Renovation of a tenement facade with a grant of 45,000 PLN
We successfully obtained funds for the restoration of architectural details on the facade. The owner paid only half of the renovation costs out of his own pocket.
We show how to renovate a crumbling facade in the center of Toruń without wiping the community's account clean. We used a city subsidy program to cover almost half of the conservation work costs.
The challenge
The tenement on Prosta street had a serious problem: plaster was falling off in chunks, and the decorative cornices above the windows practically ceased to exist. The housing community (7 units) had a renovation fund of 52,300 PLN, which with the valuation of work at over 90 thousand was a drop in the ocean of needs. Tenants feared taking out a loan for 12 years, and the monument conservator rightly demanded the use of traditional, expensive lime materials instead of ordinary cement.
Our approach
We started with a detailed inventory of every crack. Our 3-person team prepared photographic documentation of 14 architectural details that required recreation. Instead of sending general inquiries, we went straight to the Municipal Monument Conservator's office to establish which elements of the facade qualify for a targeted grant. We prepared an 18-page application in which we proved the historical value of these specific decorations. To be honest, the first color design was rejected, so we had to make additional stratigraphic probes to find the original shade of sandstone.
The solution
At Monetra, we handled the entire official process. After 6 weeks of waiting, we received a positive decision to grant 45,800 PLN of non-refundable support. We chose a proven team of stuccos who, instead of ready-made casts, recreated cornice profiles directly on the wall, according to the old school. We watched the deadlines because the grant had to be settled and accepted before the end of September. The brick doesn't lie – under the dirty plaster, we also found two previously bricked-up details that we managed to expose without going over the budget.
Results
The facade regained its glow from 1894, and residents avoided increasing the renovation fund. The whole investment closed in the amount the community already had saved in the account.
Timeline
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April 2024Facade inventory and first coffee with the community board
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May 2024Submission of the grant application to the Toruń City Hall
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June 2024Contractor selection and scaffolding setup
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July–August 2024Stucco works and supervision over brick cleaning
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September 2024Conservation acceptance and financial settlement of the grant
"I was afraid that the paperwork would eat us up and the renovation would get stuck in a dead point. Monetra took care of the offices for us. Finally, we paid 3,800 PLN less for the renovation of the tenement than our most optimistic plan assumed."