Lifespan of Stalinist houses. Lifespan of residential buildings - types and procedure. Types of wear and tear on buildings

03.10.2023

The long service life of a brick house is due to the appropriate characteristics of the brick. These buildings are distinguished by their strength, durability, and durability. They are practically fireproof and do not rot.

Brick houses are highly durable and fireproof. Their service life is several times longer than that of panel and wooden houses.

If we compare the service life of wooden, panel and brick houses, the latter last 2-3 times longer than the first 2 options. Having a certain reserve of longevity, houses made of any material can belong to the premium segment.

Buildings made of brick are highly reliable, so they do not require major repairs for many years. Old brick houses, which can be seen in any city with a long history, have survived more than a dozen years, since the service life of a brick house is more than a century. Tallest old building - The Monadnock Building is built of brick.

Construction of brick houses

The modern Russian construction industry of megacities is characterized by an increased demand for the construction of multi-storey brick buildings, the construction of which is no longer so common. Brick buildings have long been replaced by panel buildings, so the share of new brick housing proposals in cities is 7% of the total construction volume. In recent developments in the construction market, monolithic buildings have begun to displace brick houses from residential areas.

The situation in the construction of country houses is completely different, since brick building designs are in great demand among land owners. The wear and tear of such buildings occurs very slowly, since brick is a durable and reliable material. It ensures the service life of a brick house within 100-150 years. The cost of housing in new brick houses is increasing every year. The rate of its growth outpaces the increase in the cost of housing in houses built using monolithic or brick-monolithic structures, and even more so panel ones.

Individual construction puts brick in first place among all materials used for the construction of buildings. Two-story brick houses are built by private firms and land owners in 50% of cases. This trend is observed regardless of the abundance of technologies that are cheaper. For example, aerated concrete or foam concrete buildings can be built for a lower price, and sandwich panels are not that expensive.

In the process of constructing brick country houses, more expensive materials are often used. Experts note that there is a shift in demand from slag and sand-lime bricks towards more reliable types of this material. Over the past 5 years, the share of projects to build houses made of ceramic bricks has increased by almost 15%.

Advantages and disadvantages of brick houses

Houses made of ceramic or silicate bricks have a lot of advantages that are associated not only with the operation of buildings, but also with the process of their construction:

Small format of the material, simplifying its delivery to the construction site.
Manual unloading and loading of material.
High level of sound insulation and minimal wall shrinkage.
Ease of installation of utilities and gas equipment.

The suspension of construction work will not affect the quality and reliability of the entire structure. High-quality masonry and cladding significantly reduces the cost of repairing a building.

The long service life of a building made of ceramic or sand-lime bricks pays for the costs of its construction. Houses built from brick have the best heat conservation among buildings built using other types of technologies. Living in brick houses is more comfortable, as they create an ideal microclimate. People are not cold in winter and not hot in summer.

Brick house designs are always unique, since this material allows you to effectively use the possibilities of architecture and design. There are a huge number of masonry options. Brick allows you to lay out shapes of any complexity, creating facade ornaments. The use of dyes and pigments in a wide range of colors improves the appearance of buildings. Brick cannot fade and does not rot.

The disadvantage of building multi-storey brick houses is the high cost of this process, which requires a lot of time and labor. Since brick is a piece material, all work must be performed by specialists, entire teams of masons using specialized equipment.

The construction of any brick houses involves the highest cost compared to frame or wooden buildings. The quality of a brick building is determined by the strength and power of its foundation, which must withstand the enormous weight of the entire structure.

Walls made of weighty material are quite heavy. This increases the pressure on the base. Brick has high thermal conductivity. Brick housing projects require insulation and insulation of walls.

What properties extend the service life of bricks?

Among the properties that extend the service life of bricks are the following:

Natural materials are used in the brick composition.
The dense structure prevents biological fouling of the material.
The fire resistance of the product protects the structure from destruction during fires.
The material is resistant to weather conditions.
Moisture, negative temperatures and other factors do not change the structure of the material.
Possibility of cladding brick facades with other finishing materials.

