How to save financial resources and time in an internal arrangement?

There are tips and tricks that help us save time and money when fixing up, renovating or simply «freshening up» a space. Dragoș Pitu, architect of the Delta Studio, tells us about it, who also tells us how we manage to optimize spaces to «save» themselves, later, through high-performance insulation systems and renewable energy production.

How can we change the look of a living space without the renovation taking a long time?

From time to time a renewal of the environment in which we live is welcome. To create a new and attractive design in your home, the quick solution is finishes that are easy to apply and do not require the replacement of existing ones.

For example, bathroom or kitchen tiles can be coated with moisture-resistant washable paints. We can therefore keep the ceramic material, but change its color and finish, which can be matt/satin/glossy.

As a quick intervention on the walls you can opt for washable decorative paints which are applied by an expert hand in two-three days, with the help of which a huge variety of textures, colors and imitations of materials can be obtained.

Other solutions that are nice looking, premium and easy to integrate into existing situations are wall cladding with corrugated panelssmooth panels, decorative profiles or wallpaper application.

Contemporary design inspired by the colors of nature, created by Delta Studio architects

At floor level, the speed of the intervention depends greatly on the existing finish. For example, in the case of a laminated wood or solid wood parquet, we can perform a scraping and a layer of varnish, while the laminated parquet can be easily dismantled and replaced with another model.

The tiles can be renewed with epoxy resin and microcement flooring systems, the creation of which does not necessarily require breaking the existing finish. The ceramic surface can be polished with a special device that creates crests for adhesion and leveling of the support surface, after which the epoxy resin or microcement mixture is poured and spread by the craftsman over the entire desired surface (they have a self-levelling effect).

What are the jobs we can do in a house or apartment to reduce utility costs in the cold season?

Reducing utility costs in the cold season is a constant and old concern, and the question does not have a concise answer with an optimal and quick solution, there are several variants, applicable depending on the context.

If we are in the construction design phase, the choice of materials is one of the solutions if we have thermal efficiency as our main objective: the brick used (BCA, vertical perforated brick, solid brick), depending on its type, has different thermal and resistance properties and with the relevant thermal insulation system good thermal efficiency results can be obtained.

I currently propose and support systems based on water-air heat pumps, carefully chosen based on the site studied. Although the investment is higher, the return on investment is quick.

Photovoltaic panels are very efficient systems in terms of reducing costs over time. They represent an electricity production system which, sized and calculated correctly, will provide the necessary power to the home’s users.

The alternatives to optimize maintenance costs in the cold season are numerous and with many benefits if adequately adapted to the function, shape and architecture of the space, as well as to the obstacles present. Among these we list the underfloor heating systems of the electric carbon fiber carpet type, heating with electric radiators, underfloor heating with electric radiator.

In other words, the thermal efficiency of a building is achieved more easily and correctly already in the design phase. The orientation of the house according to the cardinal points is very important for the need for natural light and heat further stored and radiated by the building. The position of the window openings is an important part of the design, facilitating depending on the orientation of the sun, the hours of natural light and the hours of shade, depending on the destinations of the rooms.

Natural ventilation must also be taken into consideration right from the design phase. The flow of air circulating in the house between two open windows can positively or negatively influence the quality of the indoor air, thus helping to make the ventilation system more efficient.