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»» Level of renovation
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Levels of renovation can be classified into 4 catagories:
- Elite renovation
- Typical European style renovation
- Local renovation
- Poor quality renovation
Elite Renovation
 Elite renovation fetches the highest rental prices. Apartments renovated in this way have undergone major reconstruction and have basically been stripped to the brick and the beams and then completely put back together again using high quality materials and good workmen (a rarity in the Russian construction market!!!). Elite renovation can be characterized by having an interesting design (it could be classical, modern, art deco, etc.), good layout, usually nice, wooden, parquet floors (often with design), imported tiles for the kitchen and bathrooms, heated floors in the tiled areas, more than 1 full bath (frequently bath with hydro massage), nicely crafted, imported, modern kitchen, frequently interesting plaster ceiling moldings, features such as working fireplaces and marble elements, painted walls (rather than wallpaper), wooden framed, double or triple glass windows, nice window and door furnishings, expensive lights and chandeliers. Compared to Moscow, there are still relatively few tastefully renovated elite class apartments in St. Petersburg. A 5 room apartment of this type usually ranges in cost from between $3500 to $7000 per month.
European style renovation
 This is what the Russians like to call "Evro remont". The style ranges from some quite tastefully done apartments bordering on the "elite" description above, to apartments that look more like offices than living quarters. Apartments renovated in this way have also undergone major reconstruction and have usually been stripped to the brick and the beams and then completely put back together again using relatively good materials and workmen ranging from good to rather mediocre. Typically this type of renovation consists of the following characteristics: Practical layout, wooden, parquet floors, sometimes floors made of wood laminate, painted or wall papered walls, tiled kitchens and baths with modern bath equipment, imported or mock imported kitchens but not necessarily of the highest quality, wooden or plastic framed, double glass windows, modern lights. These apartments usually give the impression of being clean and well put together. With every year, more and more apartments in the city center are being renovated in this way. These apartments are usually quite comfortable and not so different from what people from the West are used to at home. Depending on location, a 2 room apartment of this type in the center can cost from $1200 to $1800 per month.
Local renovation
 This style constitutes typical renovation that everyday Russians have at home. In many ways it is a throw back to Soviet times. The apartments have most likely undergone some type of cosmetic renovation and are usually clean and comfortable. They usually have wooden, parquet floors (but nothing fancy), linoleum on the kitchen floors, an old, non renovated kitchen complete with Soviet Minsk refrigerator, the bathrooms usually have local equipment, white tiles and they may even have some funny tile design on the wall (like a sailboat or something). The walls have from nice to ugly wallpaper on them. If furnished, very often there are old, Soviet armchairs and couches, beds and maybe an ancient Raduga television set. These apartments usually go for 30% to 40% cheaper than their equivalent sized European renovated apartments. Many foreigners coming to St. Petersburg don't have a problem with living in this type of apartment while at the same time, many foreigners do have a problem with living in this type of apartment. Depending on location, a 2 room of this type in the center can range in price from $500 to $800.
Poor quality renovation
 You don't want to live in one of these apartments. Usually, these are apartments that were formerly communal, bought by a new owner and immediately rented out or owned by alcoholics. They may have burn marks on the walls, mice, bugs, interesting smells in all the rooms, etc. Apartments for rent in the center that cost from $500 to $700 are usually of this type.
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