Renovate house from 1938/70 various questions

What kind of front door do you have? - I can't tell for sure from the photo. The side entrance door seems to be made of aluminum - still from the generation without thermal separation of the profile into an inside and outside.

Thank you for your answers.

The living climate should of course improve, but everything also has to be reasonably economical. We are willing to spend a little more for some measures, but then it has to make sense.

Not really, only the data above. Nothing has been done for years except maybe a new radiator or the 20-25 year old heating system. Otherwise, the last change must have been in 1979 with the windows.

We would like to change the radiators also for aesthetic reasons.

Yes, I think the basement ceiling will also be difficult due to the currently very low height.

We do not want to finance through KFW, but rather receive subsidies if it is worthwhile and possible.

What kind of front door do you have? - I can't clearly see it in the photo. The side entrance door seems to be made of aluminum - from the generation without thermal separation of the profile into an inside and outside.

Yes exactly, it is an aluminum door, both at the top and bottom (so we have the entrance door up the stairs and then another one down in the basement). They definitely need to be replaced and the glass blocks will be removed and replaced with windows.

Do you have more information about when what was done to the house?

We renovated our house built in 1921, but our façade and roof, windows and doors are from around 1992 and are still perfectly fine, and we have very low energy costs.

Also inform yourselves about what you are legally obligated to do - in the case of ownership changes, certain things become mandatory regarding energy-efficient renovation. However, I can’t tell you anything precise off the top of my head right now, for example, we didn’t insulate our basement ceiling or ground floor (uninsulated basement) (no plaintiff, no judge...).
Personally, things like ribbed radiators in niches should be renovated, but in the end, everyone has to decide that for themselves. In your case, an energy consultant via KFW would certainly be worthwhile, because you will probably finance it (?) and you will need that anyway for loan approval. He can also calculate that for his money.

What kind of living space do you have and what consumption? As I said, I suspect the consumption was higher because they always had the windows tilted open and the heating was turned on, often quite high.

Yes, I have already learned that if more than 10% of the façade is plastered, insulation is mandatory, so I would only paint if facade insulation is not an option.

... be careful with facade insulation on old houses without ventilation systems etc. I did everything without KFW etc because it was too complicated and expensive for me to meet their requirements or conditions. But I also did a lot very much on my own initiative and implementation. Local craft companies were involved (almost exclusively friends from the village).

My personal opinion on these internet posts regarding indoor climate ... bla blub Many DIYers and people who work on their own initiative with friendly craft companies and buddies from the field often (still) do not hang around internet forums etc. It is similar to the news ... you hear and read what the majority thinks and what you are supposed to read. Don’t worry too much and work with professionals on site instead of internet comments and YouTube videos. An energy consultant is of course an option, but if you do everything yourself it is not a must. It becomes a must with subsidies. But even here there are theoretical and practically oriented energy consultants. If you absolutely need one because you don’t have good contact with local craftsmen and want to claim subsidies, make sure it is not a pure energy consultant but maybe a craftsman licensed to advise.

The focus here in this forum is rather on new buildings, financing, conditions, regulations, BUs, GUs etc. Less on doing it yourself.

Take a bucket of water and let it run down the facade. If the facade “absorbs” the water, a new coat of paint should be applied. The paint coat is not only for aesthetic purposes. We actually didn’t want to invest, but since the scaffolding was up for the roof anyway, we did it and when I do the “water test” now, it becomes clear why. However, if the facade plaster has once been applied, it should be refreshed approximately every 10-20 years.

... be careful when it comes to facade insulation in old houses without ventilation systems, etc. I did everything without KFW etc., because fulfilling their requirements and conditions was too complicated and expensive for me. However, I also did a lot myself in self-management and implementation. Local craft companies were involved (almost exclusively friends from the village).

My personal opinion on these internet posts regarding indoor climate ... blah blah Many DIYers and people who work independently with friendly craft companies and skilled buddies often (still) don’t hang out in internet forums etc. It’s similar to the news ... you hear and read what the majority thinks and what you are supposed to read. Don’t worry too much and work with professionals on site instead of internet comments and YouTube videos. An energy consultant is of course an option, but if you do everything yourself it’s not a must. It becomes a must with subsidies. But even here there are theoretical and practically oriented energy consultants. If you absolutely need one because you don’t have good contact with local craftsmen and want to use subsidies, make sure it’s not a pure energy consultant but maybe a craftsman licensed to advise.

The focus here in the forum is rather on new buildings, financing, requirements, regulations, BUs, GUs, etc. Less on doing it yourself.

Take a bucket of water and let it run down the facade. If the facade "absorbs" the water, a new coat of paint should be applied. The paint doesn’t only serve an optical purpose. We didn’t actually want to invest, but since the scaffolding was already up for the roof, we did it, and if I do the "water test" now, I clearly see why. However, once the facade plaster has been applied, it should be refreshed approximately every 10-20 years.

I’ll put it this way, without wanting to offend anyone here. I don’t trust comments or anything blindly. I just try to acquire the collective knowledge and form my own picture.

That’s exactly what I’m a bit afraid of with the facade insulation. Since grandpa isn’t exactly the ventilation person (and I can’t teach him that at his age anymore), that is also a risk. We definitely do a lot ourselves or at least the preparatory work ourselves in some trades.

Facade painting will definitely happen, that’s the minimum. Even if it is still technically fine. I want to like the house, I want to feel comfortable, and that includes a new coat of paint for me.