The two-room Khrushchev apartment is the most common type of apartment during the period of mass construction of panel houses in the USSR, thanks to which in the 60s–90s many families acquired their own housing. In this article we will tell you how to improve a small two-room apartment.

Layout of a 2-room Khrushchev house

A typical Khrushchev apartment has a very small kitchen - 5-6 square meters. Another feature is low ceilings up to 2.7 meters. Two-room apartments without redevelopment are often inconvenient, especially if the second room is a walk-through room.

The standard area of ​​a two-room Khrushchev apartment is about 43-44 square meters. The houses are five-story. Most of the rooms are adjacent, the windows face one side (with the exception of the corner apartment with two windows). The advantages of a Khrushchev apartment include a storage room and a balcony.

Let's take a closer look at the most common types of layouts.

Book

This layout is considered the most unfortunate: a walk-through room with a wide doorway plays the role of a dining room, and in a family with children it also serves as a bedroom. Privacy in such a space is difficult to achieve. To divide the rooms, you will have to sacrifice part of the room. Without partitions, the demolition of which requires permission, the Khrushchev building can be turned into a spacious studio.

The photo shows a small corner kitchen with a built-in refrigerator and a table built into the window sill.

Tram

The layout received this popular name (the word “locomotive” is also used) for the rooms located one behind the other, reminiscent of carriages. A living room with a balcony is a walk-through room, but remodeling solves this problem: if you cut off part of the room and turn it into a corridor with two entrances, you can organize a storage system in the resulting niche.

The photo shows a room in cream tones with an accent wall in the television area.

The photo shows a project of a two-room Khrushchev house of 44 sq. m.

Baby vest

It’s a quite convenient layout, in which the rooms are separated by a kitchen and a hallway, but this type of Khrushchev is rare. It is also called a “butterfly” due to the similarity of the rooms with symmetrical wings.

The photo shows a tiny kitchen, where glossy white invisible cabinets occupy the entire ceiling space.

Redevelopment of Khrushchev

Owners of budget two-room Khrushchev apartments are increasingly deciding to remodel their apartment, and rightly so: redevelopment allows you to separate two rooms, isolate family members from each other, and increase free space.

Important points when reconstructing an apartment

Before you start rebuilding, you need to pay attention to several nuances:

• Before repairs, you should draw up a detailed design project with all calculations. This will help avoid any hiccups in the future.
• All changes in the Khrushchev building must be included in the technical passport of the apartment; for this you need to contact the BTI.
• The floors inside the Khrushchev building are not load-bearing, so it will not be difficult to coordinate such a modification.

Popular redevelopment ideas

Practice shows that reconstruction of Khrushchev-era buildings gives amazing results - when combining a bathroom, space is freed up for a washing machine; When the partition between the room and the kitchen is demolished, space appears for the dining table. The diagrams below show several more ways to increase the comfort of two-room Khrushchev apartments.

2 rooms adjacent

Adjacent rooms are those that have a common wall. A layout with adjoining rooms and different entrances is called a “mini-improvement.” If the apartment has a storage room, it can be used to increase the kitchen area: the storage room is dismantled, the bathroom is moved to its place, and 3 square meters are added to the kitchen area.

The photo shows an enlarged kitchen in a two-room Khrushchev house, where there was room for a dining table.

Without a partition between the kitchen, the Khrushchev apartment will turn into a Euro two-room apartment, and the owner will receive a spacious kitchen-living room. If the kitchen is gasified, the opening must be equipped with a sliding partition. The loggia can be insulated and used as an office.

With a walk-through room

This layout is convenient if a person lives alone. The tiny kitchen has enough space for a small table and everything you need for cooking, and one of the rooms will become a living room with a passage to the bedroom. If a couple or a family with a child lives in a two-room Khrushchev house, the apartment needs to be remodeled. By erecting an additional partition, the corridor is enlarged, the interior door is moved to a new location and the residents receive two isolated rooms.

The photo shows a renovated Khrushchev building, where the walk-through room serves as a dining room and living room.

By reconstructing the flooring, many designers achieve an increase in the height of the room to 3 meters. This allows you to visually change the appearance of the room, build in tall, spacious cabinets and install a loft bed.

From a two-room apartment to a three-room apartment

When arranging a three-room apartment in a small-sized Khrushchev building, the rooms will be significantly reduced in size. One of them may lose daylight. The solution in such a situation is windows in the partition, openings under the ceiling or a false window.

The photo shows a completely changed two-room Khrushchev house: the bedroom is located behind a wall with a window, and the corridor has been converted into a living room.

Studio in Khrushchev

If you demolish all the walls (except for the load-bearing ones), you will get an apartment with an open plan. All that remains is to zone the space with a table, light partitions or upholstered furniture.

The photo shows a modern apartment with history and an open layout.

Room zoning

A spacious room often needs to be divided into zones. It is convenient to separate the kitchen from the room with a table or bar counter. In order to hide the bed in the living room, glass or slatted partitions are erected, screens are placed, and curtains are hung. It is important that the design does not “eat up” the space.

In the photo, a small kitchen is separated by a multifunctional bar counter.

It is useful to separate zones with an open shelving: it will not only act as a partition, but will also become a place to store things.

In the photo there is a partition rack that separates the sofa and the bed. To avoid cluttering the room, some things are put away in boxes.

Interior design of rooms

Let's look at the design of a two-room Khrushchev house in detail, because each individual room has its own characteristics.

Living room

The more people live in the apartment, the more crowded the central room in the Khrushchev building is - the hall. To make it not only convenient for all family members to gather here in the evenings, but also to receive guests, the place to sleep should be hidden. A good solution is a folding sofa bed. When folded, it does not take up much space. Opposite it you can hang a TV or install a decorative fireplace. Sometimes a walk-through room can combine the role of a dining room, living room and bedroom.

Kitchen

In a cramped kitchen of 6 sq. meters it is not easy to place modern equipment and a dining area. Without redevelopment, such a small area would hardly fit a four-burner stove, a work surface and a refrigerator.

To save precious centimeters, it is recommended to use built-in appliances (they take up less space), two-burner stoves, and transformable furniture. If you move the communications to the window, the sink can be built into the window sill. It is easier to equip a dining room in a room, or in the passage between the kitchen and the room vacated after the demolition of the partition.

