Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

In my family, people over 80 obviously do it alone :cool:

So, topic construction costs: current offer to remove two load-bearing walls with heb 160 (7.6 m total) steel beams and reinforcement of a wall in the basement with heb 100 including disposal of construction debris comes to 11k net in Baden-Württemberg.

Does anyone have any current construction costs to contribute? :D

The reason why many elderly people still stay in their houses is also that they cannot live cheaper elsewhere. The house is paid off, shortly before retirement the biggest things are taken care of, and then they just spoil themselves and pay the additional costs. So why should they move from 150sqm to 90sqm, pay more monthly and have to part with many things beforehand because they cannot take them with them? I would have no problem downsizing later and taking something cozy on one level with little work, but not for (then probably) double the price.

The reason why many elderly people still stay in their houses is the misconception that they live cheaper there than in an apartment. My father (79 years old) lives alone in a terraced house from the 1970s. In the last 12 months, he consumed 3,000 liters of heating oil here and had to refill for 3,800 euros. The three of us spent 490 euros on gas in our apartment during the same period. Then every winter his overwhelm when snow lies and he has to clear the 20 meters of sidewalk in the morning while we are still snuggled up in the blanket listening to the caretaker shoveling and turning over again - priceless. Not to forget the shortness of breath he always gets when he thinks he has to cut his thuja hedge that completely surrounds the property all by himself, because a) he wants to save the money for the gardener and b) does not want to wait for anyone to help him - wonderful. I don’t even want to talk about the lawn mowing; it’s already grown again to a height suitable for braiding.

Neglecting and not caring regularly backfires on him too. Since he saves the money for the annual heating maintenance, expensive repairs regularly occur with his oil heater. Since the heating engineer knows that he does not question the repairs, they regularly become more expensive. The last one in 2020 came to 1,800 euros - a real bargain.

Honestly: he would live much more relaxed and cheaper in a nice apartment.

The stylistic device of exaggeration as counter-argumentation seems to be completely foreign to some people here :)

Yes, and quickly become obsolete. Such a house and garden keeps you fit. That is irreplaceable by anything. Regardless of the fact that the confinement of an apartment can never be compared to the freedom of a property.

Wonderful - I’m cracking up. The house as a physiotherapeutic measure. Jokes aside: he is overwhelmed both with the care and maintenance of the property as well as with the ongoing costs - see heating costs. Does he use the open space of the property? Looking at the neglected garden: no.

As I said, it always depends on the individual and is certainly a matter of personality. One of our neighbors (late 70s, divorced), whose terrace is practically opposite ours, is the same age as my father and from conversations with him I gather that he is very relieved not to have a house anymore and not to have to take care of everything anymore.