We fit window film to Torņakalns's historic timber and masonry houses, detached houses, flats, university and office blocks, healthcare premises and new-development glazing. Very different kinds of window meet in one neighbourhood here, so the choice of film is made building by building. Measuring and quoting are free, with prices from €25/m² - film and labour together.
Two buildings a few hundred metres apart in Torņakalns can call for entirely opposite solutions. In one there is a historic timber window whose opening is divided into ten or twelve small panes, each of them a separate measurement, a separate cut and a separate line on the quote. In the other - a teaching block or a new development with an undivided plane of glass running floor to ceiling, technically the easiest work there is. Identical area, completely different amount of labour. That is precisely why, in this neighbourhood, we promise nothing over the phone on square metres alone.
Another thing that comes up more often in Torņakalns than elsewhere is the teaching or meeting room with the blinds pulled down since midday. The large glazing was designed for daylight, but the afternoon sun falls on the projection surface and the monitors, so the light is shut out entirely and the lamps go on. Film handles it differently: it stays on the existing glass, helps cut heat gain and reflections, and the room carries on receiving daylight. Windows aren't replaced, frames aren't taken out, and most properties are completed in a single visit.
Measuring and quoting are free, and it is at the measuring stage that this neighbourhood is decided: in a historic house the panes are counted, in a new block the question is which planes are worth treating at all. Prices start from €25/m², covering both film and labour. Prices are excl. VAT, with a €75 minimum order. If there is already old, yellowed or bubbling film on the glass, removing it is a separate service - in older offices and converted blocks that is a common enough way for a job to begin.
We work on flats, private houses, offices, teaching and working spaces, clinics, salons, shops and commercial properties - 15 years of experience and more than 400 completed properties in Riga and within a 50 km radius. We have no office or base in Torņakalns; we drive out there just as we would to any other Riga neighbourhood, and since it is within the city the journey is a short one.
In Torņakalns the historic building stock and the new blocks stand literally side by side. Technically they demand opposite approaches, and there is no single film that suits both.
The older building stock of Pārdaugava means windows with many small panes and original timber frames. Every pane is a separate unit of work: measured, cut and fitted individually, so time and price are calculated pane by pane rather than by window opening. The glass in those windows tends to be thin and slightly uneven, the paint on the frame edges old and soft, and there is little room between the glass and the glazing bead. In practice that means slower work, more careful control of water, and coverings over the sills.
The second consideration is the façade. On a historic building a pronounced mirror effect is noticeable from the street straight away and isn't always wanted - and sometimes isn't permissible without approval. So here we more often propose a light solar control film, or frosted film on individual panes, rather than a brightly reflective solution across the whole façade.
Alongside the historic buildings, Torņakalns has university buildings, office space and new development areas with contemporary glazing. Here the window is the opposite of the previous one: large undivided planes, sometimes floor to ceiling. Technically that is the simplest work we do - few cuts, few edges - and it is on exactly these planes that the effect of film is felt most, because that is where the most heat comes through.
In teaching and working spaces the problem is usually not the light itself but what happens to it. The afternoon sun falls on the projection surface and the monitors, a room full of people warms up further still, and the only solution to hand is often the blinds. But blinds also shut out the very daylight that such glazing was designed for, and the artificial lighting has to go on at midday.
Film resolves the situation differently: it substantially reduces heat gain and reflections while the room stays lit. So on properties like these we usually choose a lighter film with higher light transmission and fit it only to the planes that genuinely take direct sun.
The neighbourhood also has detached housing with larger windows, glazed verandas and gardens. There the briefs are summer heat on the south and west sides and privacy from the neighbour or the pavement. Ground floors and half-storeys in the historic houses deserve a separate mention: the window is often almost at pavement level, and a passer-by looks straight into the room. Curtains solve that, but for the whole day. Frosted or blackout film on specific panes keeps the light and removes the view from outside, whatever the time of day.
Before recommending a film we look at four things: which way the window faces, how large the plane of glass is, whether it is a sealed glazing unit or single glass, and whether there are screens in the room. In a historic house we also check the condition of the frame and the number of panes; in a new development, whether the glazing is already selective and whether film has any point there at all. Sometimes the conclusion is that some of the windows need no film whatsoever. We say so, rather than selling you the whole façade pane by pane.
The most versatile answer for both historic south-facing windows and the large planes of glass in new blocks. Less heat and brightness, and the view stays.
For teaching rooms, offices and meeting rooms with large glazing, where by the afternoon both the room and the people in it are overheating.
For ground-floor windows on the pavement, consulting rooms, meeting rooms and glass partitions. The light stays, the view through does not.
For spaces needing complete and permanent privacy - healthcare and consulting rooms, washrooms and back-of-house areas.
For ground-floor shopfronts, entrance-door glazing and properties near development sites. Holds the shards together if the glass is broken.
For timber finishes, parquet, books and fabrics in the older houses, and for rooms where materials on the shelves must not fade.
If it isn't clear which option suits your window, there is nothing to decide in advance. We usually bring samples to the survey and hold them against the actual glass. In Torņakalns that is particularly useful, because one and the same film looks noticeably different in an old window with small panes and in a new glass wall. Prices for every type are collected on the prices page, and there is a comparison of film types in the services section.
1. Enquiry. Fill in the form with the street, the type of property and the main problem. If the building is historic or, conversely, a new development with large glazing, mention it straight away - it changes both the quote and the time we allow.
