Buying a flat in a block of flats

When buying a flat, we pay attention to a great many aspects. We care about the floor area, the location and the floor the property is on. There is one more aspect that is often overlooked when buying. It is the material the residential building is made of. Currently on the property market we can find flats in blocks built with an H-frame (rama H), brick or large concrete panels (wielka płyta). What are the pros and cons of each of these materials? Find out in this article.

H-frame – what is it and what are its properties?

One of the more popular materials used to build housing-estate blocks is the H-frame. It is a reinforced-concrete structure built from prefabricated columns, beams and floor slabs. The name H-frame comes from its characteristic shape resembling the letter H.

The H-frame was created with the rapid construction of housing estates in mind. Thanks to it, blocks went up at lightning speed. A characteristic feature of this type of building is the absence of load-bearing walls. Their role is played by the reinforced-concrete frame.

The biggest drawback of the H-frame is that some elements of the structure are visible inside the flats. On the other hand, an advantage is the good thermal and acoustic insulation of the flat, achieved thanks to the bricks that were set between the reinforced-concrete structures.

Moreover, the H-frame is extremely durable. In addition, the absence of load-bearing walls in the flats means that the interiors can be arranged freely. In properties built with an H-frame, sockets and light fittings can also be moved easily. The walls also make it easy to hang all kinds of accessories.

The H-frame was most popular in the 60s and 70s. Over time, however, builders began to move away from it in favour of other building materials. Nevertheless, the period in which it was used means that these blocks are usually located in the most convenient parts of the city.

The only drawback of H-frame construction is that individual elements of the reinforced-concrete skeleton show in the flats. In addition, flats in this type of block have relatively low ceilings.

Large concrete panels – what are they and what are their pros and cons?

Large-panel buildings were assembled from ready-made precast concrete elements. These were manufactured in so-called house factories. The ready-made elements included external walls, load-bearing walls, partition walls, ceilings, roofs, lift shafts, staircases and more. There are two types of system used in this kind of construction.

The first is the closed system used in the 60s and 70s. Its characteristic feature is that every wall in the flat was a load-bearing wall, which made any change to the layout of the rooms impossible. This was all the more annoying because the layout itself was not very attractive. Flats of this kind were small. An additional characteristic of large-panel blocks built in the closed system was that every flat in the same vertical stack had exactly the same layout.

The second solution was the open system, which began to be used in the late 70s. Its advantage was the use of panels of varying sizes, which allowed larger flats to be built. In addition, in this system only some of the walls were load-bearing, which allowed the layout of the flat to be changed as desired. Care was also taken to make the joints between the panels tighter, which translated into greater thermal comfort inside and a lower degree of dampness.

An asset of flats in a large-panel block is the attractive infrastructure around them. Usually a whole estate was planned, with schools, nurseries and clinics. Buildings were also put up close to public transport, and there was plenty of green space around them. An additional advantage is the distances kept between blocks. They were much greater than today, which eliminated the problem of peering into the neighbour's windows.

Unfortunately, large-panel flats also have quite a few drawbacks, especially if the block has not undergone a major renovation. In these unrenovated blocks you can still find aluminium wiring, which often fails, as well as gas water heaters (“junkers”). Moreover, large-panel flats are poorly soundproofed, so you can hear practically everything in them. This means little sense of privacy and reduces everyday comfort.

Brick – advantages and disadvantages of the material

Brick is currently the most popular material used in construction and has many advantages. However, not all bricks are equal – there are several kinds of this material.

The cheapest is solid brick, which offers rather poor acoustic and thermal insulation. Another version is porous ceramic hollow blocks, which provide much greater thermal and acoustic comfort. Another variety is aerated concrete, which in turn stores heat very well but protects poorly against noise. The last building material is sand-lime blocks, which protect effectively against excess sound but offer average thermal insulation.

The main advantage of flats in a brick block is that they are always warm. This also translates into lower heating bills. Moreover, these flats come in a variety of floor areas and layouts. In addition, brick buildings have an attractive exterior appearance. They also often come with underground garages or parking spaces around the blocks, which we do not find in older H-frame or large-panel buildings.

The drawback of flats in brick blocks, on the other hand, is certainly their higher price. In addition, these buildings are usually close to one another, so neighbours peer into each other's windows.

A separate category of brick buildings is old tenement houses. Their interiors have a unique charm, but to create a truly attractive flat in them you often have to carry out a thorough renovation covering the wiring, plumbing and heating. Old tenement houses also rarely have a lift, which can be a problem if we buy a flat on the very top floor. Their advantages are certainly the attractive location in the very centre of the city and the spacious room layouts, high ceilings and large windows guaranteeing unlimited access to daylight.

Which building should you choose?

As you can see, each type of material has its pros and cons. The choice of a specific residential building depends on our individual preferences and financial means. Modern flats in a brick block seem the most attractive, but they are also the most expensive. Large-panel and H-frame blocks, meanwhile, are currently undergoing thorough renovations, which improve living comfort in them. However, their biggest drawback is small rooms, which can limit everyday comfort.