How to Renovate a Prefabricated Panel House

The renovation of a prefabricated panel house requires a scientific process, implemented step by step from structural safety to functional upgrades, as follows:

I. Comprehensive Structural Safety Assessment

1. Prefabricated Panel Inspection: Commission a professional team to inspect the width of cracks in the prefabricated panels. Special treatment is required if the width exceeds 0.3 millimeters; inspect the rust rate of connecting bolts between the prefabricated panels and the ring beams, and replace them if the rust rate exceeds 30%.
2. Wall and Foundation Inspection: Check for wall cracks, steel bar corrosion, and foundation settlement. Minor wall cracks can be repaired with grouting, while severe cases require steel plate reinforcement; unstable foundations need pile reinforcement.

II. Develop a Renovation Plan

Based on the assessment results, take targeted measures:

• Roof Leakage: Relay the waterproof layer, ensuring the materials meet durability standards.
• Wall Reinforcement: For minor cracks, use grouting for repair; for severe areas, implant steel bars and pour concrete; add structural columns at the four corners of the house (cross-section 240*240 millimeters), paired with No. 6 and No. 8 steel bars for reinforcement, and firmly connect them to the floor slab.

III. Construction Preparation and Support System Setup

• Set up steel pipe supports every 1.2 meters along the length of the prefabricated panels, and use H-shaped steel beam underpinning (cross-section ≥ 200*200 millimeters) at key nodes to ensure structural stability during demolition.

IV. Specific Construction Steps

1. Wall Treatment: After removing the original exterior wall tiles, repaint and implant steel bars for grouting to enhance the wall's load-bearing strength and tensile properties.
2. Panel Joint Treatment: Remove the original filling material, implant No. 6 threaded steel bars, and pour C30 fine aggregate concrete to strengthen the panel joints.
3. Demolition Construction: Follow the principle of "middle first, then sides," demolishing in segments symmetrically, with a daily demolition volume not exceeding 30% of the total floor area. Continuously monitor the stress changes in the support system, prohibit heavy hammer impacts, and avoid damaging the foundation.

V. Functional Upgrades

1. Sound Insulation Treatment: Install soundproof panels and replace windows with double-glazed ones to improve sound insulation by 70%.
2. Water and Electricity Renovation: Check the original wiring, replace aged or damaged circuits with new wires and conduits; replace old water pipes with corrosion-resistant materials like PPR and relay the waterproof layer.

VI. Precautions

• Budget Control: Retain furniture and appliances without significant damage, only replacing broken items; sofas and other items can be refurbished.
• Structural Protection: Do not arbitrarily renovate or remove load-bearing walls or columns to avoid damaging the seismic resistance.
• Moderate Renovation: If the floor, walls, and doors and windows are reasonably designed and undamaged, they can be retained as is.

Renovation should balance safety and practicality, and it is recommended to have a professional team supervise the entire process to ensure compliance with building codes.