Experts named the most common mistakes during apartment renovation

Repair errors can impair the functionality of the room and spoil the interior, and sometimes even lead to expensive alterations. On March 7, experts from the Arlight LED equipment manufacturing company told Izvestia which defects are most often allowed during repairs and what needs to be considered in advance to avoid them.

Before starting work, it is better to describe in detail how much money it will take to complete them. When making estimates, you need to focus on the repair project. It is necessary to take into account the entire list of upcoming works, the number of materials and the cost of specialist services. It is advisable to lay down a financial reserve of about 20% in case of unplanned expenses. For example, if, after removing the old wallpaper, it turns out that the wall needs to be leveled.

Repairs are carried out from top to bottom — ceiling, walls, floor. Disruption of the sequence is one of the reasons for unplanned alterations. For example, if you first lay the floor covering and then start finishing the walls, the floor will need to be protected from contamination and mechanical impact.

In addition, lack of light is one of the common mistakes in repairs. For example, one ceiling chandelier is installed in a room, but it cannot evenly illuminate the entire room. As a result, the brightest light is in the ceiling area. At the same time, there is insufficient lighting at eye and hand level, and darkened areas form in some parts of the room, which greatly spoils the interior.

Often people do not pay attention to the color temperature, Arlight experts added. For example, warm light (2700-3000 K) is suitable for a bedroom, a recreation area. In the kitchen, in the children's room, and in the work area, it is better to use neutral lighting (3500-4000 K) — it simulates daylight and helps to maintain vigor and concentration. But it is better not to use light colder than 4000 K, so as not to disrupt circadian rhythms and not overload the nervous system.

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When choosing lamps, it is also worth considering the angle of scattering and the direction of light. A chandelier with a wide scattering angle is suitable for ceiling light, while a chandelier with a directional light stream is suitable for local lighting (for example, for illuminating paintings or reading areas).

Many people, in order to save on repairs, abandon noise insulation, which subsequently leads to neighborhood wars. Sound insulation of the floor is especially important in families where there are small children or part of the room is allocated for a home gym.

Hiding pipes in boxes or behind false walls is not the best idea. At the first leak, it will result in expensive repairs, besides there is a risk of flooding the neighbors. Even at the design stage, it is necessary to provide for the location of plumbing hatches that will provide access to pipes, risers and shut-off valves. The tub can be closed with a screen that can be removed entirely and provides access to the siphon.

Often, after repairs, people face a shortage of sockets and switches or their inconvenient location. Adding new ones involves cutting walls and wiring — and this turns into another full-fledged repair. Optimally, there are about 20% more outlets in the room than there are energy—consuming appliances, so there will be no problems connecting it when buying a new appliance. It is necessary to provide sockets in the bathroom, on the kitchen apron, on the balcony, in the hallway.

Architect Pavel Matveev said on January 3 that in order to increase the cost of the apartment, its owner needs to work with the layout. Recalling the importance of observing the principles of the "golden ratio", he stressed that what matters to buyers is not so much the number of rooms themselves as their ratio to each other and to the total area of the purchased housing. According to him, in an apartment with an area of about 60 square meters, three small bedrooms may be less comfortable than two more spacious ones. The expert also urged people who intend to sell their existing living space in the future to avoid sharp corners and sloping walls during its design, which may create inconvenience to a potential buyer.

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