Even if you plan to study on your ownWhen choosing a new living space, we strongly recommend that you contact a professional. Why? The answer is in our new material. Buying a new home is an event whose importance is difficult to overestimate. Here we are overcome by hopes, fantasies and, of course, fears. But what if the seller deceives us, our ordinary view misses something important or the price turns out to be unreasonably high? Unfortunately, there is no panacea for all pitfalls, but there is an option in which you will certainly be able to insure yourself against many surprises and simplify the task of transforming your living space into a cozy home. How to do this? Very simple: take a designer or architect with you. Why? Let them tell you themselves. Asya Bondareva, interior designer: - In the decision-making process for buying an apartment, a designer often plays the role of an independent expert who can professionally assess all the pros and cons of the property in question. Unlike a realtor who is interested in a quick sale, a designer looks at an object from the position of a real opportunity to make this space as comfortable as possible for their clients, taking into account all their needs. A professional will be able to immediately estimate the possibilities of redevelopment, will be able to ask the right questions about the design, engineering, requirements of the management company, etc. Therefore, you should not neglect the consultations of designers in this matter - they can be very useful!
Ruslan Kirnichansky, architect-designer:— When buying a car, we always ask for advice from a well-known auto mechanic, who will inspect the car before buying and give his expert opinion. This is important, since only a specialist can identify defects. Especially if the words "engine immobilizer" and "starter traction relay" are Chinese for you. It's the same with choosing real estate, since a house is a "car for living", and without an expert opinion you can buy an apartment that "will not go", that is, it will have hidden defects and the impossibility of redevelopment. fab-im.com
Ruslan Kirnichansky, architect-designer:— When inviting a designer to inspect an apartment you like, you will receive invaluable advice: it is the specialist in space organization who determines the possibilities of the premises and sees its shortcomings, which are not always obvious to the buyer or realtor. Now I will give the most common sad examples when an apartment was chosen and purchased, and the possibilities for redevelopment turned out to be limited, because: 1. "extra" internal walls turned out to be load-bearing (not subject to demolition); 2. there is no possibility of organizing an additional (or moving it) bathroom (either conflicts with SNiP, or it is technically impossible to lay communications). But remember that not every designer is able to express an expert opinion, because a competent assessment of the possibilities of the premises requires a designer with engineering and technical knowledge, as well as an understanding of building regulations. fab-im.com
Ruslan Kirnichansky, architect-designer:— It is a mistake to take a foreman or a builder who is planned as a contractor for subsequent apartment renovation for inspection, because most often the builder provides himself with a front of work and will agree with all the wishes of the customer, which often worsen the functioning of the house or violate the rigidity frame of the building when demolishing walls or pylons. There are many such examples, the most “harmless” are the demolition of a ventilation box or the transfer of water communications, after which the water pressure in the main changes. Even more deplorable examples are the demolition of load-bearing walls or pylons, which leads to subsidence of the foundation and collapse of the building. In order to prevent such a situation from happening, you need a specialist who is not only a designer, but also has basic construction or architectural knowledge. If you like the apartment, but the load-bearing walls interfere with its zoning, a professional designer will offer an option for redeveloping the apartment taking into account all the requirements, both without demolishing the frame structures and without violating SNiPs. fab-im.com
Ruslan Kirnichansky, architect-designer:— I will tell you one funny story from my practice. Last year, I talked three different clients (may their realtors forgive me) out of the idea of buying one apartment on Ostozhenka, after inspecting it, I determined its characteristics: 1. inconvenient configuration of external walls; 2. poor insolation (degree of natural light); 3. worn-out ceilings; 4. impossibility of organizing a second bathroom; 5. poor communications, for the replacement of which it is necessary to carry out major repairs and replace the water supply/intake pipes of the entire building. These shortcomings became a revelation for potential buyers, and the deals did not take place. With another client, I looked at an apartment in the building of the Ukraine Hotel. We were preparing for the deal, but the apartment was not ready for redevelopment and moving the bathrooms: such a remodeling in this room would conflict with SNiP, so now we are looking at other options with technical capabilities that are more suitable for this buyer's requirements for organizing the space. By consulting with a designer before buying an apartment, you avoid many complications, since the designer, who knows your requirements for space, "tries them on" to the living space during the inspection. fab-im.com
Mito Melitonyan, architect:— I think that you need to hire an architect, not a designer. After all, a designer is not always the person who can design a space correctly. An architect will immediately see the layout, the positive and negative sides of a particular object. For example, when I come to an apartment, I always evaluate it from the point of view of how I would functionally distribute this space myself. That is, where I would place the bathroom areas, the kitchen area, which wall would be worth demolishing, and what is better to leave as is. An architect can immediately give professional advice if the owner wants to make a four-room apartment out of a three-room apartment. This issue can be resolved right on the spot. A non-professional can do this too, but an architect will simply approach the issue more competently. melitonyan.com
Profitable transaction: why do you need a designer when buying an apartment
