the junction of Bukaišu iela and Jāņa Čakstes gatve. Houses by the allotments can have a narrow access road, so write whether a vehicle can reach the house and where materials can be placed. If you will be living in the house during the renovation, mention whether there is a second toilet or shower.

• number of floors of the house and total area in m²;
• approximate year of construction and wall material (wood, brick, blocks);
• which rooms you will renovate and whether a new bathroom has to be fitted;
• type of floor: wooden beams, concrete slab or other;
• whether you plan to convert the attic or mansard for living;
• type of heating and water connection;
• a short description of the condition of the rooms; you can send photos or a plan to the specialist when they contact you.

A new bathroom in a private house

If a bathroom is fitted from scratch in the house or moved to another room, the order of work is as follows: pipes and the sewerage outlet, the position of the floor drain and the floor slope, waterproofing, tiles, plumbing. For waterproofing, the manufacturer Ceresit CL 51 recommends at least two coats so that the dry layer is 0.5 mm, and waterproofing tape in the joints between wall and floor; collars are used at pipes and the drain.

For the tile adhesive CM 17 the manufacturer requires it to cover at least 65% of the underside of the tile, and in corners, at the floor and at plumbing the joints are filled with silicone, not grout. The bathroom and toilet are ventilated through a natural exhaust duct, so ventilation must also be provided for a new bathroom. In the request, state the dimensions of the bathroom, whether you want a bath or a shower and whether you want underfloor heating. See bathroom renovation in Katlakalns and shower with a floor drain.

Floors in the house: boards, screed and levelling

In a private house the floor can be on wooden beams or on a concrete slab, and this determines the work. If there are sound wooden boards under the old covering, they can be restored. If the floor is concrete and uneven, it is levelled with a self-levelling compound; Ceresit CN 76 is poured in a layer 4–50 mm thick. For laminate, the manufacturer Quick-Step requires unevenness greater than 2 mm per 1 m to be levelled out, and under laminate the moisture of the cement base must be below 2.5%.

In a large room, expansion joints are left in the levelling layer: the manufacturer states an area of up to 36 m², and joints also at room thresholds. See floor levelling in Katlakalns, restoring a wooden floor and uneven floor.

Attic or mansard for living

In a low-rise house you can gain an extra room under the roof. If a mansard is built in the attic, it can be insulated, plasterboard walls and ceilings can be built, wiring can be run and a floor laid. According to Knauf product sheets, the frame of a plasterboard partition wall is made of CW profiles (studs) and UW profiles in the floor and ceiling. If the shape of the roof or the volume of the building changes, it is reconstruction and construction intent documents are needed; approval of reconstruction in Katlakalns is handled by the City Development Department of Riga Municipality (formerly the Riga City Building Board).

If the installation in the mansard is built from scratch, from 01.07.2025 it must be fitted with residual current protection. See mansard renovation in Katlakalns, summer house renovation and private house renovation.

How much does house renovation cost in Katlakalns

• Bathroom renovation (the whole job): from €3,000
• Floor levelling, pour or screed: from €6.50/m²
• Plasterboard or suspended ceilings: from €15/m²
• Laminate installation: from €6.50/m²

Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Example: in a 30 m² room, floor levelling 30 × €6.50 = from €195 and laminate 30 × €6.50 = from €195, together from €390 for labour. A mansard ceiling of 25 m²: 25 × €15 = from €375. The total changes with the area of the house, the number of rooms, the condition of the floors and walls and the chosen finish. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the house. All prices: renovation prices.