Renovating an apartment is no easy task, especially if you are undertaking a major overhaul. This often includes not only replacing wooden windows with plastic ones but also reconfiguring the entire space. To do this, you must first obtain the necessary permits from the relevant authorities and calculate the costs with a contractor or team who will handle the renovation. Otherwise, the actual expenses may far exceed your expectations.
What do we have before the renovation?
Before the renovation, we had a three-room apartment in an old five-story building constructed in 1970, with a total area of 78 square meters. The kitchen is traditionally 6 square meters, but it feels like only 3 or 4. It is so small that you can reach anything you need with just one step to the side. To save space, there is a built-in closet adjacent to the front door.
Along the narrow hallway, there are two bedrooms and a living room with a very inconvenient rectangular shape. One bedroom is accessed from the hallway, while the living room and the second bedroom share an adjoining door.
The rooms had an odd feeling, as if you were entering a truncated corridor with doors simply placed there. The Soviet-era windows were tall, angular, and awkward. One bedroom had a similar built-in wardrobe—a niche, like in the kitchen, and above the doors, there were small cupboard-like storage spaces.
In the past century, when the house was new, its layout was considered the pinnacle of architectural design, particularly the built-in closets. There was no need to buy a wardrobe, and it saved space.
Today, such a structure appears as a relic from half a century ago. There’s no need to think twice about it.
In short, it’s cramped and dark, which makes it uncomfortable. The house is old, and it shows in the minor cosmetic repairs, like wallpapering the walls.
This story took place 16 years ago when the apartment, except for the living room, was newly wallpapered. Two months later, the wallpaper started peeling off in all the rooms. The reason is that the building is gradually settling.
What does the apartment renovation plan include?
During a family meeting, it was decided to undertake a complete overhaul of the apartment.
Here is what the renovation plan entails:
• Reconfiguration: combine the bathroom and toilet, replace the toilet and bathtub with a wall-mounted toilet and a shower cabin.
• Merge the kitchen with the adjacent bedroom.
• Demolish built-in wardrobes and storage rooms.
• Reshape the bedrooms into squares by shortening the length of the rooms.
• Separate the former living room and adjoining bedroom with a passageway and add an extra wall.
• Utilize the newly created space between the rooms as a walk-in closet.
• Install plastic windows.
• Replace interior doors.
• Equip the kitchen with a custom-built, integrated kitchen set.
• Wallpaper the walls in the rooms and corridor with modern designs, and cover the bathroom walls with plastic panels.
• Install stretch ceilings in all rooms and cover the floors with linoleum.
What is the budget for the capital renovation?
The events took place in July 2020. The preliminary budget was estimated at 12,200 euros, excluding labor costs. The family was organizing such an event for the first time, and from their amateur perspective, this amount seemed sufficient. The invited expert from Baltic Job Service OÜ confirmed that this sum would be roughly accurate. It ended up costing more, but not as much as it would have if it were happening now, in 2022.
Materials have been purchased for the renovation:
• For the bathroom: pipes, toilet, shower cabin, plastic panels, floor tiles for the bathroom, sink with a mirrored cabinet and a vanity unit.
• Drywall, primer, cement, adhesive, paint, wooden battens for the panels.
• Wallpaper, linoleum, light bulbs, nails, wall plugs, wallpaper paste, sealant with a gun, brushes.
Purchasing is not limited to just this list. Anyone who has done renovations knows that every day there is a need to buy something small. Sometimes even the craftsman won’t note everything down and recalls things as needed. Therefore, one should be prepared to spend around 500 — 700 Euros on miscellaneous items.
All the work was done by just three craftsmen. The apartment was finished turnkey.
First, the window frames were installed, and the unnecessary interior partitions were demolished. To give the room the right shape, it was necessary to remove the protruding corner and extend part of the wall. After that, they proceeded to set up the bathroom.
The previous dark blue tiles on the walls were replaced with beige panels. This visually expanded the bathroom space and gave it a warm atmosphere.
The old large cast-iron bathtub has been replaced by a compact shower cabin with tinted walls. The floor is tiled in a creamy hue.
The former doorway to the kitchen has been sealed off, turning the space into an ordinary part of the wall. Now, this studio boasts two large windows and plenty of natural sunlight. The addition of an extra wall between the rooms has made the corridor appear longer and wider. Moreover, a small walk-in closet has been created.
A total of €30,000 was spent on the renovation. Of this amount, €17,800 was allocated specifically for labor costs. The built-in kitchen cost €3,700, but it falls under a separate budget category.
Is it worth investing in an expensive renovation?
Many people question whether home renovations are worth the considerable expense, especially when there are other joys in life such as travel, hobbies, and luxury items. Well, there’s nothing wrong with their choice. If your family budget allows and you have no other pressing plans, I would definitely say yes. After a renovation, you experience a feeling as if you’ve moved into a brand-new apartment. For a long time, you enjoy the refreshed atmosphere, the joy of the transformed space, and you feel truly uplifted.
