Valka's first apartment building insulated with wooden panels due for handover on 12 November

A renovated apartment building with 30 flats at Tirgus Street 12 in Valka, northern Latvia, is due to be handed over for operation on 12 November. It is the first building in the town whose exterior walls have been insulated with factory-made timber-frame panels. The renovation is being carried out by the company Siltie Nami, and work began in March this year.

The contractual deadline was 8 October, but it slipped for various reasons. Lāsma Saulīte, operations manager at Siltie Nami, explained that extra works were approved during the renovation, so the deadline was extended. The roof is installed and the facade is finished, but a ramp for people with special needs still has to be poured in concrete, and work on the roof plinth and landscaping of the surroundings remains. According to her, the builders are in their final weeks on site.

The timber-frame panels, which already had plastic windows installed, were mounted by the manufacturer GPC. It is the company's first such project in Latvia.

Heating season and residents

Ivo Meļķis, board member of the property management company Valkas Namsaimnieks, said the heating season in the building started on Wednesday, 4 November. He suspects many residents still have their radiator thermostat heads set to zero. According to him, people reported that before the season began their flats were only 16–17 degrees. He hopes the result will be good once the building is handed over. The building's elder, Aija Celiha, said nobody had complained about any problems.

What comes next

Cooperation between Valkas Namsaimnieks and Siltie Nami will continue: timber-frame panels have also been chosen for the facade of the building at Varoņu Street 40. Insulation work is under way at Ausekļa Street 28, and will soon begin at Voldemāra Roberta Zāmuela Street 1 and in two stairwells of Zāmuela Street 3. Insulation is also planned for Tālavas Street 3 and Rīgas Street 8. Residents of Tālavas Street 19 are still awaiting answers to their questions before making a final decision.