Renovated apartment renovation: where to start and what is included
Imagine a typical new building in a newly built and developing area of the city. In the same residential complex, on the same floor, apartments with the same area differ depending on the price, being in neighboring blocks. Because in one block the apartments are for rent in rough finish, in the other - in the pre-finishing, and in the third - in the finishing. Or another combination that meets the preferences of the target audience of the developer.
How justified the difference in the price of such apartments and how suitable a particular degree of readiness is, each buyer decides for himself. In this article, we propose to consider the repair of an apartment after finishing, in order to properly plan the budget for the purchase of housing, given the cost of the upcoming repair.
The content of the article
What is included in the pre-repair
In order to figure out which pre-finishing involves further repairs, it is important to understand what is included in the pre-repairs, for which the developer is responsible. First of all, the equipment of systems necessary for a comfortable life and the preparation of surfaces for the installation of decorative coatings, the preparation of bases.
Some developers offer a Spartan list of work in the complex of pre-finishing. Among them are floor screed (rough leveling without a finishing layer), leveling with plaster and plaster of the surfaces of walls and ceilings, installation of heating systems with appliances and electricians, preparation of plumbing bends. Cleaning debris and building dust from the premises is also included in the mandatory minimum of pre-cleaning operations.
In this case, the housing is not yet ready for settlement, apartment renovation with pre-finishing will have to start before entry. At least install sanitary equipment and complete the arrangement of the floor structure should be before transporting furniture, suitcases and family members. In another embodiment, an improved, advanced variety of pre-finishing is offered. If desired, buyers call into such a house immediately after purchase and complete the arrangement, having already become new settlers.
So, it will be comfortable to call in an apartment with a preliminary finish, if there is already:
- a full set of plumbing is installed (kitchen sink with faucet, bathtub, sink and toilet bowl in the bathroom);
- window and interior door openings are equipped with plug-in elements (meaning not only the windows and doors themselves, but also related parts - hardware, ebbs, window sills, slopes);
- exits to the surface of the wiring are equipped with external components - switches and sockets.
Complete pre-finishing includes installation of sockets and switches
Which of the complete sets expects at the door of the selected housing, check with the developer in advance, before purchase. Based on this information, comparing the volume and cost of the remaining work, calculate the benefit from the acquisition of a particular apartment.
If the cost of the preliminary repair at the builder is overestimated or not justified, and the choice nevertheless fell on an apartment with an attractive price, but without decoration, it will not hurt to get an idea of what kind of work frontier remains for the owners to perform independently.
Floor and ceiling
The prefabrication of the floor for the application of flooring is the leveling with screed, cement or concrete, for example.Probably, the floor in the newly commissioned new building is not very strong, so the screed does not take much time and effort. The finish coating with a self-leveling mixture is more likely to be related to the finishing, but when you carry out both stages on your own, feel free to carry out these operations one after the other. Just do not forget about the thorough drying of each poured layer.
Repairing the final apartment does not necessarily require additional operations with the ceiling, because it is already plastered or whitewashed. Someone prefers to close it with a suspended or tensile structure, someone - leave it unchanged. If the ceiling is still in a draft stage, the owner will have to putty and plaster the surface during the final finishing. In places with high humidity, such as the kitchen and the bathroom, it is recommended that the walls and ceiling be treated with a special water-repellent.
Plaster
As noted in the previous section, plaster is needed for the preparation of both the ceiling and walls. And in the case of choosing decorative plaster with a finish coating of surfaces, this material will accompany the new settlers at the subsequent stages of repair (however, different types are used for finishing and applying decor). Check the expiration date on the packaging of the dry stucco mixture before purchase and keep in mind the date you saw, so as not to accidentally use expired material.
The market presents decent products of foreign and Russian manufacturers, be guided in choosing the reputation of the company, preferences in design and budget. The coarse-grained plaster used for roughing works is not useful at the pre-finishing stage, buy material of a smaller fraction.
Primer the surface of the wall before plastering. Take care of a high-quality heat- or waterproofing layer, if required by the characteristics of the room. How even the applied layer of plaster will determine the correct installation of landmark beacons. Putty or a special leveling mixture is applied over the plaster base.