The photo shows a kitchen in a two-room Khrushchev-era apartment, covered with photo wallpaper with a perspective that makes the room visually deeper.

Bedroom

The place to sleep and rest is most often located in the back room. In standard series, this is a narrow space, reminiscent of a trailer, in which there is room for a double bed, a wardrobe and a table. It is decorated in neutral colors so as not to overload the decor. Mirrors are used to expand the space, and furniture with legs is used to add lightness to the interior.

An excellent option is to use mirrored cabinets on the sides of the bed, which seem to go deeper into a niche. A shelf at the head is used to store things.

Bathroom and toilet

In two-room Khrushchev apartments, both separate and combined bathrooms are common. The best way to save space is to install a shower stall, but not every year you have to give up a full bath.

The washing machine can be installed under the sink or instead of it. To preserve air and light in a small bathroom, you should use a minimum of multi-colored elements and open shelves. For finishing, it is better to choose white glossy tiles; their use gives an amazing effect: the boundaries are visually erased, the amount of light increases.

The photo shows a white bathroom in a minimalist style, the niche of which is decorated with a mirror.

Children's room

The small dimensions of a two-room Khrushchev house for a family with a child are not a reason to refuse an interesting and functional design: you just need to apply a few tricks that will allow you to fit everything you need into the nursery. These include pictures on the wall, corner tables, and bunk beds. The space between the ceilings should not be neglected - cabinets with things can be placed there.

Hallway and corridor

To use the hallway in a Khrushchev-era building to store outerwear and shoes, it is recommended to choose a closet up to the ceiling: this will save space and fit more things. Some two-room Khrushchev apartments are equipped with storage rooms that can be converted into dressing rooms.

Office or workplace

A place to work at a computer often requires privacy. The office can be arranged on an insulated balcony, in a niche, allocated a few meters by the window or hidden behind curtains.

Ideas for renovating a two-room apartment in Khrushchev

A small apartment can look stylish and spacious if you approach the design with imagination. Experts recommend decorating the walls and ceiling in light pastel shades, but you can always deviate from these tips: for example, make the ceiling half a tone darker, add bright accents, original furniture, dynamic prints. A decorative fireplace will decorate the living room and add comfort and elegance.

The photo shows a built-in wardrobe with mirrored doors, which significantly saves space, increases light and visually deepens the room.

The photo shows the renovation of a two-room Khrushchev house in Provence style.

Flooring with natural wood textures is still trending, blending with any decor and adding warmth. In narrow rooms, laminate or parquet should be laid across the room to visually expand it. It is better if the entire apartment has the same flooring (except for the bathroom and kitchen): this will help maintain the unity of the design.

The photo shows a loft-style living room with laminate flooring laid across the room.

How to arrange an apartment?

To make the space more complex and interesting, in a two-room Khrushchev it is worth using multi-level lighting. Spotlights in the ceiling look modern and are functional: you can route the wiring to adjust the amount of light. Local lighting deepens the space, and light directed from above emphasizes low ceilings.

Furniture placement plays an equally important role. Typically, rooms are divided into “private” and “public” areas. Even if there are more than two people living in an apartment, it is quite possible to create their own corner for everyone. For example, a bed on a podium that acts as storage and sleeping space gives a sense of privacy and seclusion. To save space in the common area, you can use a corner sofa (it occupies a corner that is often left free), and instead of dining chairs, purchase stools (they can be easily hidden under the table).

The photo shows a living room with an original chandelier and a home theater decorated with LED strip lighting.

Decor and textiles are what gives a typical two-room Khrushchev house originality. Thick curtains add coziness, but narrow the space and absorb light, so in order not to overload the room, you should choose a plain, laconic fabric. Bright decorative details (paintings, photo wallpapers with fashionable prints, accent walls) look advantageous only against a neutral background.

Design examples in various styles

By adhering to a certain style in the design of a two-room Khrushchev house, the owner provides his home with attractiveness and a special character, and the small dimensions of the apartment fade into the background. Who will pay attention to a cramped living room if it is designed in a loft style? Flooded with light, with aged brickwork and original furniture, an industrial apartment will be remembered as a stylish space, not a Khrushchev-era apartment.

The Scandinavian approach will be ideal for a small apartment: light colors, natural textures and fine lines in decor and furniture design will surprisingly give the interior airiness, spaciousness and at the same time comfort. If you apply the same techniques, reducing the number of things and decorations, the two-room Khrushchev apartment will be decorated in a minimalist style, which is distinguished by restraint and laconicism.

Modern style absorbs all the best from other trends, distinguished by thoughtfulness and attractiveness of the environment. Bright accents are used throughout, and the furniture is multifunctional. Lighting, color design and mirrors will increase the area, fitting perfectly into the interior.

Classic style, thanks to exquisite furniture, luxurious decor in the form of arches, stucco molding and expensive textiles, will create a sophisticated interior in which it will be easy to forget about the small dimensions of a two-room Khrushchev-era apartment.

High-tech is the style that stands apart from others. As if spied on from the future, with plenty of lighting, gloss and rounded furniture in light colors, it will dissolve boundaries and make Khrushchev unrecognizable.

The photo shows a dining area decorated with mirrors that add complexity and depth to the room.

Photo gallery

Soviet standard apartments are no worse than others for comfortable living: redevelopment can breathe new life into Khrushchev, and a stylish interior will hide the shortcomings of a small space.

Millions of people live in small apartments with a standard layout. Dreaming of modern and comfortable housing, some owners are thinking about moving. Others arrange renovations in a 2-room Khrushchev house, the photo of which after the work has been carried out hardly reveals the time the house was built. Thanks to a huge range of building materials and limitless variations of ready-made design solutions, today you can realize any desires. The main thing is not to neglect the advice of specialists.

Differences between the Khrushchev two-room apartment and other apartments

Khrushchev buildings were the first multi-storey buildings of mass construction. During the Soviet era, apartments in them were distributed almost free of charge, which solved the problem of an acute housing shortage. A small area, walk-through rooms, and inconvenient placement of doors distinguishes them from “Stalin” and other houses. There are other, no less significant drawbacks: low sound insulation, low ceilings, small hallway and kitchen, lack of a balcony on the ground floor. In the current market, such real estate is of little value.

Despite the obvious disadvantages, there are also advantages here. Each dwelling from the time of N.S. Khrushchev has storage rooms. The bathroom is usually combined, which saves space. And the design options for such rooms are endless. Why buy standard furniture and sacrifice a large bathroom, if even in a Soviet two-room apartment you can implement any ideas?