Proper installation of a brick structure, whose durability is more than 100 years, can extend the life of a house.

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The following factors allow you to increase it, which make the installation high-quality:

Correct choice of foundation design.
Correct calculation of the bearing capacity of the foundation.
An effective system for determining construction conditions.
Construction of a foundation suitable for local conditions.
Optimal arrangement of window openings.

The long service life of a brick house is determined by factors such as the foundation, walls, window openings and roofing.

If these elements are performed with high quality in accordance with all standards, it can be argued that a brick building can last at least 150 years.

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To increase the service life of a brick house, you should use the services of a professional construction company with extensive experience in this area. During the construction of a brick house, it is necessary to comply with all construction norms and rules.

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 5th Sokolinaya Gora Street in Moscow. It was a frame-panel structure four floors high.

The main task of that time, which the country's leadership had to solve, was the creation of the cheapest development project. There was a need for residential buildings in which people could live as families, as opposed to communal settlements.

"Khrushchev" today

Many decades later, we still associate apartments in panel buildings with cheapness and accessibility. This is real people's housing. Real estate market analysts cite the main reasons that such apartments continue to be sold: fast pace of construction, low price and slightly better quality of the latest generation of panels compared to those produced previously.

Nevertheless, nowadays panel houses occupy no more than 5% of the new building market. The fact is that for the most part, modern options sold on the market and those that are just being planned exist in monolithic technology. Quite large economy-class projects have already been developed, representing entire residential complexes.

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

Why are they cheaper?

What explains the economic affordability of buildings made from prefabricated panels? The thing is that the main production load during construction is transferred from the construction site to the workshops of the reinforced concrete plant, which immediately reduces costs. In addition to the economic factor, there is a climatic factor, because it is much easier to produce reinforced concrete elements in workshops without regard to weather conditions, and quality control is carried out in factory conditions much easier.

We all love to save, but we should not forget that the stingy pays twice. This rule also applies to panel housing construction. There are many cases when, after moving into a new home, problems begin just a couple of years later.

Defects can range from minor to quite serious. In some apartments, facing tiles are crumbling, in others, interpanel seams are showing through. What is the reason for this apparently premature aging? After all, a building, by definition, must be designed for a much longer service life.

What affects the service life of panel houses?

The fact is that there is a concept of shrinkage, and in panel houses this process, unfortunately, occurs rather unevenly. Another pain point of such a house is its seams. According to European construction standards, embedded seam elements 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 panel houses are deprived of their main trump card - low cost.

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

Other disadvantages

In addition, everyone knows that the thermal characteristics of panel houses leave much to be desired. This is especially noticeable in comparison with monolithic and brick buildings. The heat simply disappears from the panels. In the conditions of severe Russian winters, heating an apartment in such a house becomes a serious problem.

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

About obsolescence

The fact that the service life of panel houses of the early period (popularly referred to as “Khrushchev buildings”) has actually passed, and they have become morally obsolete a long time ago is no secret to anyone. With their tiny kitchens, combined bathrooms, low ceilings and missing garbage chute, they have long set people on edge. Modern buyers who have more or less a decent amount of money would prefer to pay a little more than to purchase such low-quality housing at the cost of saving.

It has long been officially recognized that urban areas built up by “Khrushchev” buildings are used extremely inefficiently. These buildings do not decorate urban landscapes and cause high heat loss figures for public utilities. For a long time no one has doubted the advisability of their demolition and the construction of new modern buildings in the vacant place.

What's the 80's like?

Service life is the criterion that allows you to assess the liquidity of a house with maximum objectivity. Let's try to evaluate our "sockets" from this point of view. If we consider the first thin-walled “Khrushchev” buildings, then the service life of panel houses from the 1980s is about 50 years. It is clear that, physically and morally, such housing has long since exhausted itself.

