2-room apartment renovation

Everything at once or room by room

A two-room apartment has an option that a one-room apartment does not: while one room is being renovated, you can live in the other. This suits a cosmetic renovation. If the electrical wiring or pipes have to be changed, they affect the whole apartment, and that work is better done in one stage before the finishing.

When electrical wiring in an existing building is reconstructed, since 01.07.2025 it must be equipped with residual current protection. For how to split the work if you live in the apartment, see renovation while living in the apartment.

What the plans show in different series

varianti.lv mentions that in a 104 series two-room apartment the bathroom and toilet are separate and the kitchen is 9 m², while in the 119 series, in two- and three-room apartments, the kitchen is 7 m². For the 103 series nopo.lv mentions a separate bathroom and toilet and non-load-bearing partitions; check the type of walls in your own apartment.

In Khrushchyovkas, according to cityreal.lv, two-room apartments are 39–41 m² and have walk-through rooms. This changes the estimate: a smaller area, but a wish to replan may arise. Check the plan in your own apartment, because even apartments of one series differ.

A walk-through room and replanning

To make a walk-through room a separate one, a new partition or a door opening is usually needed. Non-load-bearing partitions belong to the apartment. If an opening has to be made in a load-bearing wall, it is a simplified reconstruction, for which an explanatory memorandum with the structural solution of the opening is submitted to the building board, and in a building with apartment properties the consent of more than half of the owners is needed.

If the changes do not affect load-bearing structures, check whether a construction notice is needed. More: making a door opening.

The order of work in a two-room apartment

1. List of work If the renovation is done in stages, one list of work can be drawn up for the whole apartment, so that the shared work does not have to be repeated.
2. Shared work Electrical wiring and pipes in the whole apartment in one stage.
3. Bathroom Waterproofing, tiles, plumbing.
4. Kitchen Walls, floor and connections for the kitchen furniture.
5. Rooms one at a time If you live in the apartment, the renovation can be divided by room: while one is being renovated, you can live in the other.
6. Hallway The hallway finish can be left for last.

How much does it cost?

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.

Examples: a 2-room apartment of 50 m², cosmetic renovation 50 × €100 = from €5,000; full renovation 50 × €280 = from €14,000 for labour.

If only one room of 15 m² with 40 m² of walls is renovated: skimming 40 × €10 = €400 and painting 40 × €4 = €160, in total from €560. Electrical wiring replacement in an apartment costs from €20/m² of apartment area, a plasterboard partition wall from €12/m².

The price is affected by:

• the apartment area in m² and the number of rooms
• cosmetic or full renovation
• the condition of the walls, floors and ceilings
• whether the electrical wiring, pipes and risers are changed
• the chosen finish (tiles, floor covering, doors)

An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.

What is included in the price