Which room is better to start renovation from? Where to start a major renovation of an apartment? Where to start renovations in a new building
Residents are driven to decide to renovate their apartment with their own hands by a limited family budget. It is difficult to involve contractors in repairs, the cost of whose services can be prohibitive for a very wide segment of the population. The quality of the work of such organizations often becomes the subject of disputes and litigation.
Repairing an apartment with your own hands will be inexpensive and will eliminate a number of such problems. Although it will require from the owners a certain skill, perseverance and physical strength.
Why do people rent an apartment in Switzerland?
How to find new apartment, how to prepare for a move and where to get advice on problems - you will find this and much more in questions and answers on the topic of life. In Switzerland, two thirds of the population live in rented apartments. The apartment belongs to the landlord or landlord, who or she does not live independently. The people who use the apartment are called tenants. They rent an apartment and pay rent, usually monthly.
Only a third of the population lives in their own own home or home. There is a reason for this: apartments and houses are very expensive in Switzerland; most people can't afford it. Renting apartments involves some effort, as does maintaining the property. Many rental companies outsource this work to property management. This is then the point of contact and is responsible for tenant concerns.
Reasonable budget planning for renovations
Preparing for a renovation is always associated with great creative exploration. Preliminary fantasies and design wishes often depend on the cost of materials and the complexity of the proposed work. Repair planning begins with aligning all ideas and financial capabilities. After which you can begin the real preparation for the repair yourself:
It is advisable to look for a new apartment in different ways. This way you significantly increase your chances. Internet: Free housing is advertised on real estate portals. Administration: Please request as many building societies and property management registration forms as possible.
Newspapers: Free apartments are also advertised in daily newspapers, community reports or quarterly newspapers. Free advertising. IN shopping centers, community centers, restaurants, schools and hospitals have advertisements. You can advertise for free or look for offers.
- It is necessary to draw up a list of all proposed work that will require certain expenses
- Using this list, you need to determine the availability of materials in the store. Find out which stores will sell them inexpensively.
- Determine the cost of renting the necessary tools
Circle of acquaintances: not all available apartments are available. So, let your family, friends or work colleagues know that you are watching. You can get valuable advice. Various search engines real estate. Anyone wishing to successfully apply for an apartment should prepare well and take note of some important points.
Apartment Visit: Please make your appointment on time. Make a serious and friendly impression. This is especially useful for private rentals. Form: Please fill out the form clean, clear and complete. Covering letter: Your chances increase if you include a personal letter with your documents. Please refer to the advertisement and briefly explain why you are particularly interested in the apartment.
It is difficult to carry out repairs with your own hands in all rooms of the apartment at once. A problem arises with clearing rooms of furniture that will interfere with the work. And the budget will not be able to simultaneously cover all needs.
Most the right decision repairs will be performed in a certain sequence. You need to start from the distant rooms in order to construction garbage I didn’t get into the renovated rooms afterwards.
State your desires clearly
Reference persons. If possible, please provide reference persons who provide you with good information about you - for example, an employer or previous landlord. Renters and tenants typically enter into a written lease agreement. By signing, both parties undertake to abide by the agreements contained therein. You must enter into a rental agreement.
House rules form an integral part of the tenancy agreement and contain rules for ensuring a peaceful and orderly cohabitation in the house. Regular rest nights, use of laundry facilities, ordering staircase, pet storage and much more.
The main thing is to start
At the first stage, it is necessary to clean all surfaces from old coatings:
- Old wallpaper, whitewash, plastic and tiles are removed to the ground
- If redevelopment is planned in the rooms with the installation or transfer of interior partitions, then this is the most the right time. It must be taken into account that the redevelopment of the apartment should not concern the supporting structures
- The ceilings of the rooms are cleared of a layer of whitewash, which is still preserved in many places. For this process you need to stock up on a wide spatula, a bucket and a hand sprayer. Using a sprayer warm water applied to a section of the ceiling, after which the whitewash is removed with a spatula. The peeled lime is collected in a bucket
Reasonable budget planning for renovations
An escrow deposit - also called a deposit - serves as security for the landlord or landlord; such as unpaid rent, open bills for unexpected expenses, or damage to the home that you have to pay. The deposit is no more than three months. It must be paid by the tenant to a special bank account; this account is in the name of the tenant. As a rule, the deposit and interest will be returned immediately upon your departure from the apartment. Deferred rent payments and damage to the apartment are deductible.
