Repair in a rented apartment with your own hands before and after

So, transformations are needed. But first you need to determine to what extent they are possible, what tactics to choose. Alas, here you have to discuss many things with the owners of the apartment.

If repairs can be made
Now there are a lot of comfortable, bright apartments for rent, with excellent repairs. There is nothing to say about such an option - most likely nothing will be required to change there, except to add some little things, accessories, what is in your taste, what creates the mood. But such accommodation will certainly not be the cheapest option.

Repairs should be light, cosmetic, not necessarily redo everything. Firstly, change what has really fallen into disrepair... Secondly, concentrate on what gives the effect of instant transformations... Necessarily - new wallpapers. They can provide fifty percent success. Further - you can lay linoleum or carpet, but do not lay parquet.

If repairs cannot be done
Unbelievable, but true - often the owners (especially pensioners) prohibit making not only any repairs, but even rearranging furniture. It is inexplicable, of course, why people do not want to improve an apartment at someone else's expense. Well, they don't want to - and don't. And there is no need to be discouraged in this case. Any apartment can always be renovated using other means. And the first step is get rid of unnecessary junk.

Firstly, you can fence off a compartment on the balcony or arrange a wardrobe where you can put them. Secondly, you can take it into the pantry, if there is one. Thirdly, you can arrange hanging boxes, shelves, mezzanines for old things in the apartment. Fourthly, if there is a garage, some of the things can be taken out there. Fifth, in the corridor, you can arrange a closet-pantry (if, of course, the size of the corridor allows).

Definitely need to change window decoration... Down with old curtains. Instead, hang up modern, beautiful fabrics, preferably lightweight, made from environmentally friendly materials. Play with the window design. You can make a beautiful lambrequin, hang multilayer curtains, attach all kinds of pendants to them, make beautiful tie-backs, hang the curtains asymmetrically and even make them different, then tying textiles of different designs into a composition by using appropriate sofa pillows, handmade ottomans.

In general, the key to making a rented apartment cozy is to create a beautiful eclecticism of your personal belongings and the things of the apartment owners, adding competent "connections" between them and original ideas.

The Village is launching a new column in which professional interior designers and decorators will advise on how to transform typical rented apartments into livable spaces. In the first issue, Anna and Mikhail Koshelevs, the owners of the design project and the authors of the article "How to equip an apartment for two: 10 recommendations for young couples", told what and how exactly needs to be done in order to give a rented apartment a cozy and residential look.

Description
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Clean apartment with all furniture and appliances. The furniture is modern and old. Export is being discussed. Windows from the room to the street, from the kitchen to the courtyard.

Anna and Mikhail Koshelev

Since the realtor assures that the apartment is clean (?!) And ready to move in, we fully admit that there will be those who find the apartment excellent and appreciate the presence of glass in the windows, the "antique" furniture and moderate stickiness of the kitchen apron. In the eyes of a more squeamish person, the apartment is in a sad state. We will give advice on improvement from a minimal volume to an increasingly deep modernization.Just pick the stage at which the changes seem irrational and say stop.

The owner, as we managed to find out from his representatives, is not in the city, and we did not find out how expensive it is for him to preserve the historical appearance of the apartment after you move out. So we decided to proceed from the most difficult option: everything is needed, every thing is dear as the age of the era, something can be changed, but at a minimum, all costs are on you.

- a bucket of white paint (at more difficult stages we will learn how to color it);

- a couple of boxes or containers for the master's junk;

- pillowcases for pillows in the kitchen (4 pieces), a few more for the living room and a couple of flat pillows on stools;

- two or three large plain cotton blankets - on the bed and on both sofas;

- tablecloth on the table (a little advice from us: it is better to use a bath curtain made of impregnated polyester as a tablecloth; oilcloth is a stone age, and the fabric tablecloth will have to be washed often);

- shower hardware and white curtain;

- handles for cupboards in the kitchen (those that are attached with one screw are also suitable), and also magnetic latches;

- a small bathroom mirror and a new toilet seat of your choice.

Suitable for those who already like the "design", or those who have never held a roller in their hands.

The first desire that arises (immediately after the desire to simply leave the room) is to get rid of unsanitary conditions. Therefore, we put everything that is unevenly in the container and proceed to cleaning. We paint the ceiling and the upper part of the walls. After finishing the work, we hang a mirror over the sink (it seems that a protruding screw is visible just to the left of the sink) and change the light bulb to a brighter one.

