A courtyard building and a street building at the same address can be two entirely different properties — only one of them gets sun and moving air.
In Grizinkalns we come out to flats in pre-war tenement blocks, courtyard buildings, renovated blocks and ground-floor commercial units. We do mould removal, odour removal, ozone treatment and treatment after flooding, a sewage failure or long vacancy.
We have no premises and no staff in the district — we travel out on request and agree a date. In Riga travel is included in the price, and we do not promise an arrival time to the hour.
The basic form of the building stock in Grizinkalns is a dense block with a building set deep in the courtyard. That is not an aesthetic detail — it changes the physics. A courtyard block gets less direct sun, the air around it moves more weakly, and after rain the façade dries noticeably more slowly than the same wall on the street side.
So it is worth saying in your enquiry whether your rooms are on the street side or in the courtyard, and which floor they are on. When inspecting a courtyard block we also look at the cellar and the stairwell, because in a dense block the source of the problem is often there rather than in the flat. Separately on that: mould in the cellar and stairwell.
If the smell in the flat gets stronger when you open the stairwell door, the source is most likely not in the flat.
Some of the blocks in Grizinkalns have been refurbished, and that creates its own typical situation. In an old tenement the air exchange was provided by leaky windows and working chimney flues. When the windows are replaced with airtight ones but the flue was bricked up long ago, the building's designed air flow disappears. Moisture from showering, cooking and laundry stays in the room.
One more case: insulation or a new façade finish applied to masonry that had not dried out. Thick old masonry gives moisture back slowly, and a new layer can seal it inside. The result appears in the first heating season. That is checked on the particular wall with a measurement, not assumed for the whole block.
On the ground floors here you find shops, workshops, creative businesses and catering. The main constraint there is opening hours: after treatment the space has to stay empty for a while and be aired, so we plan for the evening, the night or a closing day. It does not change the method.
The ground floor of an old tenement is its own case for a commercial unit. The floor there often sits directly above the cellar or basement level, and what happens below reaches the space above through the floor structure and the service routes.
So when inspecting a shop or a café on the ground floor, we almost always ask to see the cellar as well.
For commercial properties we calculate the price by area, not by the number of rooms. What can be done in one session is set by the working window: in a two-hour window we get through less than in a whole night, so it is worth saying how long the space can be closed.
Useful descriptions: office, restaurant, ozone treatment and odour removal.
We work the same way next door — the Riga Centre starts a few blocks away.
In a dense block, planning starts with how we get to the premises at all. In the old tenements there is usually no lift, the stairs are narrow, and the courtyard gate may be locked. The equipment is then carried up by hand. It does not affect the price — travel within Riga is included — but it does affect how long we are on site.
So it is worth putting five things in the enquiry: the address and the block, the floor, whether there is a lift, how you get into the courtyard, and who will let us in. Those lines usually save more time than anything else.
If the problem affects the common property — the stairwell, the cellar or the attic — the conversation is simpler through the building manager. Separately on that: for property managers.
We carry out sanitary treatment of premises. We do not install ventilation, we do not do waterproofing, we do not repair roofs or gutters and we do not replace failed structures. If the inspection shows the cause is there, we say so and do not offer treatment as the solution.
We also say when treatment is not needed at all. If the smell comes from a dried-out trap or from the fact that there is no draught at the vent, growth has nothing to do with it, and we do not sell the job. Mould treatment only makes sense once the source of the moisture is known and the structure is dry.
The price list is the same for everyone, but the scope is not — and it is the scope that sets the final figure.
The final figure for the same area can differ, and the reasons are no secret. The biggest difference comes from whether finishes have to come off: if the growth is under plaster, panelling or skirting, the area to be treated is larger than the visible patch, and how much larger is only seen once it is opened up.
The second reason is moisture in the structure. There is no point treating a wet wall, so two visits are sometimes needed: one for the inspection and the plan, one for the work. The third is how prepared the room is — a full room with furniture against the wall takes noticeably longer than a cleared one.
Mould is priced by the area to be treated: treatment from €1.50/m², minimum from €80, inspection from €40. If we go on to do the work after the inspection, we usually include the inspection fee in the job total — we confirm that on site.
Flats: 1-room from €55, 2-room from €65, 3-room from €75, 4-room from €85. Private houses from €95. Commercial premises by area: up to 100 m² €1.20/m², 100–300 m² €0.90/m², 300–1000 m² €0.70/m². Mould: inspection from €40, treatment from €1.50/m², minimum from €80. Ozone treatment €1.20/m², minimum €60.
In Riga travel is included in the price. All prices →
It changes the inspection. A courtyard building gets less sun and weaker air movement, so the walls dry more slowly and condensation collects in the corners. We also look at the cellar and the stairwell, because in a dense block the source is often outside the flat.
First we have to establish the route it takes: a shared ventilation stack, the stairwell or the cellar. If the source is in someone else's premises, we cannot treat it without the owner's consent. In more detail: smells from neighbours.
Yes. In commercial premises the working window is usually an evening, a night or a closing day, because after treatment the space has to stay empty for a while and be aired. We agree that in the enquiry.
Describe the situation — we will tell you whether treatment is needed at all, and which one.
Fill in the form — we will call you on the number you provide, ask a few clarifying questions and propose a solution.
Thank you! We will contact you on the phone number you provided shortly.