Another category of houses is panel and block high-rise buildings. This is a slightly more “advanced” option. Each such house has 9-16 floors. Their construction began between 1965 and 1980. The service life of the 9-story panel house is designed for 100 years.

What else could he be?

Experts say that the service life of modern panel houses of different series is approximately the same. This is due to the fact that during their construction the same standards and building rules are used.

Relatively new panel houses have a slightly longer stated service life. The service life of a panel apartment building is generally designed for a period of 50 to 70 years. For individual series (for example, P 44), this period is assigned up to one hundred years. There is a series C 220, the structures of houses of which are assembled from panels, but the material of their external walls is brickwork. The appearance of such buildings is similar to monolithic brick ones. The standard service life of panel houses of this series is indicated within 150 years. It should be noted that this option is not very common in the housing market.

How can I extend it?

According to the project, when operating newly constructed panel houses, a planned period between mandatory overhauls is provided, and it ranges from 20 to 25 years. In reality, real buildings last 10-15 years longer than planned without major repairs. How much can the service life of a panel house be increased? The unspoken opinion of most experts is that the concept of normality here is very conditional, and repairs and careful treatment can prolong it. Of course, we are talking about the renovation of the entire building, and not a single apartment. In the latter case, such an event will not have any serious impact on the general condition of the house.

Thus, according to experts, when operating panel houses, the main thing is to carry out major repairs on time and carefully monitor the maintenance of all communications in good condition. There are standards for the number of people allowed to live in a specific area. In the conditions of Russian reality, these standards have been violated for decades; this, accordingly, has accelerated the deterioration of most buildings.

Signs of an emergency building

Even the appearance of a panel house may indicate the need for repairs. Numerous cracks and more than once patched seams between the panels will tell you this. If you go inside the house, damp walls with mold and an unpleasant odor, as well as dilapidated communications, eloquently complete the picture.

An additional difficulty for repairmen is that, according to the design features, such repairs are not always possible. For example, some projects involve installing batteries and pipes directly inside the walls. These communications wear out faster than the service life of panel houses ends.

The cost of apartments after major renovations on the real estate market can be increased by approximately 15%, but this applies mainly to those buildings that have undergone comprehensive renovations. This concept implies measures to insulate the facade with a plinth, roof, repair of staircases and attic (if any), glazing of all balconies, replacement of pipes and equipment for elevators and gas facilities, as well as major cleaning of ventilation ducts.

Maximum numbers

Such a complete renovation can significantly improve the quality of the house and significantly extend its service life. In addition, as a result of transformations, the appearance of the building can be significantly improved, which immediately increases its value on the secondary real estate market.

What is the maximum service life of panel houses? According to the standards, reinforced concrete structures are allowed to operate for up to 125 years, but subject to strict adherence to certain conditions, namely: major repairs must be carried out at least once every 25 years, and routine repairs must be carried out every seven years. In practice, getting the authorities to carry out these activities is an almost impossible task. No one is involved in the prevention and determination of the technical condition of each building. Repairs can only be achieved after numerous complaints on serious grounds.

About the reconstruction of old houses

The capital has long ago developed a program for relocating residents from dilapidated buildings. First of all, it is planned to resettle the oldest five-story panel buildings, the service life of which has long expired. Both in Moscow and in the regions, from time to time there were attempts to reconstruct individual Khrushchev buildings. Unfortunately, this practice can be said to have failed.

The attempts consisted in the fact that houses of a certain series were subjected to superstructure and the construction of additional sections. As a result, it was concluded that this project was not economically feasible. After all, the maximum number of built-on floors is one or two, no more. The process of constructing additional areas on the roof caused active protests from residents. Such apartments were also not in demand among buyers. As a result, it was decided that it would be much more profitable to demolish the old housing and then build a new one on this site.