Advantages of redevelopment

Demolishing the interior partitions is the simplest solution. Depending on the planned design of a two-room Khrushchev house, a room and a kitchen, an entrance hall and a hall, a storage room and a bedroom are combined. If the bathroom and toilet are separated, the wall between them should be removed. As a result, the usable space will increase and the home will visually become larger.

Before demolishing walls, you must consult with a specialist and contact the appropriate services to obtain permission.

Only non-load-bearing supports are allowed to be removed, or rash actions will lead to tragedy. It is not necessary to break the entire wall; sometimes it is enough to make a wide arch. This method is appropriate for organizing a dining area in a room, because a small kitchen will not allow you to install a large table and chairs. Options for renovating a 2-room apartment depend only on the amount of available finance and imagination.

Dimensions

The layout of Khrushchev houses, consisting of 2 rooms, comes in 4 types:

Layout type	total area	Features of the location of the rooms
		The kitchen, living room and bedroom are located next to each other.
	about 47 sq. m	Two rooms in such an apartment have one adjacent wall. The living room is usually corner.
Improved		An apartment without a walk-through room with a very small kitchen and separate bathroom.
		The kitchen is located between two rooms.

The “book” is quite inconvenient, both in its original form and in its modified form. Since the rooms follow each other, it is impossible to radically redesign the room.

Combining rooms

When entering the house, the first thing that catches your eye is the hallway. In Khrushchev it is small, narrow and dark. If you enlarge the doorway in the room, the corridor will become lighter and visually larger. This is where drawing up a renovation plan for a 2-room apartment usually begins. As for the radical demolition of walls, they most often combine:

• Kitchen and living room. In place of the removed wall, a bar counter or table with a soft sofa is installed.
• Hall and bedroom. Suitable for a family without children. If there is a child, the nursery in Khrushchev is designed by zoning the premises.
• Hall and office. A shelving unit or mobile screens are suitable for creating a workspace. Sometimes designers use a low podium.
• Bedroom and office. The room is divided into 2 functional zones, the work table is placed near the window.

Zoning

Reconstruction of a small apartment of 40 sq. m or other area cannot be done without zoning. Each family member needs a personal area in the apartment. At the same time, you cannot reduce the already small size of the kitchen. The workplace should be spacious. To separate different areas, the following are used:

• plasterboard false walls;
• movable partitions;
• curtains, drapes;
• sofas, wardrobes, other pieces of furniture;
• multi-level ceiling and floor.

Sliding doors are the best alternative to swing doors. They are easy to use and look stylish.

Finishing

Any designer will call the use of light shades an effective way to visually increase space. But this statement cannot be taken literally, otherwise the renovation in a 2-room Khrushchev house from the photo will resemble a hospital ward. The same applies to 1 and 3 room apartments. A successful combination of colors will lead to a successful renovation of the interior.

Floors

The only strict requirement for choosing flooring is the taboo on dark shades. In small houses, the floor is a background for other objects and should not attract attention. The best colors: gray, beige, milky. It is also appropriate to imitate the texture of wood or the natural material itself. Laminate, parquet boards, linoleum, carpet, tiles - any coating will effectively complement the design if the color requirements are taken into account.

Ceilings

The brighter the lighting in a small room, the better. In addition to the chandelier, spotlights located around the perimeter are recommended. The tension version will help hide all the unevenness and defects on the ceiling. A multi-level top looks no less advantageous.

Walls

Before you start finishing the walls, in 9 cases out of 10 they will have to be leveled. In panel houses, like brick houses, the difference in height or slope of different walls reaches 2-3 cm. Even if the curvature is not noticeable, it will create big problems during repair work. The surface is leveled with putty or drywall. Upon completion of preparation, the room is decorated with wallpaper, for example:

• non-woven, vinyl, acrylic with a vertical pattern;
• photo wallpaper with a city landscape or nature;
• liquid seamless wallpaper.

The color of the walls should be in harmony with the intended design of the Khrushchev building, consisting of 2 rooms. The rule “the higher the price, the better” does not always work. Even the most expensive silk-screen printing is not suitable for every interior.

Where to provide storage systems

Khrushchev must be equipped with furniture for storing all kinds of things. It is possible to make a full-fledged dressing room from a closet, even if its size is only 1 by 2 m. All free space is used - below and above. Cabinet furniture would be inappropriate here; it is better to install several open shelves, hangers, and hooks.

Leaving the space under the bed empty is irrational, as is using a deep closet without pull-out rods and a pantograph. Multifunctional furniture is the optimal solution for a small two-room apartment with an unsuccessful layout.

Lighting planning

Massive chandeliers in small rooms with low ceilings are completely out of place. As basic lighting, it is better to use soffits, sconces, and floor lamps with warm, diffused light. Auxiliary light is necessary in the work area in the kitchen, bathroom, nursery, office. Table lamps and pendant lamps will cope with this task. Decorative light is not necessary, but in some interiors it serves as an effective addition.

Properly organized lighting hides flaws and highlights the advantages of a home.

How to use the balcony area

There is a balcony in all apartments from the Khrushchev era, except the first floor. Rarely used items or all sorts of rubbish are stored there. Practical housewives dry food and hang out laundry. But additional square meters can bring much more benefits: a 2-room apartment with an area of ​​44 square meters. m will easily become a 3-room apartment. The balcony will make an excellent office or relaxation area. The main thing is not to spare effort and money on good insulation.

Color accents and decor

To make a room seem larger, you don’t need to use exclusively light shades. The main thing is that they are a priority. Color accents will not only “revive” and decorate the room, but will also help make it more voluminous. The brightest element must be placed in the most visible place, but as far as possible from the front door. It will attract attention, creating the effect of increased space. This could be: photo wallpaper, a stylish sofa, a decorated wardrobe, etc.

Techniques for visually enlarging a bathroom

Unlike the kitchen, living room and bedroom, only light shades are welcome in the bathroom. For contrast, dotted color decor is allowed, but in very limited quantities. To improve the ergonomics of a room, a non-standard approach to organizing a storage system is required. Shelves above the sink, toilet and even above the door will allow you to place all the necessary little things.