In the kitchen, we glue the facades of the cabinets with foil, while wrapping the corners inward so that the foil lasts longer, and we change the handles. Choose a film to your taste: it can be pearlescent, stone-like, or expensive-looking wood. But if you don't want to wishful thinking, choose a solid color. For example, white will return the kitchen to cleanliness, and your appetite. We paint the walls right on top of the wallpaper, the result will amaze you. We remind you that this is an option for a simple renovation. We dress the pillows in new solid and printed pillowcases. An inconspicuous white interior will look good with any choice. But it is better to stick to neutral tones: beige, gray, pastel shades. Cheap and bright is a risky choice. Think of an interior in the style of Philippe Starck, and you get a kindergarten in Mytishchi. Let just a couple of details be bright - a vase on the table and a lamp on the refrigerator. We put a new tablecloth on the table, repaint the stools. If you have foreseen, we cover the sofa with a plain blanket, and the stools with pillows.

Here, too, we paint the walls and change the bedspreads. We do not touch the cabinets in this version: they will take a lot of films, but they will not get better. Remember when we advised you to buy floor lamps? The magic is about to begin. Forget about the overhead light, place floor lamps throughout the apartment where you will be doing something: in the kitchen, by the bed, next to the sofa. Decorators use spot lighting for zoning, we will use the lack of light to draw attention away from imperfections.

People at this level already see the potential of the apartment: high ceilings, large windows. With due care, this will play into our hands.

In addition to the paint, we would buy a metal trowel and ready-made wall grout to cover the holes. You can hang a small sconce above the mirror. And if you buy a meter-long mirror and hang it behind the toilet, it will become much more spacious and lighter. The tile is also not hopeless. Using a nail or screwdriver, try to pick out the maximum amount of the old grout, and insert a new one with a silicone spatula.

Instead of the white wrap-around film, you can use the one you write on with chalk. The refrigerator will also make a good board for notes and drawings. The only place that stifled appetite was the tiled apron.It must be measured and asked to cut the laminated MDF sheets in the same hardware store. They cost about a thousand for a three-meter sheet. One will be more than enough. You can even glue on a wide double-sided tape. The sheets will sit on the countertop, and the tape will remain to hold everything upright. If the owner is upset with the change, peel it off, and the apron will be as good as new (that is, old).

A slightly increased budget will allow you to buy a pair of new stools or even inexpensive folding chairs with seat cushions. The kitchen will no longer be a disaster, but the walls are asking for coziness - hang a couple of spice shelves, a clock and a small poster above the table. Whatever one may say, the kitchen area allows, and we will spend a lot of time there. To avoid annoying non-closing cabinet doors, attach magnetic catches to them.

I want to move the sofa close to the wall, and put a lamp on the floor by the window. The curtain seems to be synthetic, so it is better to get rid of it and replace it with a cotton one. On the windowsill, you can put a vase of flowers or some kind of plant in a long balcony box.

We advise you to simply peel off the wallpaper and paint the plaster with paint. The style will be quite a loft. The room will start to look acceptable, but it will look even better with large photographs and posters on the walls.

We are very annoyed by a terrible and stupid curbstone. What if you are lucky and it will burn or thieves will steal it? It is unlikely that the owner will demand more than 15 rubles from you for compensation. So it was decided - to the landfill. The bed looks bearable, but if we talk about design claims, it is worth organizing the headboard (you can make it out of boards, books, oars, whatever). Place at least one curbstone next to the bed to place a lamp on it. Or screw the retractable sconce to the wall so you can read.

The only thing that does not beg for a landfill is the curtain. Add printed curtains to it. They will not blend in with the wardrobe, but it is so old that it is better to get rid of it and replace it with a rack or chest of drawers.

Budget about 100,000 rubles

You yourself can re-rent such an apartment and for that kind of money, having beaten off the cost of repairs in a few months. At this stage, the changes for the owner of the apartment will already become noticeable and nothing will be returned. But you can minimize the risks if you take all the things that please you and do not deliver the owner with you when you check out.