- Using a sprayer can also simplify the removal of old wallpaper. To do this, the surface with wallpaper is generously moistened and left for several minutes. Once the old wallpaper is moistened, it will become easier to remove it from the walls in large sheets. If there was wallpaper on the ceiling, then sometimes it is possible to clean the entire ceiling in this way. Remains of wallpaper on the ceiling and walls are moistened and removed with a spatula
- It is somewhat difficult to clean the kitchen walls from old tiles. Well-placed tiles are not so easy to knock off the walls. A water spray can also help here. Water is sprayed onto the seams. It will get under the tile, after which the slightly wet layer of old mortar will quickly and easily come off the wall. The moistened solution will create less dust. This way you can remove the tiles yourself without resorting to the services of specialists
Preparation of wall and ceiling surfaces
The cleaned ceilings and walls of the apartment must be carefully inspected. Some areas may have defects that were laid during construction. It is advisable to remove them. Poorly laid ceilings are especially difficult to remove. Strongly protruding parts can be removed with a special grinding machine, and concave parts can be leveled with solutions.
What is the rental cost?
Firstly, the apartment costs a month's rent, which was registered as a lease. Additional costs include electricity, gas, telephone, Internet connection and cable television. Additional costs may include heating, water, housekeeper or housekeeper, garden maintenance, wastewater, cleaning and much more. Ancillary expenses should always be mentioned in the rental agreement and described accurately. Otherwise they are not allowed. Associated costs are distributed proportionally to the tenants.
You can quickly and inexpensively level surfaces with a solution. To do this yourself, metal beacons are attached to the wall, which are set plumb and level. Focusing on the beacons, the surface is leveled with a solution. To better bind the solution to the wall, nail a metal or nylon mesh.
Living room decoration
A portion of the additional costs you typically pay monthly along with your rent. These are called payments by bank account. You will receive a final invoice at least once a year. If payments are less than the ending balance, you must pay the remaining balance. If the costs are lower, you will be refunded the amount you overpaid. Check the final invoice accurately, which may be helpful.
What is a surrender record?
Once you have received the tenancy agreement, you must agree on a handover date with the landlord, landlord or management. When you rent out, you can check if there is any damage to the apartment. They are described in detail in the protocol for the transfer of entry or housing.
To level the ceiling and walls, you can use plasterboards. Installation of such plates is not difficult. Drywall is installed quickly, and the result always exceeds expectations. The joints of plasterboard boards are sealed with putty and paint mesh.
Step-by-step action plan
Important: the recording also contains small details such as scratches or chips. You may also be able to negotiate damages with your landlord or landlord. Finally, both parties sign the entry protocol and you will receive a copy. Store them carefully. There are damages that were discovered despite careful inspection only after the move. In this case you will immediately create detailed list deficiencies and indicate the damage that you would like to correct. Send the mailing list via certified mail to the landlord, landlord, and adhere to the deadlines.
The only negative is that installing drywall will take away some of the usable volume of the room. But it is easily processed with any cutting tools.
Next step
When preparing the walls, you need to devote time to electrical wiring, because there simply won’t be a more convenient opportunity to add or move sockets. Replacement of wiring, installation in comfortable spot new switches, lamps and other electrical equipment - all this is carried out during this period.
Where do I need to enter and exit after moving?
Those that you want to fix, as well as those that no longer bother you. This prevents you from dealing with damage that was already present when you moved. This applies in particular to changes in canton, since the new kind residence permit is usually required to stay in another canton.
Can the landlord, the landlord, simply increase the rent?
The owner or lessor may increase the rent, but must use official uniform. There are clear reasons for the increase and corresponding figures. Such a reason could be a conversion or if the interest rate on mortgages increases. If you don't agree with the increase, you have 30 days to fight it.
To lay new wires, wall chasers are used, which cut a standard groove in the wall. A wire is placed in this groove and fixed through certain distances solution. When the entire wire is laid, the groove is sealed with mortar.