Neither the installation of elevators, nor the complete replacement of communications, nor the renovation of the entire building will extend the service life of the panel houses of the 70s and will not increase the demand in the housing market for Khrushchev-era buildings. After all, the quality of the panels, as well as the original layout of the apartments, cannot be changed. Conclusion - Khrushchev buildings will never become comfortable housing.

What does it look like

How can you immediately determine the pre-emergency condition of a panel house? In such cases, external cracks in the walls and damaged walls are always striking. The eye of a specialist will also instantly identify cracks in the foundation, which are much more dangerous. Corrosion of the reinforcement leads to the destruction of the slabs, which threatens the collapse of the entire building. Old communications provoke uneven ground settlement, which further aggravates the problem and shortens the service life of panel houses. The pipes and electrical networks in such houses are significantly overloaded and very worn out. And the question is no longer only about the comfort and prestige of living. A much more important concept is at stake - the safety of people.

There is nothing more permanent than temporary - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin recalled a well-known aphorism at the beginning of the week. They discussed “Khrushchev buildings” - unsightly and faceless five-story buildings. It's hard to believe, but in the Russian capital, this seemingly eternal legacy of the USSR appears to be coming to an end. The fate of the “Khrushchevka” will be dealt with by a specially created headquarters, which will be headed by the mayor. Sobyanin is already sharing details of the new housing program with Muscovites on his Twitter page. He promises, for example, to consult with the residents and reassures: “People will not be sent to any evictions. This is out of the question."

Today the territory of “Khrushchev” buildings in Moscow is 25 million square meters. In total, this is a tenth of the capital’s total living space. there will be 1.6 million people. The scale is impressive. However, “Khrushchevka” is not only a metropolitan phenomenon. Five-story buildings were built in all cities of the Soviet Union. How did the idea of prefabricated, non-capital, and therefore inexpensive housing come about? And why did the Khrushchevs outlive their service life by half?

The corridor is like a portal to the Thaw era. Behind it is a standard five and a half meter kitchen. They dissented on such people, read at night and simply cooked. The area, as the engineers believed, allowed the housewife to reach any corner without leaving the borscht.

In such houses, which would later be called “Khrushchev”, the architects decided to abandon elevators. It's cheaper that way. However, because of this, it was necessary to build no higher than five floors, so that the Soviet people would not undermine their health, doctors recommended. The ceiling height of two and a half meters allowed the builder of communism to somehow breathe, and the builders of the house to build it faster. Minimalism was in everything.

However, due to the thickness of the walls, many became unwitting witnesses to other people's quarrels, or even woke up to the sounds of a neighbor's snoring.

A residential building on Polyarnikov Street in St. Petersburg is the first version of the future “Khrushchev” in the Soviet Union. It was built in 1955. You can’t immediately tell that the building is made of blocks - it’s just plastered on the outside. Inside is a real paradise for every Soviet family, as imagined by the architects of those years. The ceiling height is more than three meters. Each room has two large windows. Spacious kitchens, separate bathroom. The entrance doors to the apartments are oak.

The construction site was not chosen by chance - a factory outskirts of the city, on the site of a former village. Workers lived here. They were supposed to test the new building.

However, to Khrushchev all this seemed unnecessary. had to live modestly. Therefore, the house remained experimental - “proto-Khrushchev”, as it is called to this day.

“It was decided that the height of residential floors should be reduced to a minimum. This minimum was determined by hygienist scientists. They calculated how many cubic meters of air there are per capita in such apartments,” explained Vladimir Linov, Honored Architect of Russia, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Architecture of St. Petersburg State University of Civil Engineering.

Now there are more than 2.5 thousand “Khrushchev” buildings in St. Petersburg. Every tenth city dweller lives in such a house. In the mid-2000s, a program of reorganization and reconstruction of mass-produced five-story buildings appeared. On average, the city paid 25 million rubles from the budget for each panel house. Everything inside remains the same.