Selecting furniture

Furniture of standard sizes, designed for standard apartments, is a relic of the past. Modern design of a two-room apartment of 44 sq. m requires original, stylish and bold solutions. Compactness and multifunctionality are the key qualities that wardrobes, beds, and furniture should have. Other equally important recommendations:

• put the largest objects in the farthest, dimly lit corner;
• use glossy, light glass facades for cabinets, chests of drawers and bright rich colors for upholstered furniture;
• choose sleeping places with internal compartments for linen;
• give preference to open shelves on furniture walls and free-standing shelving.

Transformable furniture is considered the most practical. A wardrobe combined with a bed or a sofa with a desk is not inferior in functionality to its simpler counterparts, and at the same time takes up a minimum of space.

Which style is better to choose

There are no strict requirements for the design of a Khrushchev building. The main thing is not to combine incompatible elements with each other and stick to one color scheme. Of all the existing styles, the best will be modern, where freedom of space and functionality take center stage:

• minimalism - maximum light, minimum decor, light curtains and the absence of bulky things;
• Scandinavian - predominantly light design with unobtrusive decorative elements: paintings, flowers;
• high-tech - simple geometric shapes, gloss, metallic shine, thin picture frames, plenty of light;
• Provence - pastel and natural shades, antique effect, translucent curtains, ruffles, lace, figurines and tablecloths.

Due to limited space, Baroque, Rococo or Empire styles are rarely found in Khrushchev-era buildings.

Frequent mistakes in repairing a two-room Khrushchev house

When performing repairs in a two-room Khrushchev house, mistakes are inevitable. Before starting work, it is worth considering the most common ones to avoid wasting time and money.

Complex suspended ceilings

The height of ceilings in old houses usually does not exceed 2.5 m. A pile of parts in the upper part of the room will visually make them even lower. It is not recommended to make complex, multi-stage designs. “Grandma’s” large chandeliers have the same negative effect. The best alternative is a flat lampshade or built-in soffits.

Small number of sockets

In order not to make a mistake with the location of sockets, you need to think in advance where household appliances and lighting fixtures will be installed. It is better to make 1-2 points more than to face a lack of them. Electrical extension cords will save the situation, but will quickly ruin the situation.

Combining the kitchen and living room in gasified houses

Combining a kitchen and a living room is one of the most popular remodeling methods. But if the house is gasified, this cannot be done. The ban is due to the minimization of human and property losses in the event of an explosion. It is prescribed at the legislative level, so it is impossible to obtain permission to demolish the wall.

Photo

Redevelopment of a two-room Khrushchev house is most often started with the goal of creating more spacious and comfortable rooms for living, since apartments in this series are replete with partitions, built-in niches, cabinets and utility rooms for storing various things. Of course, a modern apartment cannot do without such rooms, but some of them can be refined and made much more functional. Thus, by leaving one utility room instead of numerous mezzanines and built-in wardrobes, it is possible to obtain a significant increase in usable space.

Find out several available options from a new article on our portal.

However, when planning a radical remodeling of such an apartment, you must first familiarize yourself with information about some of the nuances that are directly related both to obtaining the necessary permits and directly to construction work. Otherwise, having taken one or another ill-considered step, you may well encounter big troubles associated with regulatory organizations.

Permissible and prohibited actions when remodeling apartments

Although the so-called “Khrushchev” buildings are characterized by a small area of ​​​​rooms, they have their positive aspects that can be used for redevelopment. This is due to the fact that all the internal walls in the apartments of this series are not load-bearing, and they can rather be called partitions. When building houses of this type, the construction of internal walls was carried out from various, relatively light materials - most often they were gypsum fiber, gypsum cement or gypsum boards. Sometimes partitions were even constructed from timber, acting as a frame structure, which was then sheathed on both sides with ordinary boards. In order for the plaster to adhere better to the plank wall, shingles were nailed onto the boards.

Removing such walls will not affect the overall structure of the house in any way, since they, in fact, do not perform any load-bearing function. However, this does not mean at all that such partitions can be rearranged as desired. There are current established requirements in this regard that must be adhered to.

To avoid problems, any alterations in an apartment in a multi-storey building must be legalized by the housing inspectorate, and in order not to waste time on trips and queues, it is best to go there with a ready-made redevelopment project.

Preliminary sketches of such a project can be drawn up independently, based on the apartment plan, which is included in the cadastral passport. Having made photocopies of this document, they indicate which walls are planned to be removed and in which places new partitions are to be installed.

1. Actions that are possible when redeveloping a Khrushchev building include:

• Dismantling the partition between, that is, combining them, and, if necessary, even expanding the resulting room through the corridor.

• Expansion or lengthening of a living room by connecting it to a corridor or part of it.
• Connecting the kitchen space and the adjacent living room with a passage, that is, turning them into a common kitchen-dining room, but only if an electric stove is installed in the kitchen.
• Making doorways in a place convenient for the owners is allowed on walls that are not load-bearing, which are usually all internal partitions in Khrushchev-era apartments.
• Dismantling of mezzanines, niches, storage rooms and other utility rooms, due to which it is possible to increase the premises of the apartment.
• Installation of a second entrance door, with a vestibule between them, provided that the area of ​​the corridor allows this.
• When insulating and combining a room with a balcony, dismantling part of the external wall located under the window opening.

2. Inadmissible actions when altering the layout of an apartment that cannot be approved by the housing inspection:

• Combining a kitchen equipped with a gas stove, boiler or instantaneous water heater with a living space.

If you still plan to carry out this type of combination, you will have to make at least a sliding partition between the rooms, or replace the gas stove with an electric version, and move the water heater to the bathroom. By the way, moving the water heater will be possible if the design and permeability of the ventilation ducts allows. But only specialists can decide on this parameter.

• Expansion of the kitchen and bathroom into living spaces.
• Expansion of living rooms, as well as combining the kitchen with a balcony or loggia, by completely dismantling the load-bearing wall between them.
• Redevelopment, which involves blocking access to central communications.
• Combining a bathroom with living quarters or kitchen.
• Moving central heating radiators to a balcony or loggia.
• Dismantling ventilation ducts or ducts, bricking up ventilation vents.
• If the apartment is equipped with autonomous heating, an unauthorized change of installation location of the gas boiler is required.
• Consolidation of apartments located on adjacent floors with the dismantling, partial or complete, of the interfloor ceiling.
• Unauthorized construction of extensions to apartments located on the ground floors and arrangement of living rooms, basements and cellars in them.
• Dismantling or reinstallation of public utility risers and gas pipes.
• Construction of interior partitions from heavy building materials, for example, concrete or reinforced concrete.
• The redevelopment plan for housing that is officially recognized as unsafe will definitely not be approved.

