Duration of renovation experiences?

Good morning Dirk,

Yes, that’s just how it is with old houses and should not be underestimated. My front house is from 1918, so almost 100 years old, the rest is from 1978, but that is also almost 40 years old.

We had viewed a similar house like that, nicely twisted with a total of 2 extensions and a large plot. Such houses really have charm. According to the realtor, only some renovation would have been needed. We both did not have a good feeling about it and after calculating the costs for the renovation, we canceled it. There are enough experiences to base this on. At the time, we definitely wanted an existing property, now we are building new after all.

We also didn’t quite manage the timing, although I claim that you won’t get it 100% right even if you have everything planned out by the general contractor/architect.

I completely agree with you!

Best regards,
Rina

Please report at the end how long you actually took - as a reference for posterity.

Currently, it looks like this:

Project start: May 2015
Project end: no later than December 2016
Project duration so far: 12 months

May 2015: first talks with carpenter regarding roof conversion (dormers)
July 2015: discussions about possibilities, dormer size and type depending on local permits
September 2015: determination of dormer type and size, visible roof truss conversion, insulation conversion, etc.
October 2015: application for permits
January 2016: notification of permit approval
February 2016: demolition of interior cladding of roof/attic
March 2016: measurements by carpenter
April 2016: major demolition work in the apartment -> gutting; talks with bathroom installer/heating engineer regarding bathroom redesign, laying heating pipes, etc.
May 2016: final talks with carpenter, bathroom installer, "contract-ready planning"; further gutting/demolition work in the apartment
June 2016: last demolition and gutting work in the apartment, painting roof sheathing that is visible from outside the house

planned
June 2016: conversion/completion of roof truss
June/July 2016: laying of heating pipes, etc./ screed installation, electrical work
August - max. end of November 2016: various renovation works, kitchen installation, bathroom, living and dining room, bedroom. (flooring, plastering, painting, repairs, this and that. Everything will be redone)

Deadline is December 1, 2016. The first loan installment is due then, current apartment is terminated by that time.

All work has not stressed me much so far. It has been quite relaxed. Sometimes a weekend here, sometimes a weekend there.
The above-mentioned dates are reference points for the "major/decisive" aspects.
Here and there there were also other discussions which were not decisive for the duration and served more for exchanging information.
Apartment planning in mind, on paper, with 3D room planners (some furniture stores offer this), etc. all-present

I would definitely plan more time. However, no one here can give you a truly reliable answer because no one knows your work pace. I try to do everything as perfectly as possible, and then it just takes about five times as long as at a company, especially when you might have never done some things before. But better to plan more time than to rush at the end due to stress...

Then let's continue:

Currently it looks like this:

Project start: May 2015
Project end: latest December 2016
Project duration so far: 14 months

May 2015: first talks with carpenter about roof conversion (dormer windows)
July 2015: discussions about possibilities, dormer window size and type depending on local permits
September 2015: determination of dormer window type and size, visible roof truss conversion, insulation conversion, etc.
October 2015: application for permits
January 2016: permit notification
February 2016: demolition of the interior cladding of roof/attic
March 2016: measurements by carpenter
April 2016: major demolition work in the apartment -> stripping out; talks with bathroom installer/heating engineer about redesign of bathroom, laying heating pipes, etc.
May 2016: final talks with carpenter, bathroom installer, "contract-ready planning"; further stripping out/demolition work in the apartment
June 2016: last demolition and stripping out work in the apartment, painting of roof sheathing visible outside the house
July 2016: roof with insulation finished, new windows installed. Everything outside finished, scaffold dismantled again. Interior construction ongoing, insulation and sealing took about 2 weeks, water and sanitary available again (pipework), next week chasing and wiring will be done.

planned
June/July 2016: laying heating pipes etc. / screed laying, electrical work
August - max end November 2016: various renovation works, kitchen installation, bathroom, living and dining room, bedroom. (floor laying, plastering, painting, repairs, this and that. Everything will be done new)

Move-in planned for mid-October.

August: Various interior works such as drywall, electrical work, wall paneling
September: Further interior works, drywall (disgustingly many leveling tasks due to old stocks) priming + plastering
October: Half of the rooms painted, floors still need to be installed, bathroom still needs bathtub installed, sealing and tiles need to be laid.

Move-in at the end of October should work.

So far conclusion: Never again