When we rented an apartment, all the walls were decorated with signs and signs. From the US Postal Department to Soviet warnings "From a bottle of vodka to an accident". And guests at the entrance were greeted by a 20-year-old Vespa.

It's time to add personality to the home. You work as someone, right? Journalist - Bring magazines and make a coffee table out of them. Fashion designer? You probably have an extra mannequin on the leg. Worse if you are a programmer or politician. But in the first case, you can afford a headboard from old keyboards, but in the second, it's a disaster. We don't even know how to help.

You will be surprised how cheap the toilet and sink are. You don't have to be a designer to recommend replacing this craquelure toilet. But it takes some courage to just do it. Wooden "garden" tiles can be laid on the floor. It is assembled from small squares and is suitable for any room configuration. So, you have a clean, pretty bathroom with a toilet bowl as white as Valery Leontyev's smile.

In any large construction hypermarket, buy a leaf of a tree (pine is cheaper, larch is more expensive, but more textured) and a jar of furniture wax (preferably oak, darker). Ask to cut the tree right in the store. Place the cut, wax-soaked sheet on top of your kitchen counter and you have an almost designer table. The next step might be to look for prettier legs.

In the store, also cut boards or lining for a kitchen apron.Pine is a short-lived material for these purposes, but it will look great for a couple of years, and it costs only 180 rubles per square meter.

There is also a trick with a chandelier from our past: you buy a new one and change it for a while while you live in this apartment, and then you return everything back.

The sofa can be given a second chance by overtightening it with an inexpensive thick curtain fabric. You will need a construction stapler, and then it's small, just take care of your fingers.

We would paint the bed frame black and cover it with a nice thick bedspread, hanging three photo frames of the same size over our heads. But you really need to get rid of the cabinet. Choose cheap replacement furniture at IKEA and dilute this Scandinavian idyll with something personal: bring decor from trips in the same style or color (for example, photo frames or plates that can be hung on the wall), go to flea markets (in Moscow, by the way, in one nook in Izmailovo you can buy the most fashionable woolen retro carpets from Ossetia for 3 thousand rubles), catch interesting chairs and pedestals at Avito. Make sure that the decor is made from natural materials. And beware of cluttering up with unnecessary things: let useful things be the decor - lamps, kitchen utensils, textiles.

Dear readers, for a long time we have not had such extensive posts-tutorials on apartment renovation. I am pleased to offer one of the manuals for reading.

This summer we did a phased decoration of a two-room apartment. First, all the furniture and things were dragged into one room, locked and sealed. After the renovation of the adjacent room and kitchen, everything was moved to the finished premises and the remaining room, corridor, bathroom and toilet were completed. In general, it is not the most convenient repair option. Task: to make good-quality inexpensive repairs from budget materials. Terms: June 10-July 24 - the first stage, August 4-September 10 - the second stage. Estimate: 295800r (only work + stretch ceilings) All work, except for the installation of interior doors and the installation of two of the three windows, was done on our own. There are a lot of photos, so I will post as much as I can and free time appears. So, this is how the “object” appeared before us

the parquet fell off by itself, dismantling consisted of collecting it from the floor and folding it into bags.

This pipe leads to the coil in the bathroom.

Here is such a horror object, we dismantle everything that is possible

First of all, the windows are installed, this window was installed by another company with which the customer agreed earlier

a cold cupboard can be seen under the window, and a radiator hangs behind a door leaning against the wall. The logical solution was to insulate the cabinet and install a new radiator in its place.

on the Perlfix assembly glue we glue the extruded polystyrene foam, then the gypsum board on the same glue

Getting started plastering

first of all, we put our branded beacons

in some places we use the combined technology of leveling the walls, from above the gypsum board is glued to Perlfix, and from below the layer is plastered to a lesser extent

Waste plasterboard can be embedded in a thick layer of plaster

we change the hot water and cold water pipes, the piping to the coil, fill the grooves with plaster

When plastering corners, do not forget about 90 degrees, and of course, verticality

we form the entrance opening using a plank box

We install the window sill and slopes

We bought a special grinder for sanding the walls, it connects to a vacuum cleaner, a great thing

before leveling the floors, we fill in all large defects of the DSP floor

We level large differences without beacons with a semi-dry screed

In the corridor we break part of the old screed with a large crusher

vacuuming, priming, making a rough leveling, vacuuming priming.

