Purchase opportunity for an old building from 1953, assistance with evaluation

The slots are a one-day job for an electrician. At an hourly rate of 60 EUR, you save around 600 EUR.
A layman will fumble around in the house with three people for at least a weekend, more likely longer.

Such do-it-yourself efforts are more symbolic anyway, to keep the fathers pacing back and forth in front of the delivery room occupied. A pacifier, you don’t ask about the nutritional value ;-).

The thesis that in the post-war chaos of the 1950s a building application was always submitted and the house was measured immediately afterwards... that the house was even planned by the structural engineer or architect. This thesis is quite far-fetched.

But a hundred times less far-fetched than the opposing notion that the entire Adenauer era was a “short service route,” and Cardinal Frings had already blessed the illegal construction ;-).
I have never been wrong with my assumption of an existing and sufficiently informative building file.
What was probably common were freely varied reconstructions.

What has not been addressed at all so far is the point that for such extensive renovations an architect or building planner is necessary. That adds on to the costs again.

But nobody disputed this self-evidence. Besides, involving an architect in new construction as well as conversion and extension projects is more or less cost-neutral: the architect’s fee almost fully pays for itself through the money the inexperienced builder throws out the window by bungling the tendering. The service phase 8 does not exist for an expert either for just a symbolic fee.

As a layperson, you believe that chipping work is enormously time-consuming. Because the layperson approaches the slots just with an angle grinder, whereas the professional comes at it with at least a double angle grinder, but usually with a milling machine. My electrical rough installation was finished within 2 days, I couldn’t even watch that fast. The slots are a matter of one day for an electrician. At an hourly rate of 60 EUR, you save around 600 EUR. The layperson fumbles around with at least three people in the house for a whole weekend, usually longer. The layperson must deduct the costs for the tools and the time from that. When it comes to laying the cables themselves, it continues. Anyone who does not do this regularly will only manage a cross-connection with a lot of thinking so that it actually works. Electricians buy cables much cheaper than laypeople at Obi. Etc.

Chipping work does not exclusively refer to slotting. In renovations, a lot of chipping work accumulates, which becomes very expensive. You pay for labor that you usually can do yourself in the same amount of time. Buy proper tools once and do it yourself, there is great potential for savings. And yes, I have renovated two houses with a lot of own work and saved a lot of money because of it.

Hello dear Kiefernadel,

should the topic come up again, I recently heard from building experts who carry out an appraisal or purchase support for a small fee and get an impression on site themselves. With the assessment then issued, you also have a better negotiating position. Normally, this is not offered by appraisers, architects, etc., but the company "Eigenheiminspektor" specializes in this and can provide you with an expert in any region, I believe for under €500. Maybe this is interesting! Continued success!

So, just an update. We are still waiting for feedback from the building authority and the energy consultant so that he can create the energy certificate. We have basically discussed the contents of the purchase contract and have reached an agreement. Theoretically, it looks pretty good.

An appointment with the bank also took place and they said from a financial perspective they estimate the house to be about €30,000 more expensive, but of course you have to see that it will probably cost us between €550,000 and €600,000 in the end. That is really a significant amount. The bank also says that we should invest our equity as well as the money from my father in the house purchase and take out the loan for the renovation. Since the house is a Word-Performance Building and possible subsidies are basically “only” cheaper interest rates anyway, that probably makes sense.

I would like to continue the topic as a “diary,” that’s what it is for in the wrong subforum. Can it be moved or should I rather start a new one?

I had the appointment at the district archive today and unfortunately it was not entirely successful.

There are only drafts and a description but no floor plans. In addition, the drafts do not match the actual building. Especially regarding the practice at the front...

We will contact the land registry office tomorrow and hope for information from the purchase contract of 1970.

There are often no more documents; for our house from 1921, the building permit still exists, but not the corresponding applications with the sketches, nor any original floor plans.