2. A call within 5 minutes. We get in touch and talk the situation through. Often that conversation alone makes clear which type of film is the right one and roughly what it will cost.
3. Free on-site measuring. We come out, measure every pane, look at the frames and the access, and show you samples at your own window. In a historic house this step counts the panes; in a new block it settles which planes need treating at all.
4. A fixed price. The quote covers film and labour together, excl. VAT. The price doesn't change afterwards as long as the scope of work doesn't.
5. Installation. A flat or office with modern windows is usually finished in a day. We wash the glass, cut the film on site, protect sills and floors, and clear everything away behind us. The film takes a few days to dry out fully - during that time you may see slight haziness on the glass, and that is normal.
Tell us the address, the type of property and the main problem - heat, glare on screens or privacy. We'll call you and talk you through the quote.
Torņakalns is on the left bank of the Daugava, and we get there by way of Akmens tilts and then along Vienības gatve or Jelgavas iela. Driving times in Riga depend on the hour of the day, on roadworks and on the specific address, so we don't promise minutes; we allow spare time and agree a definite slot rather than “sometime in the morning”.
The local particulars are the railway line and the large development areas. The tracks split the neighbourhood, so an address that looks close on the map may in reality only be reachable the long way round. Building work in the new-development zones changes the access from time to time and closes off individual stretches. That is no problem for us - just write in the enquiry which side of the building we can pull in at and whether we can drive into the courtyard.
We carry materials and tools by hand to the property. The older houses usually have no lift, the stairwells are narrow, and for work on a higher floor we simply allow more time. At the kerbside we look for somewhere to stop for the duration of the job - if the building has its own access or gates, that saves time for both of us.
On educational and office properties the schedule often matters more than the film itself. Working among people in a lecture hall or an open-plan office isn't practical: we need clear access to the glass, and furniture has to be moved away from the sills. So we usually plan work like this room by room, floor by floor, or outside class and working hours. If the property is only partly in use, the work can be split over several visits.
We also agree in advance what has to be cleared from the room and what can stay. In practice a strip about a metre wide by the window is enough. If there is equipment, projectors or sensitive kit in the room, we work around it and cover it before we start.
See also all the Riga neighbourhoods we work in and the full service area.
The most typical jobs in a mix of historic, educational and new-build stock, with starting prices.
The price includes both the film and the labour. Prices are excl. VAT, with a €75 minimum order. Measuring and quoting in Torņakalns are free. On historic windows with many small panes, the final figure is driven more by the number of panes than by the total area. The full price list is on the prices page.
Torņakalns borders several neighbourhoods we work in just as regularly: Āgenskalns, Atgāzene, Bišumuiža and Lucavsala. A single run along the left bank often takes in two or three properties in different neighbourhoods, and that suits the client too - it makes it easier to find the nearest free day in the diary. We have no branch in any of them; we simply drive out.
If you have several properties in different parts of Riga - a flat in Torņakalns and an office on the other bank, say - they can be submitted in one form and scheduled as a single job with two visits. The other neighbourhoods are on the Riga page, and the whole service area is in the list of areas we cover.
In most cases it can, but every pane is measured and cut separately, and that changes both the time and the price. In historic frames the glass tends to be thin and slightly uneven, the paint on the edges soft, and there is very little room up to the glazing bead. During the survey we check the condition of the glass and the layers of paint on the frame, and we tell you if film isn't advisable on a particular window. We say that before the work, not after it.
This is one of the most common briefs in educational and office spaces. The problem is usually not a lack of darkness but reflections on the screen and direct sun on the projection surface in the afternoon. Blinds solve that, but they take the natural light away from the whole room at the same time. Film works differently - it reduces brightness and heat gain while leaving the room lit. On properties like these we usually choose a lighter film and fit it only to those planes of glass that actually take direct sun.
The price per square metre is the same, but on a large plane of glass the square metres add up quickly and less working time goes into each one. Floor-to-ceiling glazing means few cuts, few frame edges and few separate parts. In a historic window with twelve panes, the same area means twelve measurements and twelve cuts. That is why the final figure is always worked out from the specific property, not from the area alone.
Not the work itself, but they do affect the planning. The railway line and the large development areas mean the approach isn't always the most direct one, and level crossings or closed sections can lengthen the route. Towards Vienības gatve and Jelgavas iela the traffic depends on the time of day. In practice we simply allow spare time and ask you to note in the enquiry which side of the building can genuinely be driven up to.
On older buildings we generally don't recommend a strongly reflective film. The mirror effect changes how the façade reads from the street, and on a historic building that is noticeable immediately. If the building is listed as part of the historic built heritage or stands in a protected zone, changes to the appearance of the façade may need approval, and it is worth checking that before the work. For privacy in such cases we more often choose frosted film on specific panes, or a light solar control film without a bright sheen.
Prices start from €25/m², and that includes both the film and the labour. Prices are excl. VAT, with a €75 minimum order. Measuring and quoting are free, and there is no separate call-out charge - Torņakalns is in Riga. A flat or office with modern windows is usually finished in a day, whereas a historic house with many small panes can take longer, and we tell you that as soon as we have measured.
Describe the situation in the form - we'll recommend the most suitable film, get in touch and give you a quote.
We have received your enquiry and will prepare a quote. We will call you on the phone number you provided.
