Apartment and house renovation in Spilve - for allotment colonies and the few residential buildings

Allotments in the north-east and south-west, buildings among warehouses

Spilve is a broad north-western area with airfield infrastructure, meadows, warehouses and utility sites. Residential development is found here only in fragments: in 2025 only 69 residents lived in the neighbourhood, which includes Lielā Muiža, Podrags and Rātsupe. Family allotment areas are in the north-eastern and south-western parts of the neighbourhood. This determines what renovations are possible here at all: fewer apartments in multi-storey buildings, more small houses where the renovation affects the whole building.

A garden house essentially has the same questions as a summer house: whether the floor is on piles or on concrete, whether the walls have thermal insulation, how the house can be heated and whether it has water and sewerage. The answers determine whether a cosmetic renovation (walls, floor covering, doors) is enough or the floor, wires and bathroom need to be rebuilt. This kind of work is described on the page summer house renovation.

Daugavgrīvas iela, the direction of Kleisti and what to write in the request

Spilve is reached along Daugavgrīvas iela and the roads in the direction of Kleisti, but access to each site is different. In an allotment colony the roads can be narrow, so in the request write whether a car can drive up to the house.

• house dimensions or area in m² and number of floors
• wall material: wood, brick, blocks or a frame with thermal insulation
• what the floor rests on and whether there is an underfloor space beneath it
• whether the house has electricity, water and sewerage
• whether you will use the house only in summer or all year round

A garden house for living in all year round

If you want to use the garden house in winter too, the renovation has to deal with warmth: wall insulation, heating and the floor. For interior work that does not include renovation, reconstruction or demolition (painting, wallpaper, floor covering), no documents are needed. If the use of the garden house changes, for example from a summer house to a year-round home, find out from the City Development Department before the work which document is needed. If the volume of the building changes, for example with an extension or a new floor, that is already reconstruction, and it needs construction intent documents.

Spilve became part of Riga in 1924 together with Bolderāja and Daugavgrīva, and it now belongs to the Kurzeme district. The documents are examined by the City Development Department of Riga Municipality (formerly the Riga City Building Board), and they are submitted in BIS. Some of the allotments are legally in the production area of the Freeport of Riga, so before an extension or reconstruction find out the permitted use of your plot of land.

In Riga, for buildings older than 50 years that are not state-protected, the department can also determine the cultural and historical value and the permitted action when it examines a construction intent. If the colony house is old and you plan reconstruction, take this into account before the design. For insulation from the inside, see internal wall insulation in Spilve, and for bigger work private house renovation.

The floor in a small house: levelling and underfloor heating

The floor in a garden house can be the biggest job. If the base is concrete, it can be levelled with a self-levelling compound: the manufacturer (Ceresit CN 76) states that it is walkable 3 hours later, but the drying speed depends on the layer thickness, temperature and humidity. Under laminate the base must be dry, and Quick-Step requires unevenness greater than 2 mm per 1 m to be levelled out.

Underfloor heating is practical for rooms without radiators. If it is connected to electricity and the installation is reconstructed, it needs residual current protection, which since 01.07.2025 is mandatory for reconstructed electrical wiring. In the request, write the area of the rooms and whether the distribution board has room for a new circuit. See floor levelling in Spilve and underfloor heating in Spilve.

A bathroom or shower in a house where there was none before

If the first bathroom or shower is fitted in a garden house, waterproofing is more important than tiles. The manufacturer (Ceresit CL 51) recommends applying it in at least two coats so that the dry layer is 0.5 mm, and fitting tape in the wall and floor joints. It is used from +5 to +30 °C, so in an unheated house this work in winter is planned only if the room can be heated. For a shower with a floor drain, the floor needs a fall towards the drain. See shower with a floor drain and bathroom renovation in Spilve.

If the house is already warm: walls, ceilings and doors

Not every garden house needs reconstruction. If the walls are dry, the heating works and the wires are relatively new, a cosmetic renovation is enough: skimming and painting the walls and ceilings, a new floor covering, skirting boards and interior doors. Then the pipes and the electrical wiring stay as they are, and the work is shorter and cheaper.

For painting, the manufacturer (Tikkurila Euro Smart 2) requires a dry surface, at least +5 °C and air humidity up to 80%, so in an unheated house painting is planned for warm weather or after the heating is switched on. Rough surfaces and surfaces skimmed with dry-mix fillers are primed before painting. In the request, write how many rooms there are and whether the walls are wooden cladding, plasterboard or plaster. More on the page cosmetic renovation in Spilve.

Prices for a garden house in Spilve

• Floor levelling, pouring or screed: from €6.50/m²
• Underfloor heating installation: from €16/m²
• Bathroom waterproofing: from €6/m²
• Floor drain installation: from €100 per drain
• Painting walls or ceilings: from €4/m²

All prices are for labour only, and materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Example: for a 12 m² room, levelling 12 × €6.50 = €78 and underfloor heating 12 × €16 = €192, together from €270 (labour). The layer thickness changes the price of levelling. For internal wall insulation the price is by estimate. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.