Apartment and house renovation in Saulkrasti - for summer houses in garden cooperatives

About 5,400 summer houses in cooperatives and detached houses by the sea

There are about 5,400 summer houses in the garden cooperatives of Saulkrasti. Saulkrasti is a linear seaside town with detached houses, summer houses, guest accommodation, apartment buildings and seasonally used properties. The village of Pēterupe is regarded as the oldest village in the Saulkrasti area, and its oldest remains are the wooden buildings in the old village centre. What a renovation involves therefore depends on the age of the building and on how the property is used: for summer, all year round or for rent.

In detached houses and low-rise buildings the typical work is renovating the interior, fitting out bathrooms and kitchens, and reconstructing or extending the living area. In a summer house built for the season, converting it for year-round living means more: a bathroom with waterproofing, a kitchen with water and sewage, sufficient electrical capacity, heating and floors that are not cold in winter. Whether the walls and floors need insulating, and how, depends on the particular building. See summer house renovation in Saulkrasti and internal wall insulation.

The A1, the railway and the long town: what to state in the request

The A1 and the railway line connect Saulkrasti with Riga, Ādaži and the Vidzeme coast. The parts of the town stretch along the sea and the A1, so a single “Saulkrasti” address can mean very different places. In summer, traffic and parking near seaside properties can be more difficult. Write the exact address and the name of the cooperative, if there is one.

• a summer house, a detached house or an apartment, the approximate year of construction;
• wall material: wood, brick, blocks;
• whether there is a water supply, sewage and heating, and what kind;
• area in m² and the rooms to be renovated;
• whether the house will be used all year or only in summer.

The first bathroom in a summer house

In a summer house a bathroom may have to be fitted out from new or the existing one enlarged. Before tiles you need a stable, dry base: for waterproofing, the manufacturer Ceresit CL 51 requires a dry, sound, stable and clean base and recommends at least two coats with a 0.5 mm dry layer. On a wooden floor or a frame wall, a rigid layer is made first, on which the waterproofing and tiles are laid. Waterproofing is applied at +5 to +30 °C, so in an unheated house in cold weather, applying it needs temporary heating.

A bathroom is ventilated through an exhaust duct or a fan; in the request, write whether there is one already. For a shower with a floor drain, a floor slope and a place for the sewage pipe must be provided. See bathroom renovation in Saulkrasti and walk-in shower with a floor drain.

Floors for the whole year: screed, levelling, underfloor heating

If a summer house has a board floor on joists, it can be restored, or a new base can be built above it. A concrete floor is levelled with a screed or a self-levelling compound. The manufacturer Ceresit CN 76 states that a layer up to 1.5 cm dries at 4 mm a day and a thicker one at 3 mm a day (+23 °C, 50% humidity), and that tiling is possible after 3 days. Under laminate, Ceresit permits a cement base moisture of up to 2.0%, and with floor heating up to 1.8%.

Underfloor heating in a detached house or a summer house is the owner's decision, because the heating is not common property. For electric heating, when the wiring is reconstructed, residual current protection must be installed, and the connection is made by a qualified electrician. See underfloor heating in Saulkrasti, floor levelling and floor screed.

The Saulkrasti Municipality Building Board: when documents are needed

For interior work that does not include renovation, reconstruction or demolition (painting, wallpaper, a floor covering), no construction documents are needed. If a house is extended or load-bearing structures or the type of use change, you need to find out before the work what document is needed. Approval of a reconstruction in Saulkrasti goes through the Saulkrasti Municipality Building Board, and the documents are submitted in the BIS. Work with an explanatory memorandum or a building permit may be started only after the building board's note. Read do you need a permit.

Protected summer houses: windows and insulation

Some of the historic houses in Saulkrasti are architectural monuments. The Ģelži family summer house at Inčupes iela 10 is an architectural monument of national importance, and its values to be preserved include the original windows. The residential building at Rīgas iela 41 is an architectural monument of local importance; its energy efficiency can be improved without a permit if the historic windows, doors and external appearance are not changed. In a building that is a monument, this means that insulation can be improved from the inside, but check a window replacement with the cultural heritage authority. See wooden house renovation.

If a house is adapted for a person with a mobility impairment, under Saulkrasti Regulations SN 14/2024 a benefit for adapting a home is awarded on an occupational therapist's opinion, and the social service keeps a register of benefit recipients. It is worth getting the opinion before planning the bathroom or door openings. See renovation for seniors in Saulkrasti.

A guest house or a rental summer house

Saulkrasti has guest accommodation and seasonally used properties. If a house or part of it is let to holidaymakers, it makes sense to plan the renovation outside the season and to choose a finish that is easy to maintain: painted walls, vinyl or laminate floors, and in the bathroom tiles and silicone joints that can be renewed. If the premises are used for business, in the request write the number of rooms and which rooms must be completed first. See renovation for businesses and rental apartment renovation.

Prices for a summer house and a house in Saulkrasti

• Bathroom renovation (the whole job): from €3,000
• Floor levelling, pouring or screed: from €6.50/m²
• Laying underfloor heating: from €16/m²
• Full renovation: from €280/m² of apartment area

Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Example for an apartment: underfloor heating in a 20 m² room is 20 × €16 = from €320 (labour), and levelling the base in the same room 20 × €6.50 = from €130. For internal wall insulation the price is by estimate. The total is affected by the area and the number of rooms, the condition of the walls and floors, replacing installations and the finishing. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment. Other work: kitchen renovation in Saulkrasti and rewiring in Saulkrasti.