Normative service life of panel houses

The construction of panel five-story buildings in our country began around the middle of the last century. The first such house on the territory of the Soviet Union was erected in 1948 on the 5th street of Sokolinaya Gora of the city of Moscow. It was a frame-panel structure with a height of four floors.

The main task of the time, which was to be decided by the country's leadership, was the creation of the cheapest construction project. We needed houses in which people could live in families, as opposed to communal living.

"Khrushchev" in our days

After many decades, apartments in panel houses are still associated with us with cheapness and affordability. This is real national housing. Real estate market analysts call the main reasons for the fact that such apartments continue to be sold: rapid construction rates, low prices and somewhat better quality of the latest generation panels compared to those produced earlier.

Nevertheless, today in the market of new buildings panel houses occupy no more than 5%. The matter is that in the majority the modern variants sold in the market and those that are only planned exist in monolithic technology. We have already developed quite large projects of economy class, which are whole residential complexes.

If we consider only the secondary market, then, for example, in Moscow, about 45% of it is represented by "panels", built in different years. The oldest of the panel houses account for only a few percent of the total volume of proposals. And the demand for them is also low. The purchase of such housing is mainly for those who do not have the means to purchase something of a higher quality.

Why they are cheaper

What explains the economic accessibility of buildings from prefabricated panels? The thing is that the main production load during the construction is transferred from the construction site to the workshops of the concrete plant, which immediately reduces costs. In addition to the economic factor, there is a climatic factor, since it is much easier to manufacture ferro-concrete elements in shops without looking at the weather conditions, and quality control is much easier in the factory environment.

We all love to save, but it's not worth forgetting about the fact that the miser pays twice. This rule also applies to panel housing construction. A lot of cases when after settling in a new standard house problems begin in a couple of years.

Deficiencies can range from small to very serious. In some apartments the facing tile is showered, in others the inter-panel seams are visible. What is the cause of this clearly premature aging? After all, the building by definition should be designed for a much longer period of operation.

What affects the life of panel houses?

The fact is that there is a concept of shrinkage, and in panel houses this process, unfortunately, occurs quite unevenly. Another pain point of this house is its seams. According to the standards of European construction, the embedded elements of the seams are made of stainless steel, as they are recognized as one of the most important elements in ensuring the strength and reliability of structures. But this solution is too expensive for the developer, and the panel houses are deprived of the main trump card - low cost.

It is for this reason that this technology has not found its application in our country. In Russia, joints are covered with anti-corrosion paint, which, of course, does not give any guarantees in terms of reliability.

Other shortcomings

In addition, everyone knows that the thermal characteristics of panel houses leave much to be desired. This is especially evident in comparison with monolithic and brick buildings. Heat from the "panel" simply goes away. In conditions of serious Russian winters, heating an apartment in such a house becomes a serious problem.

Another classic misfortune of every such building is its roof. There are usually no attics in panel five-story buildings, and roofs are very often prone to leaks. Even if you make them gable, this will not solve the problem, since inter-panel seams quickly lose their tightness. Some developers resort to modern sealants, but the share of such protection is too low, this again is associated with additional costs.

About Moral Wear

The fact that the service life of panel houses of the early period (known as "Khrushchevs" in the people) has actually passed, and they have long been obsolete in the moral sense, it's no secret. Their tiny kitchens, combined bathrooms, low ceilings and a missing garbage chute, they have long been nagging. Modern buyers who have a decent amount of money, will prefer to pay a little more expensive than at the cost of saving to buy such low-quality housing.

It has long been officially recognized that urban areas built up with "Khrushchevs" are used extremely inefficiently. These buildings do not adorn urban landscapes and carry high numbers of heat losses to public utilities. In the expediency of their demolition and the erection of new buildings on the vacant site, no one has long doubted.

What is the service life of the panel houses of the 80s?

Lifetime is the criterion that allows you to assess the liquidity of a home with maximum objectivity. Let's try to evaluate our "sockets" from this point of view. If we consider the first thin-walled "Khrushchev", then the service life of panel houses of 80 years - about 50 years. It is clear that in the physical and moral sense, such a dwelling long ago had exhausted itself.

Another category of houses - panel and block high-rise buildings. This is somewhat more "advanced" option. Each such house has 9-16 floors. Their construction began in the period from 1965 to 1980. The service life of the 9-storey panel house is designed for 100 years.

What else could it be?

Experts argue that the service life of modern panel houses of different series is approximately the same. This is due to the fact that they are built using the same standards and building rules.

