As part of a scope of comprehensive revitalisation works carried out in the building, all the renovated facades, both in the front building and the annexes, shall have an illumination system installed to bring out their contours after dark. All services and utility installations (electrical, plumbing, central heating) shall be replaced with the brand-new ones. The building shall have its own central heating system installed (to be yet determined whether a gas-fired one, or tapping into the municipal heat network). The roof shall be thermally insulated from the outside, so as to retain the existing height of the attic apartments. All widows are to be replaced.
All common parts of the property shall be renovated in their entirety. In order to retain its historic character and ambience, much sought after both by the investors and tenants, all original details shall be meticulously renovated. The courtyard shall be resurfaced, and accommodate a designer-landscaped garden, to make the entire place evocative of the bygone times, especially after dark, when basking in the ambient light shed by the discreetly backlit façades.
Principal aim of all our revitalisation endeavours consists in modernising the historically valuable buildings in the way allowing them to continue fulfilling their original residential or commercial functions. At the same time, we spare no effort in having the apartments effectively adapted to modern living standards and individually pursued lifestyles, whilst striving to retain the original historic character of the premises.
We always opt for subdued, quiet elegance, highlighted by carefully chosen colour scheme and discreet backlighting. All decorative elements on the front façade shall be diligently restored to bring out their original appeal. Soft backlighting, meant to set off the richness of architectural detail, is going to grant the building a truly impressive look at night.
On all balconies, the existing wrought-iron balustrades shall be either diligently restored, or faithfully replicated. The look of the façade on the courtyard side shall be further enhanced by adding white bands around all the windows and highlighting all the existing decorative elements. The white bands and windows are going to work well with the light, cream-coloured plaster. The warm colour scheme of the façade is meant to shed extra light onto the courtyard, also offering a perfect background for the ivy and colourful flowers on the balconies.
In the middle of the courtyard, in a large, round clay pot placed on a pedestal, a several-year-old, spreading rhododendron shall be planted, flowering in a pale shade of pink. The pedestal is also meant to double as a sitting area. The rest of the courtyard is planned to be planted with smaller rhododendrons, and a variety of other carefully selected plants.
Most of the plants to be planted in the garden are of the evergreen variety, so the garden would look its best all year round. Carefully planned planting ensures that from February right up to the end of October the plants shall be in full bloom throughout the growing season. The first splashes of colour are to appear in February and March, when laurel bushes are due to bloom, to be followed by periwinkles in March and April, rhododendrons and lilies of the valley in May, and day lilies in June.
Hydrangeas shall delight the eyes from July to September, and finally the winter lilacs in October. The flowering plants shall be complemented by hostas, brunias, ivies, wolfsbane, cranesbills, and redbuds. All the planting is designed as classical, symmetrical flower beds, surrounding a centrally placed pedestal with a sizable rhododendron.
At the bottom of some of the walls, ivy shall be planted, so that in time it would nicely overgrow the façades, turning the entire courtyard into a veritable "enchanted garden" - for the exclusive use of the residents. An old cast-iron sink with a tap shall be fitted onto one of the walls. The entrance doors to the staircases shall be painted in an unusual burgundy colour, further highlighting a unique character of the courtyard. The colour scheme of the paving slabs, corresponding to the façade, shall offer a consistent complement to this secluded space. The entrance to the courtyard shall lead through a renovated passage with a latticework gate. Rather unusual and pretty rare artefacts are the antique doorstops in the shape of dwarves, located just at the entrance to the main gate. These shall be retained and lovingly restored to their original, pristine look.
The renovation work to be carried out on the staircases and the corridors shall be focused primarily on retaining and restoring all the components of the original decor. We are planning to grant a new lease of life to all the staircases and corridors, as well as make overall colour scheme fully consistent with the one on the façades. Rather sizable, original windows shall provide plenty of lighting within the staircases, as well as a great view of the inner landscaped garden. The stained glass window over the inner door to the front staircase shall also offer an extra appeal. The terrazzo stairs shall be scrubbed clean and given a protective coating, effectively setting off the historic floor tiles, as well as the black, wrought-iron balustrades boasting impressively decorative ornamentation.
The building shall be fitted out with an intercom and an integrated monitoring system, whereas the main entrance gate shall remain permanently locked. Digital entrance door handles may optionally be fitted at an extra cost to some of the apartments, if required. This particular solution appreciably aids the management of both long-term and short-term tenancy. Remote programming of the access code to the apartments effectively precludes any unauthorised entry, as well as helps out in resolving the issue of any tenants defaulting on their rental payments.
One of the basements shall accommodate a bicycle storage unit for the exclusive use of the building's residents.