Apartment renovation in Vecmīlgrāvis - for 602 and 464 series panel buildings

Housing estates from the mid-1970s: what the buildings are and what must be changed

In Vecmīlgrāvis multi-storey residential buildings began to be built in the 1950s, and the large housing estates in the mid-1970s. The central and south-eastern part of the neighbourhood is mainly residential territory, while in the north-west, in Rīnūži, there is a port. The residential part has 602 and 464 series buildings.

602 series buildings are mostly 9-storey, the load-bearing walls are expanded clay concrete panels, and public sources write that usually all the interior walls are load-bearing. The kitchen is about 7–8 m². 464 series buildings are five-storey buildings of grey reinforced concrete panels with gypsum concrete partitions, and as typical problems sources name worn risers and electrical wiring. In a Ministry of Economics study of 13 buildings of this series they were found safe for further use.

In Soviet-era panel buildings the typical work is renovating old electrical wiring, the bathroom and the kitchen, and replanning that takes into account the load-bearing walls and the shared risers. If your apartment still has the original wires and pipes, a full renovation in Vecmīlgrāvis may be a suitable type of renovation. The features of the series in more detail: 602 series apartment renovation and 464 series apartment renovation.

Mīlgrāvja iela and what to write in the request

Vecmīlgrāvis is reached along Mīlgrāvja iela and by train, and roads lead from the neighbourhood to Mangaļsala and Vecāķi. In the request, write at which entrance you can stop.

• the series (602, 464 or another) and the floor
• whether the building has a lift; for 464 series five-storey buildings, state this specifically
• the apartment area in m² and the number of rooms
• whether the bathroom and toilet are separate or combined
• whether you will change the risers or radiators or all of the electrical wiring
• the condition of the bathroom, the kitchen and the loggia

Panel walls: what stays in place

Public sources write that in the 602 series the interior walls are usually load-bearing, and the panel walls of the 464 series are hard to replan. So in these buildings replanning may mean not demolishing a wall but making an opening in a load-bearing wall. For that you need an architect and a structural engineer, who survey the structures and calculate the opening solution, and an explanatory memorandum as a simplified reconstruction.

If the building is divided into apartment properties, an opening in a load-bearing wall needs the consent of more than half of the apartment owners. Approval of reconstruction in Vecmīlgrāvis takes place at the Riga municipality's City Development Department (formerly the Riga City Building Board). After the work the owners update the cadastral survey file. See creating a door opening and load-bearing wall.

Risers in a 464 or 602 series building

A riser is the common property of the apartment owners, and the building manager entrusted with its maintenance is responsible for this work. If in a bathroom renovation a riser section in the apartment is changed, the work and the water shut-off are agreed with the building manager. Each owner covers the costs of the building's common property according to their share, so replacing risers throughout the building is usually paid for from common funds.

The owner must allow the building manager's authorised specialists access to the building's utilities, so when covering a riser with a box, leave a hatch. See riser replacement in Vecmīlgrāvis and risers: who pays.

A bathroom in a 602 series apartment

In the 602 series the bathroom plan differs by apartment, so in the request write the dimensions of the rooms. A bathroom renovation includes demolition, waterproofing, tiling and the installation of plumbing fixtures, and the renovation is the right time to replace the riser section in the apartment as well. See a bathroom in a 602 series building.

The port and the railway nearby: windows and soundproofing

The proximity of the port, water and the railway in Vecmīlgrāvis creates particular wind and noise conditions, and for 602 series buildings the sources also mention weak soundproofing between apartments. If noise bothers you, the renovation can include soundproofing of walls or ceilings. An owner may replace windows, which are external structures of the building, at their own expense in agreement with the building manager; the association may decide that its consent is also needed. Documents are not needed if the window division, proportions and frame colour are kept. See soundproofing in Vecmīlgrāvis.

A loggia or balcony: standard glazing

The appendix to Riga's Territorial Use Regulations contains standard loggia glazing solutions for 464 and 602 series buildings too; if the work matches this model sketch, a building design is not needed. The outer structures of loggias and balconies are common property, so joining a loggia to a room already affects common property, and it needs the consent of the apartment owners' association. Before such work, consult the building board and the building manager.

The interior finishing of a loggia, the floor and painting the walls are ordinary renovation work. See loggia renovation in Vecmīlgrāvis and balcony renovation.

Prices in Vecmīlgrāvis

• Full renovation: from €280/m² of apartment area
• Replacing a riser section in an apartment: from €100 per riser
• Radiator replacement: from €115 per radiator
• Bathroom renovation (all the work): from €3,000

Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Example: a two-room apartment of 50 m², full renovation: 50 × €280 = from €14,000 (labour). For radiator replacement, the draining and refilling of the heating system is agreed with the building manager. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.