When they talk about "Khrushchevs", they mean cramped rooms and inconvenient layouts. But the housing program, launched on the initiative of NS Khrushchev, allowed many Soviet families to receive apartments in a short time. Until now, the children and grandchildren of these lucky ones live in them.
Panel and brick high-rise buildings were erected in a matter of months, and along with them - shops, schools, gardens, playgrounds. People have become more selective these days. They are no longer satisfied with the cramped walls of tiny apartments. It's time for redevelopment.
Features of the layout
Before changing Khrushchev, you need to understand what it is. In almost all standard projects, 2-room apartments have adjoining rooms. Their total area is 40-45 sq m, living area - 26-31 sq m, ceiling height - 250 cm, thickness of outer walls - 30-40 cm. Due to thin walls, heat and sound insulation is weak. In such apartments, bathrooms can be combined or separate.
The small area, the presence of walk-through rooms, low ceilings, the absence of elevators in the houses make this housing not the most attractive, so residents are turning to redevelopment.
The main problem of the upcoming changes is registration in the BTI. Faced with the difficulties of obtaining documents, tenants try not to advertise the alterations of their living space. And in vain, since an apartment with an illegal layout cannot be sold, donated or made any other legal action.
The positive aspects include the ability to remove the walls inside the room (since there are no load-bearing walls in the Khrushchevs) and start a new project with any fantasies. Most often, the kitchen and the corridor are rebuilt.… Many people combine a bathroom. In its original form, the bathroom contained a sink and the bathroom itself (there was no place for a washing machine). Combining a bathroom, the toilet is left in place, and the sewer riser cannot be moved. The bathroom is turned to another wall or a shower stall is placed.
A washing machine is placed in the resulting area. Minimal pieces of furniture are possible. The corridor becomes larger due to the storage room. The built-in wardrobe will completely replace it. Rooms are often combined into one … And by connecting them with the kitchen and the corridor, you can get a studio. In this option, you will have to replace the gas oven with an electric one or build a partition like a wardrobe.
In gas supply conditions, the kitchen must be isolated from the living quarters.
In Khrushchev, you can dismantle storerooms, mezzanines, niches and any utility rooms. You can transfer doorways or make them in the form of arches. Installation of a second entrance door is also permissible.
It is allowed to combine living space with a balcony, provided it is insulated. At the same time, part of the load-bearing wall under the window is disassembled. But general heating radiators must remain in place. A bar counter is made above them. In the redevelopment of a two-room apartment, other features should be taken into account, or rather, what cannot be done:
- touch load-bearing walls (for example, make an additional window). They may be allowed to make a door if an extension is planned;
- transfer radiators to loggias and balconies;
- dismantle or brick up ventilation ducts;
- expand the bathroom, bathroom at the expense of a living room or kitchen. This can be done by dismantling the pantry or reducing the corridor;
- apartments located on different floors cannot be combined due to the installation of interfloor ceilings;
- the kitchen cannot be transferred to a living room or bathroom, but can only be expanded;
- in the same way, you cannot transfer a bathroom or a bathroom to the territory of a living space. This is due not only to the complexities of the general sewer system, but also leaks that can occur in the living rooms of the neighbors downstairs;
- the transfer of gas pipes is prohibited;
- dismantling the sewer riser;
- you cannot arbitrarily attach balconies and other structures;
- these conditions must be met so as not to harm the home. Failure to comply with them is punishable by fines.
Taking into account all the prohibitions and opportunities, a redevelopment project is drawn up for submission to the housing commission. But it should be remembered that emergency housing is not allowed to rebuild.
How to visually expand the space?
The area of the apartment will be expanded in a banal way - remove all the walls. It is allowed to do this in "kopeck pieces". For example, in a corner apartment, after such changes, there will be two windows in the room, which will make the room brighter. You can "play" with the size, but there are many other tricks with which you can deceive your vision without resorting to destruction.
