Re-layout of a single apartment in an old house: possible complications

Major repair and re-layout of single apartments in an old house, without adherence to technical requirements, without repair of the roof, garrets and (if indicated) of engineering communications, can cause not only damage of neighbor apartments but also have unpredictable consequences for an expensively reconstructed flat. According to the Article 26 of the Housing Code of Russian Federation, re-layout of apartments is allowed only after an approval of the layout by the local Municipality. It is not always observed, some reconstructions being thus formally illicit, which can have consequences one day. There follow several examples from the M.I. Babanin’s apartment house (Klimentovski pereulok 6 in Moscow), constructed in 1912 by the architect Ernst-Richard Niernsee. Last time, at least 6 freshly repaired apartments in the upper stores were flooded or damaged by water because of the leaky roof. Water originated from thawing snow accumulated on the roof (fig. 6). The house management was informed a month before about the technical conditions (in written form with photographs) but no measures were taken. Other possible sources of flooding are the tubes conducting hot water for heating, connected with new radiators, or waste water conduits, obstructed by garbage in the course of major repairs.

All images 2010
Fig. 1. Inner court of the house. Replaced window frames indicate that Euroremont (repairs according to European standards: see related articles) has been made in the apartment. A window is open for installment of new bearing structures (iron girders) in a single apartment.
Fig. 2. Major repairs in a singular flat.
Fig. 3. Interior of an apartment in the top floor after the completed Euroremont.
Fig. 4. Ceiling of the back stairs over the apartment shown in the preceding illustration.
Fig. 5. The garret above the apartment shown in the Fig. 3.
Fig. 6. Source of water: snow accumulated on the roof.
Fig. 7. Leakage from the ceiling in the apartment shown in the Fig. 3. The suspended ceiling bulging down under the load of water.
Fig. 8. Water damage in an apartment reconstructed in a pseudo-traditional style.
Fig. 9. Water damage in a freshly repaired flat with a complete re-layout.
Fig. 10. Another possible source of leakage: old tubes conducting hot water for heating, connected with new radiators. In this case, however, the damage was caused by another mechanism. The plumber made a “fake repair”: he opened the hot water conduit within the wall, assured the lodgers that he “did something” and took some money (although all repairs must be made free of charge, being included into the monthly maintenance fee). Later on it became obvious that water permeated from the roof, having affected 4 apartments one under another. All of them had been freshly repaired.