we divide the corridor into parts using scrap materials.

slippers for “walking on water” are made of OSB, self-tapping screws and a glamorous strap with rhinestones

And this happened due to the fact that a thick layer of soft seal was laid between the gypsum wall and the ceiling

the cracks were repaired with pearlfix, putty and the ceiling was put on. That is why it is better to stretch ceilings before wallpapering.Another reason why you should stretch the ceilings before finishing the walls is a possible hit during the installation of the baguette into the electrical wiring (for example, as in this video) And finally, even with the most careful installation of the ceiling, there is a risk of damage to the wallpaper, therefore, we glue the wallpaper only after the stretch ceiling, and we lay the floor coverings after them too.
This miracle of technology is called construction stilts, with their help, all work at a height, including stretch ceilings, is done many times faster. In Russia, these are practically not sold, and if they are sold, they are expensive. We bought it via e-bay. We want to buy something else later, but more on that later.

a mandatory attribute for finishing, this is a vacuum cleaner. As they say, cleanliness is a guarantee of quality

At this stage, stage 1 ends, we open the sealed room, we give the customer time to transfer things. Since the customer has little time and can only do this on weekends, we leave for another facility for 10 days. The object is a kitchen in the old fund, where we made cosmetic repairs, later I will also post a photo report.
So, we are back, the middle room is empty, again dismantling (((

How to make a rented apartment cozy? How to turn someone else's dwelling into a cozy room without extra costs, to which you will be pleased to return? With a little effort, transforming the environment is easy to change and bring it closer to home with the help of decoration.

1. Always take your textiles with you

The simplest and most proven way to change the decor is textiles. Such an undertaking is unlikely to be expensive. But creating an individual modern style in a room is easier with curtains, bedspreads, blankets, rugs, chair covers. Moreover, they are easy to transport in the event of a change of apartment.

- Perhaps you shouldn't skimp on good bedding. Most often, there is no time to make a bedspread. A beautiful bedding set is a great alternative to a bedspread: it will always look beautiful, even when it is not put away.

2. Light will make the room more familiar

Typically, there is always one central chandelier in a room. A good way to transform a setting is to add additional lights. It is better that the lamps and floor lamps are on the clamps. So with their help it is easier to create mood and lighting solutions. If you hang your special lamp, the room will become closer and dearer to you.

3. When there is one apartment for three

Nowadays it is fashionable to rent an apartment for two or three people. It is both more economical and more fun. Collective arrangement is more rational: someone will bring curtains, someone a rug, iron and other necessary little things.

Use metal baskets or any other baskets to help you organize your personal belongings. If you wish, mark each one - where is whose.

Decorative pillows are a real find. With their help, it is easy to create uniform compositions on armchairs and sofas for a competent stylistic addition to the interior.

You can use different colors and shapes here. On chairs and stools, they are used to soften. And if friends come, there is always a place on the floor where you can sit on the pillows.

Poufs are also great additional sources of comfort. They are easy to move around and create such a cozy environment.

Don't throw away glass jars. They can be easily adapted as convenient containers for storing food. Functional and beautiful, even if there is no kitchen set. An open shelf made of a wide board is quite suitable for this purpose.

Glass containers will come in handy if there are no special vases for flowers. This is the quickest and cheapest way to decorate a room, albeit a short-lived one. In winter, instead of flowers, use dry twigs as decoration.

6. Photos, paintings, posters

An old proven way to quickly make a room feel cozy and homey is with photographs, paintings, and posters. It is especially important to use them when the wall is empty or does not look very attractive.

A large poster or painting will also save the day.They will bring positive energy into the room. The room will take on a trendy look.

- Usually the walls in a rented dwelling leave much to be desired - faded and uninteresting. You can repaint them to your liking, if the landlord permits. Or hang a large poster with your favorite story in a prominent place. Use stickers that are easy to remove without leaving any residue.

To match the colors from the plot on the poster (no more than 2-3 colors), choose bright pillowcases, you can even sew them yourself. Lay them out on the sofa or bed, add a blanket, rug. All this will add comfort! You can also replace the master's curtains with those that match the color of the new decor elements.

In our reality, economy-class rental housing rarely boasts a design solution or renovation. Usually these are old apartments, inherited by the owners from their grandmothers, renovated and furnished from the Soviet era. But even such an apartment can be made pleasant and comfortable for life - without major repairs and buying new furniture.