Relatively new panel houses have a declared operating time somewhat longer. The service life of a panel apartment building is generally calculated for a period of 50 to 70 years. Separate series (for example, P 44) this period is assigned to one hundred years. There is a series C 220, the construction of houses which are assembled from panels, but the material of their external walls is brickwork. The appearance of such buildings is similar to monolithic-brick. The standard service life of panel houses of this series is indicated within 150 years. It should be noted that this option in the housing market is not too common.

How can I extend it

The project for the operation of newly constructed panel houses laid the planned period between mandatory overhauls, and it is from 20 to 25 years. In reality, however, real buildings are without capital repair for 10-15 years more than planned. How long can the service life of a panel house be increased? The unspoken opinion of most experts says that the concept of the norm is very conditional here, and it is possible to renew it and treat it with care. Of course, it is a question of repairing the whole building, and not a single apartment. In the latter case, such an event will not have any serious effect on the general house condition.

Thus, according to experts, when operating panel houses, the main thing is to carry out overhaul in time and carefully monitor the maintenance of all communications in good order. There are standards on the number of people allowed to live on a square of a specific footage. Under Russian conditions, these standards were violated for decades, this, respectively, accelerated the wear and tear of most buildings.

Signs of an emergency building

Even the appearance of the panel house may indicate the need for repair. This will be eloquently told to you by numerous cracks and more than once patched seams between the panels. If you go inside the house, the damp walls with mold and unpleasant odor, as well as dilapidated communications, eloquently complete the picture.

An additional complication for repairmen is that, according to the design features, such repairs are not always possible. For example, part of the projects involves the installation of batteries and pipes directly inside the walls. Wear the same data communication faster than the end of the service life of panel houses.

The cost of apartments after major repairs in the real estate market can be increased by approximately 15%, but it applies mainly to those buildings that have been subjected to complex repairs. This concept implies measures for the insulation of the facade with the socle, the roof, the repair of staircases and the attic (if any), the glazing of all balconies, the replacement of pipes and equipment of elevators and gas facilities, and the thorough cleaning of ventilation ducts.

Maximum digits

Such a full-fledged repair can improve the quality of the house by an order of magnitude and significantly extend its operation time. In addition, as a result of the transformation, the appearance of the building is significantly improved, which immediately raises its value in the secondary real estate market.

What is the maximum service life of panel houses? According to the norms, reinforced concrete structures can be used up to 125 years, but under strict observance of certain conditions, namely: at least once in 25 years, major repairs must be carried out, the current one every seven years. In practice, it is almost unrealistic to get the authorities to conduct these events. The prevention and the determination of the technical condition of each building is not occupied by anyone. Repair can only be achieved after numerous complaints for serious reasons.

On the reconstruction of old houses

The program for the resettlement of residents from dilapidated and five-story houses has long been developed in the capital. First of all it is supposed to settle the oldest five-storey panel houses, the service life of which has long since exhausted itself. As in Moscow, and in the regions from time to time there were attempts to reconstruct the individual "Khrushchev". Unfortunately, this practice, we can say, failed.

Attempts were made that houses of a certain series were subjected to superstructure and the construction of additional sections. As a result, the conclusion was made about the economic inexpediency of this project. After all, the maximum number of built-up floors is one or two, not more. The process of erecting additional areas on the roof caused active protests from residents. Demand among buyers similar apartments also did not use. As a result, it was decided that it would be much more profitable to demolish the old housing with the subsequent construction of a new one on this site.

Neither the installation of elevators, nor the complete replacement of communications, nor the rehabilitation of the whole building, the service life of panel houses of the 1970s will not be prolonged, and the demand for housing will not be increased by the Khrushchevites. After all, the quality of the panels, like the original layout of the apartments, can not be changed. Conclusion - comfortable housing "Khrushchev" will never.

How it looks like

How can you determine the pre-emergency condition of a panel house? In such cases, external cracks in the walls and broken temperature seams are always thrown into the eyes . The expert's eye will also instantly calculate the foundation cracks, which are much more dangerous. Corrosion of the reinforcement leads to the destruction of the slabs, which threatens to collapse the entire building. Old communications provoke unevenness of soil sediment, which further exacerbates the problem and shortens the life of panel houses. Pipes and electrical networks in such houses are considerably overloaded and very worn out. And the question is already put not only about the comfort and prestige of living. At stake is a much more important concept - the safety of people.