In the case where advance coordination and approval of the redevelopment is not carried out, then if unauthorized alterations are discovered, for example, when selling an apartment or in other legal actions with real estate, the owner will pay a fairly large fine. In addition, he will not be able to carry out any operations until all alterations are legalized, or the apartment is brought into compliance with the approved plan available for it.

Of course, going to Cainite officials to coordinate and approve all the necessary documents, waiting for the commission’s decision - all these activities are not very pleasant, they are very troublesome and tiring. However, you need to remember that you will have to go through this entire path, one way or another. But if this process is also carried out under duress, then it will cost much more, both in terms of material costs and in terms of damage to one’s nerves.

Where and how is approval for the redevelopment of an apartment carried out?

Documents for obtaining permission for redevelopment

Permission to redevelop an apartment is usually issued by the competent local government authorities of the administrative district in which the housing is located. To find out the specific location and name of this organization, the degree of its powers, you can contact the management company that services a specific house.

For approval, you will need to prepare a package of some documents, which are best to start collecting in advance:

• Technical or cadastral passport for the apartment.
• Documents confirming ownership.
• Redevelopment plan.

• Application with a detailed description of the redevelopment. To do this, you will need a special form issued by the commission dealing with such issues. The application must contain the signatures of all residents registered in the apartment, who confirm their consent to carry out the planned construction work.

• Houses of series 1-510, 1-511, 1-477, 1-515 do not belong to architectural structures that are of historical value, so you will not have to contact a local organization involved in the protection of monuments to obtain a permit for reconstruction work.
• This list of documents is required for submission to the commission in any region throughout the Russian Federation. The commission should not require other, additional documents. Previously, the approval process was more complex, since members of the housing commission in each specific case could decide for themselves what documents needed to be provided to approve alterations in the apartment. Now, it seems, order has been established in this matter - everything is unified.

Terms of approval and receipt of permits

When all the documents are collected and transferred to the specified commission, work with them can last no more than one and a half months. Having submitted the package for approval, the owner of the property must receive a receipt indicating the documents submitted and the date they were accepted for work.

After the specified period has expired, the certified finished document can be received in hand within three working days, after which you can proceed to the planned redevelopment. If the commission did not approve the project, then it is worth correcting the circumstances that caused the refusal. Typically these include three points:

• An incomplete package of necessary documents has been collected.
• The project plan does not comply with the requirements established by the current rules and regulations.
• The documents were submitted to the wrong commission. To prevent such an incident from happening, and to avoid wasting time, it is recommended to find out in advance the exact location of the relevant governing body authorized to solve such problems.

If, in the opinion of the applicant, the redevelopment was denied unlawfully, then the issue is resolved in court. However, if all the documents were collected correctly, and the planned events themselves do not contradict the existing rules, the request for redevelopment will most likely not be refused.

After all redevelopment activities have been carried out, it is necessary to invite representatives of the commission to accept the work performed and verify it with the approved plan. Having carried out the audit, the appointed commission must draw up an act, after which the general package of documents, including the acceptance certificate, is submitted to the local organization involved in registration of ownership rights to real estate, which finally legitimizes all the actions taken, makes changes to the technical and cadastral passport of housing. And now, when it has been legally confirmed that all the alterations were carried out legally, the apartment, if necessary, can be freely exchanged or sold.

Several popular options for redevelopment of a two-room "Khrushchev"

There are several layout options for Khrushchev apartments, but they are all distinguished by a relatively small area of ​​premises, especially bathrooms and kitchens, as well as low ceilings, the height of which is usually 2500 mm. The thickness of load-bearing walls, for example, in houses of the 1-510 series is 400 mm, internal inter-apartment gypsum slag concrete walls are 200÷300 mm, and interior partitions are 80 mm.

Basically, redevelopment in apartments of these series is carried out with the aim of increasing the area, since it is usually a little more than 5 m². Therefore, the owners of such housing try to at least slightly increase the space of this particular room.

However, in some cases, the issue of rebuilding a “Khrushchev” apartment is resolved in a radical way, as far as possible. For example, all partitions between the living rooms of the apartment are completely dismantled and they are moved, or one spacious room is left - the so-called studio. This option is suitable for a young family without children, but still, alterations are most often undertaken to isolate combined rooms. Therefore, if the walls are dismantled, it is precisely in order to install them differently. Taking into account all the recommendations presented above, for the construction of partitions it is necessary to use lightweight material that will not cause excessive load on the beams or floor slabs.

Today, the most popular material for building partitions is plasterboard, fixed to a frame made of a metal profile or wooden beam, since it is easy to work with and has a relatively small mass. Such a partition can be made practically soundproof by installing insulating or special sound-absorbing mats into the frame.

Plasterboard partition - fast, simple and reliable!

Probably any hardworking apartment owner can cope with the task of erecting a light wall partition from this material. If he does not yet have the appropriate experience, then how to properly install the frame, attach gypsum boards to it, make a doorway in the partition, and also choose the optimal material for sound insulation - he can learn all this from an article in a special publication of our portal.

Almost all two-room “Khrushchev” apartments have combined rooms, that is, one of them is a passage room, which inevitably makes it less functional. Therefore, the owners of such apartments quite often expand its functions, for example, the living room is also an adult bedroom.

Find out some rules and a selection of interesting options from a new article on our portal.

Less often, the kitchen is combined with the hall, turning it not only into a room for receiving guests, but also into a dining room. Again, the choice of redevelopment option will largely depend on the number and age of family members.

Hammer prices

hammer drill

Kitchen combined with living room into a common room - dining room

In order to be able to visually evaluate the various layouts and understand why the owners undertake to remodel such an apartment, several options for “Khrushchev” will be considered below. Moreover, it should be noted that among the people some of the layouts also received their own name.

The first option is the “vest” layout

This most successful version of the layout of the “Khrushchev”, with a total area of ​​46 “squares”, is less common than others. In popular speech, it was called “vest”, since the rooms, like sleeves, are located symmetrically, relative to the kitchen, hallway and bathroom.

