The secondary housing market is full of terms that may seem incomprehensible. What is the difference between Stalinka and Brezhnevka and what is Khrushchev? Multi-storey buildings built in the Soviet Union are often named according to the time of construction, that is, under which of the rulers the houses were put into operation. These are quite accurate definitions, according to which it is possible to foresee in advance the possible difficulties and nuances that you will encounter when buying an apartment.
Affordable Housing Program
The years of Nikita Khrushchev's reign had to launch a state program of affordable housing for all. Technologies have been developed that make it possible to quickly build houses from prefabricated reinforced concrete structures. By and large: what is Khrushchev? This is a small apartment with low ceilings in a panel or brick house. Building on a steel frame turned out to be too expensive, so the panel Khrushchev building looked like a hugedesigner - panels with ready-made window openings were supplied from the factories, all that remained on the spot was to “assemble the house according to the drawing.”
There are many complaints about residential buildings built using this technology, but it is worth paying tribute to the program - thanks to the most cheap and accelerated construction, hundreds of thousands of families were able to get separate housing with communal amenities.
What is Khrushchev?
If you list the shortcomings, then affordable housing turned out to be not very comfortable, but compared to communal apartments or workers' barracks, it was the height of dreams. Too thin walls without soundproofing between apartments left little room for privacy. Khrushchev houses did not retain heat well, and construction errors sometimes turned out to be terrible - in some cases, one could stick a palm between the panels of the outer wall. Of course, scammers were actively condemned, but most often they had to fix the shortcomings on their own.
Since it was still necessary to save up for an electric refrigerator and stand in line for several years, the so-called winter refrigerator built into the kitchen of Khrushchev turned out to be very convenient. Under the kitchen window there was a special box for food storage, which kept the temperature low in winter. A rather spacious closet in the hallway became literally indispensable.
Evolution of apartments
If we compare Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnevka, it becomes clear: there was no question of the comfort of the residents. Stalin's apartments struckspaciousness and a kind of luxury, but they were accessible to a very narrow stratum of the population. High ceilings, rich design of facades and grand staircases, solid construction - all this was intended for senior military officials, venerable scientists and other honored citizens. Therefore, when Khrushchev houses began to appear, mere mortals suddenly got the opportunity to get closer to the dream of their own home.
To the credit of the Soviet builders, they tried to correct the shortcomings of small apartments. Soon after the Khrushchevs, first their slightly more spacious versions appeared, and then, already under Leonid Brezhnev, the so-called improved apartments. Many experts agree that Brezhnevka is worse than Khrushchev - the shortcomings were only partially corrected, and no advantages were added.
Planning features
What is Khrushchev and what does it look like? The first thing that catches your eye is a rather narrow staircase with tight spans. To lift furniture up such a ladder, you need to show miracles of maneuverability.
The hallway in the small Khrushchev is also very cramped, and it becomes even smaller, because they usually tried to bring a refrigerator into it, which did not fit in a tiny kitchen. The original layout had a combined bathroom; if there is more than one room, then they are usually adjacent. That is, one room was a walk-through.
When they started to improve the layout, they divided the bathroom and slightly enlarged the rooms. At the same time, poor sound insulation remained, which they tried to fix with the help ofwall hanging.
Modern renovation in Khrushchev
Despite the obvious shortcomings of Khrushchev's houses, modern building technologies can significantly improve the situation. The overhaul of the plumbing, electrical wiring and heating system is complemented by external wall insulation. Of course, this will not raise the height of the ceilings, but the microclimate in the apartment is noticeably changing towards comfort.
Given that the room in Khrushchev is small, you can convert the apartment into a rather cozy studio. The partition between the kitchen and the room is easily removed (this is not a load-bearing wall), due to which the space is noticeably moved apart. The entrance hall is also connected to the living area, the space is optimized not by partitions, but by design solutions.
Worth buying?
It is impossible to say unequivocally that the secondary housing market is more affordable than new buildings. Much depends on the location of the building, the presence of a developed and habitable infrastructure nearby, the convenience of transport interchange, parks and recreational areas nearby. But on average, Khrushchev's apartments are an order of magnitude cheaper than modern ones.
Which Khrushchevs should I buy? First of all, you need to check if the house is included in the city redevelopment plan as a building with the prospect of demolition. The overhaul of communications carried out is a weighty plus in favor of the acquisition. It is necessary to provide some amount for current repairs, if required, as well as for external wall insulation. This improves the energy efficiency of the home andreduces the cost of heating or air conditioning an apartment.
