602 series apartment renovation

What is typical of a 602 series building

602 series buildings were built roughly from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, mostly with 9 storeys, a few with 6. The load-bearing walls are expanded clay concrete (lightweight concrete) panels, and the floor slabs are reinforced concrete slabs. In Riga these buildings are in Purvciems, Mežciems, Imanta, Pļavnieki, Ziepniekkalns, Vecmīlgrāvis and Iļģuciems, and in Dreiliņi and Pļavnieki there is also an improved version.

The kitchen in this series is small: about 7–8 m², in the one-and-a-half-room layout about 10 m². The position of the bathroom and toilet differs by layout. The ceiling height depends on the particular apartment, so if you are planning suspended or stretch ceilings, measure it and write it in the request.

What needs attention in the 602 series

• Panel joints: the joints can crack, and the waterproofing of the joints wears out over time. The external walls are common property, so repairing the joints is handled by the building manager; in the apartment the finish is renewed once the cause has been remedied.
• Corners at external walls: before the renovation check whether there are traces of mould or damp.
• Sound: the soundproofing between apartments is poor. The options on the apartment side are described on the page soundproofing in an apartment.
• Top floors: damp can seep in or the roof can leak, so before finishing the ceiling make sure the leak has been remedied.

Walls and openings: what you may change

Under the Law on Residential Properties, load-bearing walls are common property. If in a 602 series apartment you want a new door opening or to widen an existing one, it is work in a load-bearing structure. According to the Riga municipality's explanation, it needs an architect and a structural engineer, who survey the structures, make calculations and prepare the solution for the opening, and an explanatory memorandum is submitted to the building board as a simplified reconstruction.

If the building is divided into apartment properties, an opening in a load-bearing wall also needs the consent of more than half of the apartment owners. For more on opening work, see the page making a door opening.

A 602 series apartment plan for the estimate

The 602 series plan differs by the number of rooms and the version of the building, so the estimate is drawn up from the plan of the particular apartment. A plan from the cadastral survey file or a hand-drawn sketch with dimensions is useful. If you have one, you can send it to the specialist when they contact you.

If you see in the plan that you would like to move the bathroom, note that in an apartment building sanitary rooms are placed above similar rooms. Above the living room of the apartment below, they are permissible if the requirements for soundproofing, waterproofing, ventilation and others are met (LBN 200-21, paragraph 136).

The order of renovation in a 602 series apartment

1. Demolition The old finish, floor covering and tiles are removed; in a full renovation also the old pipes and wires up to the riser.
2. Utilities New electrical wiring and pipes are installed. Replacing a section of a riser needs the owners' association's consent, and the work is organised by the building manager.
3. Walls and floors The walls are plastered and skimmed, the floor is levelled or a screed is poured.
4. Bathroom Waterproofing is applied, the tiling is done and the plumbing is installed.
5. Finishing The walls and ceilings are painted, the floor covering is laid, doors and skirting boards are installed.

How long the renovation takes depends on the amount of work and the drying time of the materials.

What to decide before the renovation

• Cosmetic or full: if the wires and pipes are the original ones, after a new finish changing them means partly redoing the finish.
• Gas cooker: within one room a cooker and other appliances without a flue may be replaced or moved in agreement with the gas supplier (LBN 241-15, paragraph 7); an appliance with a flue, even in the same room, needs the supplier's permission and a report on the condition of the flues and ventilation ducts. Moving to another room needs the supplier's technical conditions and a building design; the solution for moving gas pipes is prepared or approved by a certified person. Gas work is not part of the renovation estimate.
• Loggia: the appendix to the Riga regulations has a standard sketch for glazing loggias, also for the 602 series; if the work conforms to it, no documents are needed (Cabinet Regulation No. 529, sub-paragraph 7.4.7).
• Materials: in the request, write whether you will choose the materials yourself.

How much a 602 series apartment renovation costs

There are no separate prices for the series: the estimate is calculated from the list of work and the area. Cosmetic renovation: from €100/m² of apartment area. Full renovation: from €280/m² of apartment area. Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. Removal of construction waste is not part of the renovation estimate.

Example: for a 50 m² apartment a full renovation is 50 × €280 = from €14,000 (labour). The price changes with the area and the number of rooms, the condition of the walls and floors, whether the electrical wiring, pipes and risers are changed, and the chosen finish. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment. All prices: apartment renovation prices.

What the price includes in a 602 series apartment