With the help of wallpaper, you can transform the interior beyond recognition: correct proportions, add volume and air. At the same time, it is not necessary to paste over the entire room with wallpaper: one wall is enough to update the interior. Thus, you can zone the space (for example, highlight the head of the bed or the back of the sofa), add depth to the room and place accents.

In addition, vinyl stickers can be used - they are easy to use and will not damage the surface of the walls.

Leaky wallpaper, smudges on the ceilings, a wiped floor: all this does not make a rented apartment more comfortable, and life more comfortable.> Tells how to quickly and inexpensively make repairs in a rented apartment and not regret it.

The main rule of renovation in rented housing is the minimum cost on your part. The lease agreement today most often spelled out the opportunity for the owner to break it off ahead of schedule without explaining the reasons, which means that even if he assured that the apartment was rented for several years, after a while the owner can easily ask you to vacate the living space. This may be due to the fact that, having made a good repair, you will increase the liquidity of the apartment, and the owner will want to rent it out at a higher price.

Before you rush to make renovation in someone else's apartment, you need to think about whether it is possible to do with "little blood". First of all, you need to use all the funds that you can take with you in the event of a move. Even the most simple, but beautiful curtains can radically change the atmosphere of an apartment, and even a cheap disposable tablecloth can make the kitchen more comfortable.

You should not immediately rush to re-glue the wallpaper if previous tenants or the owner have left stains on them: first you need to try to wash off the dirt. A well-placed light can also help to change the atmosphere in a rented home: a well-chosen floor lamp makes even the most unkempt room cozy. In addition, you can make a rearrangement by throwing out or removing old and unnecessary furniture on the balcony.

If you do decide to make repairs, then you need to remember the golden rule: it should not take you more than two or three days, while there should be no talk of hiring workers: you need to repair yourself. An exception may be the situation when you make repairs to the apartment instead of paying rent. It is worth noting that this can be a rather risky undertaking: often after the repair is done, the owner kicks out the tenants, citing unforeseen circumstances.

Repair in an apartment is of two types: cosmetic and major. The second type of repair is rarely asked by the owners of the tenants, unless, of course, they are professional workers. However, redecoration can be different: if everyone can glue the wallpaper and update the ceiling, then professionals should lay the tiles in the bathroom, sheathe the walls with laminated panels and make the stretch ceiling.

You should not negotiate with the owner in words about how to “cut the rent by a third for new plumbing”: all the amounts spent on building materials must be confirmed by receipts from the store on the one hand and an agreement on the other. The problem most often lies not in the fact that the owner is asleep and sees how to deceive the tenants, but that people may have different tastes and attitudes towards housing. What the tenants see as a temporary refuge is property for the owner, and therefore, most often, all the cavils about the quality of materials, plumbing and repairs occur. This means that before starting work, you need to find out the tastes and preferences of the owner in as much detail as possible, and ideally, go to the hardware store together for materials.

Most often, repairs in a rented apartment include gluing new wallpaper, painting the ceiling and replacing the floor covering (linoleum or carpet). Unevenness and stains in the ceiling can also be covered with foam panels, which are easy to install. Self-adhesive foil is well suited for finishing a bathroom, and plastic panels for finishing a kitchen.

The choice of materials for renovation in rented housing is a crucial moment, because, on the one hand, they should not be expensive, because the apartment is still not yours. On the other hand, the cheapest wallpaper, linoleum, and especially plumbing tend to deteriorate quickly, and you will have to deal with the consequences. In addition, you need to remember that you will be doing the repairs yourself, and, for example, the cheapest paper wallpaper will be much more difficult to glue than non-woven wallpaper.

If in order to prove the cost of materials, the owner needs to show receipts from the store, then the assessment of the effort spent on repairs is a rather delicate moment. After all, even preparing walls and gluing wallpaper may require busy people 3-4 days off and several evenings on weekdays, and this work costs money. Most often, the cost of work ranges from 30% to 50% of the rent. If we talk about the price of turnkey repairs, then for one room, with stretch ceilings, wallpapering and replacing the floor covering (laminate), it ranges from 80 to 100 thousand rubles, not counting the cost of building materials (about 25-40 thousand).