The advantage of such an apartment is that the rooms are completely isolated and have a fairly large area. However, with such a layout, there is no way to expand the living rooms through the corridor, or to increase the kitchen area without resorting to combining it with one of the living rooms. Expanding the kitchen by combining the bathroom and moving the wall seems futile - it will not provide any noticeable increase in area, so it is not even worth the costs that would have to be incurred to organize and carry out such a redevelopment.

In the case when an apartment with such a layout is located at the end of the house, and therefore one of the rooms has two windows on different walls, it is possible to divide such a room into two very small “nooks”. However, it is necessary to take into account that one of the resulting “mini-rooms” will be a walk-through room. You can, of course, make these rooms separate by arranging an entrance to one of them from the kitchen, but then in the kitchen, which is already very cramped, there will be practically no space left at all to install pieces of furniture and necessary household appliances.

The second option is a “mini-improved” layout

Another layout of a two-room “Khrushchev” apartment acquired the name “mini-improved”. The total area of ​​this apartment is 44.6 sq. m. m., and in addition to all the traditional rooms, there is also a storage room, the door of which opens into the hallway.

Expanding the kitchen to 8 “squares” can be done by moving the bathroom into the former pantry room, and the bathroom into the toilet room, as well as moving the partition facing the kitchen.

Another option would be to move the partition between the kitchen and bathroom, and then combine the bath and toilet into one room.

The advantage of this layout, just like the “vest”, is that the rooms are isolated from each other. However, despite the fact that one of them has a fairly large area, it will not be possible to make two small isolated ones out of it, even if there are two windows on different walls. But there are no obstacles to combining two rooms or changing their area - increasing one at the expense of the other, as well as due to a long corridor.

The third option is the “book” layout

This layout of the Khrushchev building is unofficially called the “book”. The apartment has a total area of ​​41 m², and is characterized by the presence of two adjacent rooms. This arrangement of rooms can be called one of the most unfortunate options, since the rooms are not very large, and on top of that, one of them is a passageway.

Due to the fact that the living spaces are small, it will be difficult to extend the corridor and create two separate entrances from it in order to completely separate the rooms - the rooms will become too cramped.

However, the desire to still isolate the premises often takes precedence over the annoyance about the loss of usable space in one room. Then everything will be solved quite simply - just extend the hallway to the entire width of the passage room, installing a partition in it, and then move the doorways. Thus, the door to the large room will be located at the end of the corridor-hallway, and to the small room - in the installed new

As a rule, the need for separate rooms arises when two or three children grow up in a family, for whom it is necessary to create a separate room for games and doing schoolwork.

The fourth option is a two-room apartment with a “tram” layout

The features of a two-room apartment, called “tram”, with a total area of ​​48 “squares”, make it possible to apply two redevelopment options in practice, since there is a fairly good arrangement of rooms and their rather significant dimensional parameters.

The first option for redevelopment of the “tram” is to separate the rooms with a blind corridor, in which you can install wardrobes for clothes or books, as well as organize a dressing room or pantry. From the resulting corridor, a doorway is created into the smaller of the rooms.

Prices for wardrobes

closet

In the second option, you can extend the hallway deeper into the living space, but only to the end of the doorway leading to the right room. To do this, you will have to install two partitions - one of them will complete the hallway, the other will run parallel to the wall separating the room of 17 square meters. m. The doorway can be made in both one and the other part of the new partition. Thus, from a room of 18 m² only 1÷1.5 m² will be “stolen”. A spacious niche is formed in the room, in which you can install a bed or a cozy sofa. Such an arrangement will be possible if you make a doorway into the newly separated room opposite the passage to another.

As you know, there are other plans for two-room “Khrushchev” apartments, but the most common ones were given above.

Useful tips for dismantling interior partitions yourself

As we have seen, attention has already been paid to our portal. In the same publication, it makes sense to see how to dismantle interior walls.

So, having received all permitting approvals and then proceeding with the repairs, it is necessary to prepare for fairly long construction work with a large amount of dust and construction debris, especially if it is planned to demolish internal walls or cut doorways in them.

It is recommended to remove all upholstered furniture, clothing, carpets, etc. from the apartment during this period. If this is not possible, then all household belongings must be demolished in one corner, away from the walls being dismantled, and covered with several sheets of plastic film, which, in turn, must be secured with ropes.

Master builders use a variety of convenient methods for demolishing partitions, and, naturally, most of them try to carry out this process with less flying dust. If the apartment owner himself gets down to business, then he is looking for a way to do the work not only cleanly and at lower cost, but also as quietly as possible, so as not to cause inconvenience to the neighbors.

In order to decide on the method of dismantling interior walls, you should listen to the recommendations of experienced builders.