Five-story buildings grew like mushrooms in that era. Assembling the building from pre-made slabs saved money and time. For example, a house with five entrances was assembled in a couple of weeks. Some Stakhanovites managed it in about five days. The blocks were sometimes supplied with pipes and radiators built into the concrete.

There were many Khrushchev projects. Types of houses were usually designated by numbers, depending on the brand of concrete and the number of the plant that produced it.

In Vladikavkaz, “Khrushchev” apartments began to be built in the early 1960s. The first houses were erected on the more populated right bank of the Terek River. At first they were panel and then brick. Houses were built until the mid-1970s.

Now in Vladikavkaz every fifth house is a Khrushchev building. More than one generation has already grown up in them. Major renovations in such houses are a real luxury. In some areas it has never been carried out. Residents themselves are raising money in order to somehow patch up the five-story buildings.

For all this time, only one Khrushchev building on the outskirts of the city was demolished in Vladikavkaz. It was in disrepair and a new residential building was built in its place a year ago.

The fight against the times of housing minimalism in Moscow has always gone differently. Either the wave destroyed hundreds of five-story buildings, or they were taken on point by point. Basically, where it is profitable to demolish.

According to various estimates, every tenth Russian lives or grew up in panel houses. “Khrushchevs” have long outlived their allotted “expiration date”. And who knows which generation will be the last to leave the entrances that have already become an era.

Since childhood, we have known that the strongest structures are stone. This is the house that lasted the longest in the tale of the three little pigs. Today it is hardly possible to find a person who would not agree to live in a warm, durable house built to last. If a brick is chosen, then it is important to know: what affects durability, what conditions must be met, and most importantly - How long will a brick house last??

About the service life of stone buildings

Each structure, built from any building material, has a certain “reserve” of longevity. This is a different period for everyone. It is clear that wooden houses may not last as long as stone ones. In addition, such types of houses (for example, frame, timber, log) are susceptible to rotting or may be damaged during a fire, which cannot be said about brick buildings. These are strong, durable and durable buildings. The last point is justified by the characteristics of the brick.

Key properties that prolong brick service life. Let's indicate them:

Brick is made only from natural materials that have special properties. The structure is dense, which is not characterized by rotting and biological fouling;
Fire resistance. In the event of a fire, the brick will not be damaged, the house will continue to stand;
Weather resistant. The material tolerates constant exposure to moisture, negative temperatures and other factors;
With additional protection of the walls, for example, finishing with siding or any other material, we can safely say that a brick house will last very long, much longer than stated in the reference books;
Proper installation also extends the life of the house.

According to experts, on average, the durability of a brick house is stated to be 100 years. However, taking into account many factors, this period may vary. So, let's look at the main ones:

Correct construction of the foundation. If the design is chosen correctly, with the required load-bearing capacity, then we can say that the house will last a long time. Before laying the foundation, a whole range of measures must be taken to determine the conditions under which the system will be built. If the type of foundation is not suitable for the local operating conditions, then the most negative consequences may be observed, including the collapse of the house;
High-quality wall construction. Normal masonry should be smooth and have even layers of masonry mortar. Brick walls can serve up to 150 years;
Window openings. Their proper arrangement is very important. Gaps must be sealed with high tightness. There must be slopes; if they are not there, the brick will begin to absorb moisture and in winter the stones will begin to burst;
Roof. Protecting your entire home from bad weather. The service life depends on the materials chosen; choose only high-quality options. For example, ceramic tiles can last up to 100 years.

Thus, the durability of a brick house is determined by 4 factors - the foundation, walls, window openings and roof. If these building elements are made with high quality, in accordance with all building codes, then we can safely say that a brick house will last at least 150 years.

To sum it up...

Do you want to achieve exactly these results for your own home? Then it is better to entrust the construction to a professional company that has experience and special skills in this direction. You can also build it yourself, but only if you comply with all the rules and regulations can you talk about the durability of the house.