The main thing is to start
If the base rate is reduced, you as a tenant have legal requirement about rent reduction. However, not all tenants are willing to reduce their rent. Before you fight a rent increase or demand a reduction, you must communicate exactly how to proceed and what deadlines you must meet. Try it first before you act.
Can the apartment stop?
A table with the benchmark rate level and more information can be found here and here, and there is also more information on the benchmark rate. Yes, both apartments and rent can terminate the apartment. However, you must adhere to the terms and conditions set out in the contract. Anyone who receives a termination notice has 30 days to fight the conciliation authority.
At the same stage, equipment for ventilation and air filtration is installed. This is especially true for kitchen hoods. If you decide to lay tiles in the kitchen, then first you need to install all the fastenings for hoods, fans, wall cabinets and other kitchen equipment.
All plumbing work must be planned and executed. Replacing pipes, toilets, bathtubs, installing heaters and other equipment - all this falls into the second stage. It requires a lot of physical and nervous effort. This is the dirtiest but necessary work.
It is also possible to close on an apartment outside of the official closing dates. The official termination date refers to the dates and notice periods specified in the tenancy agreement. However, you will have to find one or more additional tenants and propose to the management. They must be mobile and intelligent.
There is also a tenant advice center in your municipality that can help you. For getting additional information Click here. If minor repairs occur in a rented apartment, such as replacing a broken shower hose, the tenant in Germany usually pays for it at his own expense. However, this is not always his duty.
No windows, no doors
The third stage usually involves the possible replacement of door and window units. Replacing doors and door frames inside an apartment is not very difficult. It is more difficult to replace window units. After replacing the windows, you must carefully seal all the cracks with insulation or foam and make slopes. Install metal or plastic ebbs on the outside.
“In fact, the landlord is legally obliged to take care of the defects, take care of his property and pay for them,” explains lawyer Ruth Breyholdt from the German Bar Association. It doesn't matter whether they are inside or outside the rental living space or how big they are. “However, the lease allows certain repairs to be made in relation to the tenant's responsibilities,” explains the tenant lawyer.
The deficiencies that can be passed on by the landlord to the tenant are so-called trivial damages, such as the aforementioned shower hose and fuse upgrade, replacing a faulty heating thermostat, or wicker door hinges eroding. “The prerequisite for repairs under the minor repair provisions is that the amount of damage and the associated costs are relatively low,” explains Klaus Dies from the Tenants Protection Association.
Repairing floors yourself is difficult. If the floors do not require radical intervention, then it is better to perform cosmetic repairs. But the poor condition of the floor requires entering the fourth stage.
Working with floors involves leveling them, filling up sagging areas or replacing the coating. This can also be done with your own hands, but consultation with specialists will not be superfluous. Linoleum, laminate, artificial parquet or parquet boards will allow you to quickly complete this repair.
Nine percent of the annual rent is legal
However, since there is no fixed fixed amount, and the prices of artisans and materials for last years have increased maximum size small-scale repair article rose up. On average, 100 euros are currently accepted for repairs. In addition to the cost ceiling, there are a number of other provisions in this section. One of the most important is that it includes maintenance on parts of the apartment that are subject to direct and frequent access by the tenant. “By definition, these are installation objects for electricity, water and gas, heating and cooking, window and door shutters, and formwork devices for window blinds,” explains Breyholt.
Processing stage
During operation, ceilings and walls are capable of absorbing a lot of things that one would not want to preserve.
Therefore, both ceilings and walls are subject to sanitary treatment:
- First, the cleaned surfaces are left to air for several hours.
- Then they are treated with an aqueous solution of copper sulfate. It will disinfect surfaces and eliminate accumulated odors. It doesn’t matter where to start processing - from the ceiling or walls. Processing can be done in parallel
- After treatment, you can begin priming the surfaces. This important work and it must be done responsibly. Using a primer, you can remove traces of moisture leakage, traces of removed mold or mildew. Sometimes the primer is repeated several times to get the desired result.
Flooring installation
Important to know: “If a small repair clause is included in the lease, the tenant cannot be asked to pay the landlord as often as he likes,” explains Dietmar Wall from the German Tenants Association. Rather, the boundary must be agreed upon. In case law, up to 9% of the annual rent is considered legal.
