Floor plan planning of an old building from the 1930s

If we end up buying this, anyone here can deduce my real address from my internet pseudonym, which I actually don’t want. :/ To be honest, I wouldn’t have posted pictures if I had known that someone would find out the real address from the listing.

The exposé was actually quite easy to find for me as well. Even earlier (I’m deliberately not saying where so nobody looks) you had posted something that led directly to your real name when clicked. Maybe be a bit more careful after all :-/ On topic: said everything above :-) Go in with an appropriate expert and then get started. I really think it has "potential". The roof, the bay window, the high ceilings on the ground floor. Personally, the only thing that would bother me is the missing direct access to and view of the large garden. Unfortunately, the extension is right there in front of it. But maybe an architect will come up with something good here.

Now I have taken a look at the offer myself!

But you can forget about fiber optic, with that large property/garden you won’t have any time to game... you will spend a lot, a whole lot of time in the garden. :-)

So the property is really nice and big, amazing. If you can really commit to an old building (you don’t live in an old house, but with an old house), this thing has a lot of options (the outbuilding could easily be nicely converted: pool house, guest house, etc.) to offer. With the purchase price, you would have enough budget (when selling your existing property) for renovation by third parties.

If you renovate sensibly (you can also heat with wall heaters instead of underfloor heating) and are willing to make compromises, it would certainly be a charming little house!

At first glance, I didn’t really like the extension either, it already looks like an add-on, the bay window has been leaking for quite a while, you noticed that?

Despite the low purchase price, you definitely have to keep an eye on costs, just at the front facing the street, renewing the fence and painting the wall are "small things" like clearing out the overgrown garden, which are easily overlooked and underestimated.

Overall, with this huge property: great! I’m curious whether you will go for it.

If I'm honest, I wouldn't have posted any pictures if I had known someone would find out about the listing from them.

Dear Kati, you work in IT after all. You should certainly know that images can be compared using software. Sometimes it works better, sometimes worse, but especially great when you simply copy the realtor's picture ;) My feedback on this: If you like it and the house can be renovated for under €300,000 (including buffer), I would go for it. The charm is a bit like it used to be at grandma’s, and energetically you will be in a completely different position than in a new build. For 3 people, that’s a bit too many rooms, even if everyone gets their own office. But you wanted to work on that topic in this thread anyway ;) You will also have to manage a huge plot of land. Mowing 2,500 sqm of lawn is no longer fun but work. The many trees and shrubs as well.

What exactly is this mentioned outbuilding?

We seem to have a different definition of "lovingly crafted by a carpenter." I would throw everything from the house in the trash. Except for that awesome buffet cabinet in the office(?). The staircase probably won't be the quietest either and might bother you in the bathroom.

The beams in the dining room were probably added later for decoration?

So, if it really is this house, I would completely gut it. I don't want to know what has been "optimized" over the decades. At that price, you should think very carefully about a complete demolition.

Ah, I also had to smile slightly at what passes for a "slight hillside location." ;)

Personally, the only thing that would bother me is the lack of direct access to and view of the large garden. Unfortunately, the extension is exactly in front of it. Maybe an architect will come up with something good here.

My first thought was: tear down the extension, functional extension with a large living area, big window, and a view of the garden. Put the new main bathroom in the extension as well (then I don’t have to run downpipes and cables in the old building) and two modern offices (then the man has his connections ;))... Make the whole thing visually adapted to the main house, maybe with a wooden facade. Oh, I have my ideas. :)

As a completely inexperienced person in renovations, I would have the following gut concerns about moving into such a property with my family

[*]Floor plan too convoluted, messed up, I miss any spaciousness inside
[*]Since I have no experience, I would always worry about the proverbial bottomless pit...
[*]How long does something like this take?
[*]Worry about questionable materials / wood preservation etc... may be completely unfounded because a) not present at all, or b) long since off-gassed
[*]Architect and structural engineering sound more like gutting than sanding and painting
[*]The already familiar standard from new builds regarding indoor climate I also see as difficult to achieve

As I said, I don't know much about it. If you go through something like this with the corresponding flexibility in scheduling and finances, I could imagine that it can certainly be implemented very nicely. However, only if much is new and the extension is adapted to the architecture of the house.

I will continue to follow with interest