When purchasing an apartment in a new building or on the secondary market, one must also take into account such a factor as the lifespan of the building. It affects both taking into account the needs for major repairs and understanding whether it will be necessary to purchase new living space for children in the future. Also, knowledge of this parameter will make it possible to calculate the prospects for resettlement; in Moscow alone, about 45% of the residential background is made up of panel buildings and there is already talk about the demolition of the oldest residential areas, despite the fact that SNiPs still allow their operation. The service life of a 9-story panel house depends on several significant parameters - climate, construction requirements, and the professionalism of the developer.

Climate influence

The climatic factor will be significant when comparing the service life of buildings built in a temperate climate, in permafrost zones or in an earthquake zone. Each of these types of regions is capable of reducing the standard life span of a nine-story building or the communications connected to it.

If we consider the situation by region, the following will happen:

in the North and similar territories, pipelines and other communications will fail faster. Buildings require increased thermal insulation; its failure determines the need for repairs. If in Chita only a few panels suddenly failed, then in Canada residents had to leave two cities that were razed to the ground by permafrost;
in areas prone to flooding and earthquakes, a house may be destroyed significantly earlier than regulatory expectations.

Important: When studying the location of a building, it is necessary to take into account not only the climate, but also the features of the General Plan and zoning of the territory. The building may be demolished if the authorities have other plans for the use of the land.

Construction period

The architectural solution affects the duration of use of a high-rise building. When choosing an object to purchase, you must proceed from the following gradation:

panel houses of the Brezhnev period (1965-1980). Pleasant apartments with high ceilings and a garbage disposal on the stairs attract many buyers. The standard service life of a building is 100 years from the date of construction;
houses of modern construction. They were also planned for 100 years, but it is difficult to predict whether they will be able to function throughout this time. It all depends on the quality of construction and concrete work. Cracks in load-bearing walls are no longer uncommon; many buyers have encountered them.

Read also: How to purchase a room in a communal apartment

So far, there have been no situations with the demolition of 9-story panel buildings due to the expiration of the possibility of their operation in Russia. If housing suitability standards do not change, the first such cases will begin to arise in the 50s of the 21st century. It should be taken into account that the construction technology does not provide for the possibility of reconstruction, so from 2055 they will gradually be demolished.

Construction quality

The service life of a panel house is often shortened due to poor quality construction. Monitoring compliance with SNiP requirements is currently not carried out at the highest level. It is even more difficult to control the process of major repairs; this task falls entirely on the shoulders of the owners. An unsuccessful reconstruction can significantly shorten the life of a nine-story building. It should be taken into account that the calculation period for the use of this category of buildings was established in the 1965-70s. Since then, the characteristics of the environment have changed, in many cities it has become more aggressive, and the quality of materials used in repairs has also changed. It is impossible to say unequivocally that the building will last the allotted 100 years. In many buildings built in the 2000s, there is a problem with insulation. The interpanel seams are leaking and blown out, and the tiles are crumbling. In areas with soft soil and situations with poor-quality piles and foundations, there is a problem of uneven settlement.

Interesting: In Germany, panel houses built during the Soviet period were completely renovated as part of the federal program “Urban Reconstruction - East”. This did not change the date of their final demolition, but improved the quality of life of citizens and the appearance of the objects.

What can affect the wear and tear of a building?

The standard service life is not the only factor that influences the decision on the suitability of a building. It is extremely important to pay attention to its operating mode. The period of life established by documents will always differ from the actual one. Factors that will affect the rate of deterioration of housing will be:

the quality of the building materials used, their compliance with SNIPs;
compliance with technological processes during construction, temperature conditions, technology for preparing and performing individual stages of construction;
compliance with operating conditions, quality of work of management companies, their experience in repairs;
the quality of materials and technologies used in the overhaul process;
the duration of periods during which high-rise buildings were unoccupied;
the total number of residents and their relationship to the property.