Since we are talking about a new building, we take into account the upcoming shrinkage of the house. To neutralize the harmful effect of shrinkage on the condition of the plaster, the layer is reinforced with a grid with twenty-millimeter cells. The mesh makes the coating flexible. The guarantee of the strength of the layer is thorough drying, so give the walls 7 days for final hardening.
Among the leaders in sales are plastic and harmless gypsum plaster, which differs in a number of advantages compared to plaster mixes on other bases. But the use of such material in brick houses implies the specifics of installation. In this case, it is necessary to prime the surface, put up the beacons, apply a layer of plaster and allow to dry. After again apply a primer to the walls, putty and apply a reinforcing mesh and leave to dry again. Then apply another 2 layers of putty and, after drying, cover with a finishing layer of fine-grained plaster.
Check the applied and dried plaster layer by tapping - a loud sound indicates the absence of cavities, characteristic for high-quality plastering.
Drywall
Another way to perform pre-finishing walls is plasterboard cladding. Due to the fact that this method is more expensive, less common, the rest has a number of advantages. Installation takes little time, does not require special knowledge, skills and experience. Another “for” argument is the lack of dust and dirt.
Drywall sheets are attached to a pre-prepared frame. Pressing at the joints will help align the sheet.To improve the result, place the plates in a checkerboard pattern.
Wiring
Along with the heating system, the pre-finishing of the apartment includes wiring. This stage refers to those that it is undesirable to produce independently without sufficient knowledge. Even if it is possible, without being a professional electrician, to establish a working electrical network and not get injured at the same time, which is already unlikely, there is a risk of involuntary violation of the Housing Code. Such wiring is dangerous during operation, is punishable by a fine, in addition, the owner will be obliged to eliminate the violations and redo the wiring again.
How to start repair after finishing
When the finishing treatment is completed, it is time to proceed to redecorating, decorating according to the chosen design and installing the missing elements. Where to start repairing an apartment after finishing is important, it is important for newcomers to know who bought an apartment at this stage of readiness and who completed the preparation on their own. The first to traditionally do the dirty work, so that subsequently building dust does not spoil the decorative surfaces, door leafs and other components of the interior.
The theater begins with a coat rack, and the apartment with an entrance door. With a reliable and strong door, ideally with a metal one. First of all, protect your fortress from malicious attacks.
If you still have not reached your hands or did not have enough time to draw up a design project for a new home, the time has come to do this. If you hire a designer, it will be a full-fledged colorful and detailed document. If you come up with a future interior on your own, bring the developed plan onto paper at least schematically, so that you can quickly make changes and new ideas. By rewriting (or rewriting) the final version is blank, get an idea of the overall picture and the appropriateness of the elements.
The price of finishing an apartment that has already undergone a preliminary repair depends on whether to finish the rest with your own hands or to invite a construction and repair team, as well as on the cost of the materials used.
The repair procedure in a new building with a preliminary finish is different, based on the steps included. The owners, dissatisfied with the layout of the purchased housing, begin repairs with the installation of additional partitions, drywall and foam blocks are considered classic materials for this.
Now we go to the kitchen, bathroom and toilet. The next step is the installation of polymer pipes and the connection of sanitary equipment, if this is not done by the developer. We connect the plumbing and pipes to the sewer and supplement the design with plugs to prevent unpleasant odors from the sewer in the room.
We will start the connection of the water supply system with cold water for all three auxiliary rooms, then we will direct the hot water to the kitchen and bathroom.
The next stage is the application of decorative coatings on the floor (laminate, linoleum, parquet or tile) walls (wallpaper, paint or decorative plaster) and on the ceiling (suspended or suspended structure, or left whitewashed). We install doors and slopes, checking the tightness of the fit to the opening and closing.
Installation of electrical wiring and the withdrawal of wires to the surface at the points provided for in the plan, as already noted above, is included in the pre-repair. But the installation of sockets and switches - not always. We install the missing elements at the final stage. If you have done this before, you will have to cover it with polyethylene or tape over it so that it does not get dirty. We go around the apartment, identify and eliminate defects.
It remains only to do the cleaning, get rid of construction debris and wash the surfaces from cement and plaster-dusty stains.If there is money left after the repair, professional cleaning staff is invited, and thrifty housewives simply use a bucket of water to clean it with the addition of half a glass of vinegar - a sure means for after-repair cleaning.
All stages of apartment renovation are clearly demonstrated in the video below.