White expands the space, while dark makes it deep … By choosing the right color scheme for the walls, you can get additional volume. The ceiling can be made mirrored … This will take your gaze into another space. If there is no readiness for radical solutions, a glossy stretch ceiling will help. Moreover, a dark color will reflect more.
You can create dark plasterboard structures around the edges of the trim, and in the central part - a white gloss. This technique increases the ceiling well.
A self-leveling floor with a deep pattern, longitudinally directed floorboards, light glossy tiles in non-residential areas - everything will play to the visual increase in the territory. In a small room, you don't need to accentuate furniture. Let it blend in with the general background of the room. There shouldn't be a lot of it. Multifunctional transformers will suit any small space.
A properly designed window will work too. It is better to refuse a complex and newfangled design. The window should be simple and light. If the curtains fall on the floor, the ceiling will appear higher.
For the kitchen - a maximum of blinds or thin curtains. Lighting will complement the work on expanding the space. It is better to refuse the central chandelier.. Spot lighting is more suitablelocated along the walls. You can highlight glass furniture or walls with accents for paintings and mirrors. Living rooms can be kept separate if space is handled correctly.
Beautiful layout options
The fashionable projects of the Khrushchev era are poorly matched to the needs of modern residents. Walk-through rooms are so small that living in them is uncomfortable even for one person, not to mention the family, so all alteration options and any design should only work to increase the area.
Starting work on redevelopment, you need to clearly know how and for whom the rebuilt premises will serve. Better to sketch a picture of future changes. But no matter how exciting the flight of imagination, there should always be three zones in the apartment: a kitchen, a bedroom, a place for rest and communication. The presence of a bathroom and a bathroom goes without saying.
There may be some difficulties in redeveloping corner housing. In it, the area of the walls facing the street is larger than in interior apartments. Therefore, they are more capable of receiving cold and sound, and this should be taken into account when starting construction work. There are different options for improving living space, for example:
- adjoining rooms are separated by a small corridor;
- the living room is combined with the kitchen (do not forget that the working area of the kitchen must be closed at least by a movable partition);
- bathroom and toilet are combined;
- you can use the studio option - when all partitions in the living room are removed;
- you can increase the territory by using a balcony or loggia. In this case, it is worth remembering the inviolability of the heating system. By destroying the dividing window, the radiator can be covered with a bedside table or bar counter;
There are many variants of Khrushchev's "kopeck pieces" and they will have to be rebuilt individually, so one project is not enough for everyone. Let's try to consider the options:
for "undershirt" the symmetrical arrangement of the rooms is characteristic. The doors of each of them open onto the corridor from different sides. The layout is not bad, alterations in such apartments are more often associated with an increase in the kitchen, bathroom or toilet. Alternatively, it is proposed to connect a bathroom with a toilet, and a kitchen with one of the rooms
option "tram" unsuccessful for living if there are more than two people in the family. When one room passes into another, someone has to live in the aisle. In such cases, the corridor is lengthened and the rooms are made separate. And the end of the corridor is used with a spacious wardrobe
"book" also has a passing room. Here you can combine the hall with the kitchen, and separate the bedroom with a corridor
rooms in the "mini-improved" all are separate, and the bathroom is not connected to the bathroom. But even this version of the apartment requires improvement. The kitchen of 5 sq m is far from comfort. You can try to disassemble the pantry, move the bathroom and add a few desired meters to the kitchen
It is impossible to make a full-fledged three-room apartment from a "kopeck piece", because it is planned according to the principle: one room - one window. You can specify in the plan, for example, a dressing room, and instead of shelves, squeeze in a desk, but there will not be comfort in such a deaf room even with good lighting
there is another redevelopment option (the most radical) - to disassemble all the walls and plan the rooms in your own way. In this case, it should be remembered that the heating, communications and ventilation system cannot be changed
Those living in Khrushchevs should not be afraid of change. If funds have been accumulated and there is a desire, it is better to start changing your life from your home. It should become the one to which you will always want to return.
For information on how to give a second life to "Khrushchev", see the next video.