Adverse Participation
If the contract limit is significantly higher, the minor repair clause is automatically void and the landlord must pay for minor damages. The same is true if the amount invested for a custom renovation is too high, or if items are listed in a quote that doesn't have anything to look for in it, such as heating pipes, Dees adds.
If you put wallpaper on poor soil, it will very quickly reveal all the defects in the walls. This will reduce the level of quality of repairs and mood.
Stages of renovation in an apartment.
Sequence of repairs.
How to do repairs correctly.
Download instructions
1. Apartment renovation is of great importance, and will allow you to avoid many mistakes in the future.
Dismantling.
This means removing old wallpaper, facing tiles, elements of decorative plaster, washing off whitewash, dismantling unnecessary plasterboard systems and suspended ceilings, etc. (If there are any).
It is advisable to remove the flooring last. Let all the nastiness from the ceiling and walls fall on it during dismantling, and not on the base. If you do not change the floor covering, it must be well covered: first with thick oilcloth, and then with a layer of cardboard, so as not to damage it.
2. We are not touching the old windows and doors for now, we will return to them a little later. It will be enough to remove the cash card at the door. Everything is simple here, if you immediately install new windows and doors, then there is a high probability that during the repair you will damage them, or simply contaminate them, and then you will have to wash them, tint them, etc. If you leave them, then cover them thoroughly with thick film before starting work. That's probably all. Dismantling has been completed. Go ahead.
Layout of necessary communications.
Wiring (electrical, telephone, television, Internet, wires for acoustics, etc.).
Wiring of life support systems (communications for air conditioning, heating, water supply and sewerage, etc.).
These jobs are the dirtiest and must be done first. Naturally, everything needs to be calculated. You must clearly understand where you will have the TV, acoustic system or, for example, an aquarium that requires power sources.
3. Rough ceiling finish.
The main point of this point is that it is necessary to carry out only a rough finishing of the ceiling. As a result, we should get a ceiling ready for painting or pasting. Those. all work on plastering, installation of hanging systems, puttying, cleaning, installation of baguettes must be carried out.
If you immediately paint, or at least prime, then the work will be done in vain, because when preparing the walls there will still be a lot of dust and it will settle with “pleasure” on the freshly painted ceiling.
A special case is a suspended ceiling. I recommend installing it last.
4. Rough wall finishing.
It's time to replace old windows with new ones. Don't forget to cover them well.
5. We make slopes, if necessary we plaster the walls, putty them and clean them. By adhering to our sequence, the amount of dust that gets on the windows will be minimal. Nothing bad will happen if you complete steps 3 and 4 at the same time. The work performed is almost the same.
Floor screed.
We have almost completed the rough finishing. The ceiling and walls are ready for finishing. What about the floor? If you are leaving the old coating, then feel free to skip this point. If the coating is new and the base of the floor does not meet the established requirements, then it is necessary to perform a screed, or fill the base with a self-leveling solution, of which there are many on the market. After drying, proceed to the next step. If as
6. flooring
We prime the ceiling and walls. This is a very important point.
7. The primer has adhesive properties, it penetrates deep into the surface being treated and produces adhesion (gluing together small particles) - killing dust. It is very simple to check whether the surface is well primed - run your hand over the already dried primer, if there is no dust or dry putty residue left on your hand, then everything is in order - you can proceed to the next stage.
Finishing the ceiling.
It’s simple – just paint the ceiling or glue wallpaper.
8. Finishing the walls.
At this stage, you can paint the walls, or glue wallpaper, or you can do decorative plaster. It all depends on your desires and capabilities.
9. Installation of flooring.
Our premises are almost ready. There remains a small detail - installation of the floor covering. Laminate, linoleum, carpet or parquet boards will fit perfectly on the base we previously prepared.
If you have chosen parquet, then we have already laid it and sanded it, now we varnish it.
A special case is floor tiles. Its installation must be done after finishing the ceiling. Tile adhesive does not look very good on walls, and the likelihood of such an embarrassment is quite high.
10. Installation of new doors.
Now it's time to replace the doors.
11. Skirting board.
The last stage is the plinthing of the floor covering.
This is all. It's time to open the champagne - the job is done! This guide is not dogma. The instructions are based on personal experience