Yes, you are the owner or do you want to blame the construction company from 1978?
He doesn’t want that at all.
By the way, it is a misconception that after years you are in the clear.
He doesn’t believe that either. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t be asking here.
He just wants to do everything correctly. And before investing a lot of money in renovation, I find the question of how to best proceed in the case of a partially unauthorized existing property absolutely appropriate here. It should be clear to everyone that there can be no general and certainly no binding answer for an individual case, but the opinions of others can be helpful for one’s own decision-making process regarding the further course of action.
You will never get legal certainty here either!!!
Yes, you will. With a comprehensive building application. Whether legal certainty is really necessary is ultimately a matter for the decision-making process.
P.S.: please don’t scream (!!!), calling (!) is enough.