Illustration	Brief description of the work on dismantling internal partitions
	As mentioned above, the internal interior walls in a Khrushchev-era building are usually built from a material that can be easily destroyed or dismantled using hand and electric tools. First, you need to determine what the partition is made of, and only after that you can proceed to selecting tools for dismantling it. The easiest way is to remove walls built from gypsum boards, and the most difficult and time-consuming task will be to remove the concrete partition. You can determine the material of the structure by removing the wallpaper and the outer finishing plaster layer from a small section of the wall.
	In order to remove a partition from gypsum or cement-gypsum boards, you will need a reciprocating saw or an electric drill with an attachment that allows you to perform a similar function. This tool will be necessary to get started. Of course, with this device you can cut off the wall in small sections, but this process will be noisy and dusty. Therefore, the master used a different method to dismantle the wall, and a reciprocating saw will only be needed at the beginning of this work.
	To create damage to the wall, which will lead to its further destruction, it is necessary to cut a through hole in it approximately 80x120 mm in size. A partition made of gypsum boards usually has a thickness of no more than 150 mm, and a reciprocating saw allows you to make cuts up to 180÷200 mm deep, so it will not be difficult to cut right through the structure. Before starting cutting, for the convenience of starting the process, it is recommended to drill a hole in the partition of such a diameter that the working plane of the saw passes into it freely. By inserting the saw into the hole, a window with the dimensions indicated above is cut out in the wall to be demolished.
	For further dismantling, you will need a homemade device, made by welding from ordinary scrap and two sharpened fittings (such a tool is often colloquially called a “crocodile”). Sections of reinforcement with a diameter of 15÷20 mm and a length of 130÷150 mm are welded to the top of the scrap, at a distance from each other that should exceed the thickness of the wall by approximately 10÷12 mm. The resulting protruding “teeth” will bear a very large mechanical load, therefore, for a more rigid fixation, it is recommended to weld reinforcing struts made of metal rods with a diameter of 6–8 mm to each of them on the sides.
	Next, using the ready-made “crocodile”, they begin to gradually break out pieces of the wall. The tool is inserted into the cut hole so that the thickness of the wall material fits between the reinforcing “teeth”. The far “tooth” rests against the partition on one side, and the second on the opposite side. Then a certain force is applied to the long lever, and under its influence a fragment breaks out of the wall.
	Thus, the entire dismantling of the partition is carried out without unnecessary noise from electrical appliances. Of course, when falling on the floor, pieces of plaster will create a certain sound, but the neighbors will not feel the constant buzzing, hammering, crackling and vibration. At the same time as the wall material, its external decoration, be it wallpaper, plaster or paint, is also removed.
	This illustration clearly shows the remains of the partition after its demolition. They will have to be removed using a sledgehammer, but this process will not take much time and can be carried out during the day, within an hour and a half.
	If it turns out that the partitions are made of gypsum boards, then you can try to dismantle them as a whole. For this work, you will need a “grinder” with a stone disc installed on it, which is used to trim the seams between the slabs on both sides of the wall, and then the panels are carefully removed and stacked. Dismantling is carried out starting from the ceiling, and so the structure is disassembled all the way to the floor.
	This illustration clearly demonstrates how to dismantle a partition made of gypsum boards between the kitchen and living area. If you plan to move the partition to another area of ​​the apartment, then it is quite possible to use the same slabs to install it, laying reinforcing bars between them during laying. Thus, three problems can be solved at once: firstly, you will not have to spend money on new material for the walls; secondly, bring it onto the floor, and thirdly, do not take out numerous bags of garbage and figure out where to put it. If the dismantled slabs are sufficient to install new partitions or even a surplus remains, this will at the same time indicate that the load on the interfloor floors has not increased after the redevelopment and repairs.
	A somewhat larger amount of time will have to be spent on dismantling a partition built from timber and boards, covered with shingles and covered with plaster. Of course, the boards can be quickly cut, but to proceed to this process, the shingles must be freed from the plaster layer. It is the cleaning of wooden parts from clay or gypsum cement that will take a lot of time, especially in cases where the boards and timber are planned to be reused.
	If you plan to combine the bathroom and restroom into one combined bathroom, you will have to dismantle the partition between them. It can also be built from gypsum boards or brick, and have a thickness of 120 mm without layers of plaster mortar, and with it this value increases to 130÷135 mm. Dismantling of this structure must be done carefully enough so as not to damage the water and sewer pipes and the toilet bowl, which is dismantled last, and not to chip the enamel of the bathtub. If you plan to keep a heated towel rail in the bathroom, then you should not rush to cut off the old one, since the ends of the pipes to which it is connected by welding will have to be threaded to install plugs that can be damaged during the process of dismantling the wall. It is best to first dismantle the wall, and then, after shutting off the water, cut off unnecessary pipe structures and outline their new layout.
	Another point that quite often causes difficulty is the arrangement of new doorways in old partitions. In a wall made of bricks, this process is carried out as follows: first, the top line of the opening is marked, and its width is marked on it. Then 150÷170 mm are laid off from these points in each direction. Next, a cut is made along this line with a large “grinder” with a stone disc, and in order for the cut to be through, it is made on both sides of the wall. Typically the cut is made along the seam line between the brick rows. Then, metal corners 50x50 mm are installed and secured into the resulting slot on both sides of the wall.
	If it is necessary to strengthen the doorway, metal strips 70÷80 mm wide are mounted on top of the fixed corners, also on both sides of the wall, which are connected to each other by through fastening - bolts or studs. You can use a channel with a small cross-section. Instead of metal reinforcement, a wooden beam can be installed on top of the opening, but in this case, two rows of brickwork above the future opening will have to be removed. Next, vertical lines are determined and outlined that limit the opening for the door, with orientation towards which bricks or other wall material will be removed
	After the opening is cut, its vertical walls are also reinforced with corners or channels, and together with the upper reinforcement elements, all this, after welding, forms a steel frame. Such strengthening will allow you to fearlessly install any good-quality wooden door at the entrance to the room.
	If the wall is made of gypsum concrete, then the opening can be marked in advance, punched using a perforator (jackhammer) or cut using a grinder. It is also recommended to immediately strengthen the opening in such a partition, otherwise there will be a constant shedding of the building material from which the wall is constructed.
	It is best to put construction waste, as it accumulates, into bags of approximately 25-30 kilograms and regularly remove it from the apartment, avoiding cluttering the free space.

It will update not only the rooms, but also the atmosphere in them. After dismantling the old partitions and removing construction waste from the apartment, the unpleasant odors that have accumulated in the materials over the long period of use of the housing will go away along with them.

Updated walls, ceilings and flooring will make the rooms unrecognizable if you choose the right colors and patterns of finishing materials. Small two-room “Khrushchev” apartments with insufficiently high ceilings are quite capable of becoming fresher and more spacious if their design uses light, calm colors, as well as harmoniously selected textiles.

If you plan to radically remodel a two-room apartment, then in order to save money, it is best to carry out some work yourself. For example, the task of dismantling internal walls and erecting plasterboard partitions can be easily mastered by a novice builder, since these works do not require highly professional skills. It is important to adhere to the tips and recommendations that experienced craftsmen are usually willing to share.

At the end of the publication, there is an interesting video example of what you can, if you wish, turn an ordinary two-room “Khrushchev” into:

Video: design of a redesigned and newly decorated two-room Khrushchev apartment

The main problem with such buildings is small kitchen area and, therefore, Khrushchev apartments are inconvenient for large families. Many owners of apartments in these developments are forced to put up with discomfort, because they are confident that the only solution to their problem can be complex repair work with the demolition of partitions, and it is necessary to collect documentation to legitimize the redevelopment, as well as coordinate repair work with neighbors. In this article we will talk about how to turn a small apartment into a comfortable place to live.

Redevelopment of a Khrushchev building (2 adjacent rooms): preparation options

Redevelopment of a Khrushchev building into 2 adjacent rooms is not a cosmetic renovation, but a serious process that requires a responsible approach. Before proceeding directly to changing the configuration of the apartment, it is important to take care of the approval of the redevelopment. It is necessary to draw up an accurate plan indicating all the details.

