Renovation of Rural Prefabricated Slab Houses

When renovating rural prefabricated slab houses, it is essential to focus on structural safety, reinforcement, hazard avoidance, and proper planning. Here are the specific considerations:

1. Structural Assessment and Hazard Identification Before renovation, it is crucial to fully understand the house's structure, including the load-bearing capacity of the prefabricated slabs, the layout of internal water and electrical lines, the degree of aging of floor materials, and the stability of doors and windows. Particularly, confirm the service life of the prefabricated slabs. If they are over 20 years old or show significant cracks or deformation, structural issues must be addressed first. Blind renovation can lead to severe consequences such as slab fractures and house collapse, so it is necessary to commission a professional agency to conduct a structural safety inspection and clarify the scope of renovation.

2. Reinforcement of Prefabricated Slabs For old prefabricated slabs, professional reinforcement is required to enhance stability:

• Reinforcement with Reinforced Concrete Small Beams: Add two reinforced concrete small beams in a cross shape beneath the prefabricated slabs, enhancing overall load-bearing capacity through drilling and grouting.
• Steel Beam Support Reinforcement: Use steel beams as supports inside the house. Create embedding positions for the steel beams in the side walls to ensure they fully adhere to the bottom of the prefabricated slabs and distribute the load. After reinforcement, allow the structure to settle and observe for 1-2 months to ensure no settlement or unusual noises before proceeding with further renovation.

3. Protection of Load-Bearing Structures The load-bearing capacity of old house walls is limited. During renovation, avoid the following actions:

• Removing load-bearing walls or columns, as even partial modifications can disrupt structural balance;
• Cutting grooves in walls too deeply (over 5 cm) or horizontally too long (over 1 meter), affecting wall stability;
• Adding heavy decorations (such as marble backdrops or large hanging cabinets) in large quantities, requiring structural calculations to confirm load-bearing capacity. It is recommended to prioritize lightweight materials (such as gypsum board or aluminum扣板) for non-load-bearing parts of the renovation.

4. Renovation of Water and Electrical Lines

• Electrical Lines: Check if the original lines are aging (such as insulation peeling off or copper cores turning black). If hazards exist, replace them with national standard wires and protect them with PVC flame-retardant conduits.
• Water Lines: Replace rusty or cracked cast iron pipes with PPR pipes. Focus on inspecting the waterproof layers in the kitchen and bathroom. If damaged, reapply waterproof coatings and conduct a 48-hour water closure test.
• Layout Optimization: Adjust the positions of sockets and switches according to usage needs, but avoid the joints of prefabricated slabs to prevent drilling from damaging the structure.

5. Cost Control and Resource Utilization

• Retain furniture (such as sofas and wardrobes) without significant damage and save costs through refurbishment (such as changing fabric covers or repainting).
• If the floor and walls are flat and undamaged, retain the original tiles or paint and only repair locally damaged areas.
• If doors and windows have poor sealing, add sealing strips or replace hardware instead of replacing them entirely.

6. Prohibition of Arbitrary Structural Modifications Prefabricated slab houses have relatively weak structural integrity. It is strictly prohibited to remove prefabricated slabs, change the house's height, or add mezzanines, as such actions can significantly reduce earthquake resistance and increase safety hazards.