Old building - conversion and renovation

Good morning everyone.

As I already hinted in the headline, in my case it is about partial remodeling and complete renovation of the premises.

Since my parents are no longer in the best health condition, I want to make some changes on the ground floor of the house. As with many others, money is unfortunately a bit tight, so I want to do most of the work myself. I have already done some things, for other things it will be a first time.

I don’t know exactly when I will start yet. I prefer to plan everything carefully beforehand, procure building materials, etc., and then begin.

Over time, many questions will certainly arise. I hope I will be allowed to turn to the forum then!?

The house is roughly from the 40s/50s. Unfortunately, there are no plans available. About 60 years ago, a commercial space was added to the ground floor. It is currently vacant and I want to integrate it into the "new apartment" as it provides about 35 sqm more space.

Now I would have to or want to make 3 openings for doors (the openings that were bricked up X years ago are not included), brick up some existing doors, plus 2 openings for windows and the modification of 3 window openings (including a shop window).

Since I don’t know if all this will work out as I imagine, I want to consult a professional. I think a structural engineer would be necessary here (or is there another option?).
How can I imagine this? Since there are no plans, where does the structural engineer start? Does he come by, look at the matter, and then say after his calculations "this works/this doesn’t work!" or can I as a layperson do nothing with the plans from the structural engineer?

Can one roughly estimate the cost range for this?

Thank you in advance for the advice!

Best regards

See if you can receive funding, whether from the municipality, nursing care insurance, KfW, or associations.
Keep in mind that the structural engineer can give you a concrete answer to a specific question or ask in advance and make it a condition of the contract.

You can't just "quickly" start the renovation work; not even after consulting with the structural engineer.

You will very likely also need an architect who draws up the corresponding plans and submits them to the building authority for approval. After all, you don't want to interfere too much with the substance of the existing property.

The most favorable way for a smooth renovation would therefore be if the structural engineer and the architect get along well and are familiar with each other's working methods.

Before that, as a first step, you should consult a financing expert you trust and clarify the amount of possible funds with them. They will also inform you about funding opportunities.

Rhenish greetings from on the road

Thank you very much for your answers!

I am quite surprised that a building permit is supposed to be necessary. 1. I don’t yet know whether and to what extent load-bearing walls are involved. This would first have to be checked by a structural engineer. 2. I also did not intend to hire an architect. In my opinion, the intervention in the existing building fabric remains manageable. Perhaps I was unclear: three new openings are to be created within the apartment and, in return, some existing room doors will be removed. Windows would have to be replaced anyway. Therefore, I wanted to take the opportunity to turn a 2.5mx3.5m shop window into two "normal" windows or to replace a 1mx2m window with a normal one (matching the existing windows). Otherwise, a lightweight interior wall will be added to enlarge the "bathroom" of the shop and to install a shower there, as well as a small window inside the bathroom (previously, there was only a vent).

Possibly, provided the district chimney sweep gives the green light, a chimney for a fireplace insert would be built. However, since the shop has a flat roof, I am rather skeptical about this point because of the required chimney height.

Further measures would be the installation of new electrical, water, and heating pipes, as these are already between 60 and 40 years old (renewal of the electrical wiring would of course be done in cooperation with a master electrician).

The dimensions of the existing building would not be changed.
How are the costs for a building permit determined in such a case? I cannot precisely specify the exact remodeling amount because of the various cost centers.

If the costs for openings and window renewal were used as a basis, an amount of around €3000 would probably be assumed. Because the costs for possible room doors, new sanitary facilities (toilet, tiles, etc.), and lightweight wall should not really make a difference here, right?

Hello,

before you start renovating the retail space, you should also inquire with the city / municipal administration whether a reclassification from commercial to residential use will be approved there at all.

Installing new windows or changing existing window areas also changes the external appearance of the building and is therefore likely to require approval.

I would therefore recommend that you make an appointment with an employee of the responsible building authority and present your plans there. We have had very good experiences with this approach.

Regards,

Dirk