Advice! Many residents, having decided to redevelop, consider its legalization unnecessary. This is a big mistake, because without approval of documentation for any changes in the layout of the apartment, in addition to justified complaints from neighbors, you may encounter problems during the sale of the apartment.

It is also worth noting that without a preliminary examination, even experienced builders will not be able to accurately distinguish between load-bearing walls that support the weight of the floors and self-supporting ones. That is why, having started serious changes in the structure of the apartment, it is worth inviting professionals for examination, who will conduct an assessment and offer profitable redesign options.

Depending on the complexity of the work being carried out, the number of documents may increase significantly.

Options for redevelopment of a Khrushchev building into 2 adjacent rooms

Each family member needs personal space, which is why for their comfort it is necessary to turn an adjacent apartment into a separate one. The main advantage of Khrushchev apartments is that in most cases they have load-bearing walls only between apartments, and in the rooms themselves there are only partitions. This allows you to demolish barriers, expanding the space.

It is worth connecting rooms with each other using. This gives quick and easy access to each of the rooms. This increases the size of the existing corridor. In the newly formed room, you can build a dressing room in which the whole family’s belongings will be stored, which will save space in the living rooms.

A room for adults must be arranged in a room with an exit to, which can be turned into. This configuration provides additional space, especially since a comfortable recreation area can be arranged on the loggia.

Redevelopment of a Khrushchev house into 2 rooms, the options and photos of which make it possible to choose the most interesting plan, also takes into account changes in the structure of the bathroom. Often in Khrushchev buildings it is separate. For a large family this may be a plus, but to increase space it is worth considering. If necessary, you can separate zones in such a bathroom using.

Selective combination of rooms

The problem of lack of space can be solved using the classic combination of rooms. At the same time, for the convenience of apartment residents, some rooms are still divided and represent functional zones. A standard housing structure with this plan looks like this:

• The hallway is combined with. This, first of all, significantly expands the area, while combining two rooms with one functional purpose. With help you can save space under. The balcony should be located in this room, which will visually enlarge the living room, while creating a new place to relax. If the balcony is made warm, it can become an excellent loggia for welcoming guests at any time of the year.

• Combining a toilet and a bathroom solves several problems at once. Often, Khrushchev-era apartments have lying bathtubs, which is impractical given the small area of ​​the room. First of all, it is worth installing a shower area. This area is good because it takes up very little space. It, unlike the booths, does not have additional platforms, but is fenced with plastic or glass plates. If the kitchen area and its furnishings allow, then The washing machine can be installed in this room, freeing up space in the bathroom.

• As for separate rooms in a combined layout, this must be a bedroom and, if desired, a kitchen. In terms of its functionality, it is intended primarily for recreation, so it is important to take care of its reliable insulation. This planning solution will be a godsend for a family with an infant, as it will protect the baby from external noise. As for the kitchen, it should be insulated to prevent extraneous odors in the living room and other rooms.

A modern one will come to the aid of any layout multifunctional furniture, which will provide the space missing for the Khrushchev buildings.

How to visually expand the space?

Obviously, large-scale changes to the apartment plan entail a lot of construction work, and therefore high costs.

Advice! In order for expensive redevelopment to be carried out efficiently, it is worth turning to professionals for help.

Khrushchevka has a small area. A two-room apartment is generally no more than 30 square meters. m. with a small kitchen, a narrow corridor and a combined bathroom. Redevelopment of a 2-room Khrushchev house with such initial parameters is not an easy task, but in the end, a nondescript apartment will be transformed into quite suitable housing. Apartments in houses of typical Khrushchev series 1-510, 1-511, 1-477, 1-515 are characterized by rather low ceilings, they do not exceed 2.5 meters. Basically, Khrushchev houses have non-insulated living spaces, a balcony, and walls made of lightweight materials.

Advantages and disadvantages of housing

The pros and cons are as follows:

1. Disadvantages of apartments. In 1957, Khrushchev decided to optimize the construction process and make it quick to quickly provide citizens with their own housing. Mass construction of panel and brick houses with simple layouts began. The small area was designed to make houses more compact, of which many needed to be built. The apartments have poor sound insulation, small area, cramped utility rooms, and low ceilings. They especially saved on the kitchen area; in some versions it is no more than 4.5 meters.
2. Advantages of Khrushchev. At one time, large areas of cities were built up with them, which now became their center. They are not demolished everywhere. They can be given a presentable appearance. The compactness of the house can also be considered an advantage. There are no elevators, multi-story buildings, or the feeling of a huge beehive. Not everyone likes high-rise modern buildings where you may never recognize your neighbors by sight.

Types of premises arrangement

Despite the typicality, such apartments can have several options for the location of living spaces.

1. "Trailer" layout. At the entrance there is a small corridor, opposite the front door there is an entrance to a large room. From it at the end there is an entrance to a room of a smaller area. The windows face different sides of the house. The bathroom and small kitchen are accessible from the corridor.
2. Layout "vest". The windows of such a Khrushchev building face one side. Near the entrance there is an adjacent bathroom and the entrance to a large room. The small kitchen is separated from the “hall” by a small wall. The bedroom is much smaller in size, but there is a luxurious storage room.
3. Isolated layout. Such apartments are less common. They usually have a separate bathroom and two separate rooms. The kitchen is very small, smaller than the previous options.

Coordination of redevelopment

All types of layout of a 2-room Khrushchev house can be improved, while keeping in mind the nuances of approvals and prohibitions.

The convenience of Khrushchev is that a load-bearing wall separates the apartments, and all partitions are not load-bearing. This means they are easier to demolish. There are no load-bearing walls in a small brick building, there are only beams. Usually changes are approved only if load-bearing walls are affected, but there are difficulties with the options for changes.

There are problems with remodeling the bathroom. They want to expand the cramped bathroom into a hallway or kitchen space. If the bathroom is separate, it would be logical to make it combined. Restrictions on redevelopment are reflected in clause 3.8. SaNPiN 2.1.2.2645-10 and clause 9.25 SP 54.13330.2016. The document explains that it is forbidden to enlarge bathrooms at the expense of rooms and the kitchen. They can be made wider by using non-residential space, which includes: a storage room, a corridor, a built-in closet.