Apartment and house renovation in Rumbula - for private houses among allotments

Farmsteads and newer private houses: two different starting points

In Rumbula, among the allotments there are a few farmsteads and private houses built in the 20th and 21st centuries. Many farmsteads along Maskavas iela and the Daugava were destroyed after the Second World War to make room for Rumbula airfield, and Rumbula was included within the Riga boundaries only in 1968. In recent years mostly warehouses and technical buildings have been built here, and fewer residential buildings.

For renovation, it follows that the houses here can be very different. An old farmstead can have wooden floors on beams, old wires and a bathroom and toilet added later. Then the renovation approaches a full one: demolition down to the structure, new wires and pipes, screed, finishing. In 2005 the village of terraced and semi-detached houses Šķelti was opened in Rumbula, with a landscaped and planted area. In such a house the structure and utilities are newer, and the work can be renewing the finish, changing the kitchen or the bathroom. In a terraced or semi-detached house, before work on a wall that borders a neighbour, find out who owns it and whether the work needs the neighbour's consent.

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 intent. Approval of reconstruction in Rumbula is handled by the City Development Department of the Riga municipality (formerly the Riga City Building Board).

A house for a person in a wheelchair: the Riga adaptation allowance

In a private house, adaptation does not need the consent of other apartment owners, as it would in common property in an apartment building. The binding regulations of Riga City Council provide an allowance for adapting a home for a person whose place of residence is declared in Riga with a group I or II disability who uses a wheelchair, to a child with a disability in a wheelchair and to persons with a group I or II visual disability. The allowance is up to €6,000 for a person in a wheelchair and up to €2,250 for a person with a visual disability.

• The allowance covers the adaptation work and the necessary documents, for example the estimate and the design.
• It is not granted if unauthorised construction has previously been carried out in the home.
• The application with a medical extract or a doctor's opinion is submitted to the Riga Social Service.
• The service pays the contractor after the work is accepted; if the work has not started within 6 months after the contract, the allowance is not paid.

Adaptation can mean a shower without a threshold with a floor drain, wider doors and a floor without differences in level. For the allowance procedure, see the page renovation for seniors and adaptation, and for a description of the work, the page shower with a floor drain.

Maskavas iela and the A6: getting to the house

Rumbula has regional access along Maskavas iela, the railway and the direction of the A6, and the biggest streets have heavy traffic. The roads to private houses among the allotments can be narrower, so in the request describe how to drive up to the gate.

• The year and material of the house.
• Number of floors, area in m², number of rooms.
• Which rooms to renovate and whether you will change the wires, pipes or heating.
• Whether adaptation for a person with mobility difficulties is needed.

Floor levelling and screed in a private house

If the floor on the ground floor of an old house is renewed down to the base, screed or a self-levelling compound is laid on the concrete base. The manufacturer states that Ceresit CN 76 dries about 4 mm per day up to a layer of 1.5 cm and about 3 mm per day for a thicker one (+23 °C, 50% humidity), and that it can be tiled after 3 days. For floors without differences in level, which are needed for adaptation, this is the base for everything else.

In a larger room, movement joints are needed: the manufacturer recommends an area of up to 36 m², a length to width ratio of up to 1.5 and joints also at room thresholds. For the tile adhesive Ceresit CM 17 the manufacturer requires the cement screed under the tiles to be at least 28 days old; for the self-levelling Ceresit CN 76 the manufacturer states 3 days before tiling. More: floor screed, floor levelling and uneven floor.

Renovating an old farmstead: when documents are needed

For interior work that does not include renovation, reconstruction or demolition (painting, wallpaper, floor covering), no documents are needed. If the volume of the house changes, for example with an extension, under the Construction Law that is reconstruction. If worn load-bearing elements are replaced without changing the volume and load-bearing capacity, that is renovation, which needs an explanatory memorandum. Which type applies in your case is chosen by the content of the work, and a designer can recommend it. More: private house renovation and does a renovation need a permit.

In an old house the wires are important too. The explanation on LV portāls says that in many homes the electrical wiring was installed in Soviet times and the wires are 30 to 50 years old. The Fire Safety Regulations currently in force require an inspection every 10 years, and a reconstructed installation must have residual current protection. Wires are changed before plastering: electrical wiring replacement.

Prices for a house in Rumbula

• Full renovation: from €280/m² of apartment area.
• Floor levelling, poured compound or screed: from €6.50/m².
• Floor drain installation: from €100 per drain.
• Interior door installation: from €100 per door.

Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Example: floor levelling of 40 m², 40 × €6.50 = from €260 (labour); a thicker layer changes the price. In a house the total is determined by the number of rooms, the condition of the walls and floors and whether the wires and pipes are changed. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.

Work: house renovation in Rumbula, full renovation in Rumbula, shower with a floor drain in Rumbula, interior door installation in Rumbula.