Renovating a house, which trades?

Hello,

I am quite new to this topic, so please be patient. A new build is out of the question for us for financial reasons (at least if we want to build something that we consider reasonable). Now we have found an existing property (built in the 1930s), for little money (two full floors with a hipped roof that can be converted). The facade is done, plastic windows are also installed, the roof is watertight, but there are a few points we would like to address, namely:

- The electrical system must be redone at least on the upper floor
- We would like to convert the attic for our children (therefore probably a rafter insulation and a dry interior fit-out, but a new staircase from the upper floor to the attic still needs to be installed)
- There are two minimal bathrooms, we would like to completely convert one room into a family bathroom
- We would like to connect the living room and the adjoining room on the ground floor by creating an opening
- A fireplace is to be installed (the chimney that is closed off below the roof must be led back out onto the roof)
- Possibly a basement waterproofing is an option

Since no one has a crystal ball to help me here, we will try it differently
Which companies do I need to contact so that I can go into the house with a professional beforehand to get price quotes?

- Electrician is clear
- Rafter insulation is done by a roofer company
- Conversion of the attic is done by a dry construction company (only carpenters do the necessary staircase?)
- Bathroom is done by dry construction and plumbing?
- Who do I ask for the wall opening and the fireplace in the living room?
- Who does basement waterproofing?

My point is that I don’t want to have to bring in 20 people just to get price quotes. (I understand that in the end, wallpapering and painting, as well as flooring, will also have to be done)

Best regards

You forgot the tiler and possibly the plasterer. A staircase can be built by a carpenter. But there are also plenty of specialized staircase construction companies.

Wall breakthroughs are usually done by a regular construction company. The bricklayer comes and does it then. He can also rebuild the chimney for you. If it is a load-bearing wall, a structural engineer should possibly take a look at it.

You either find someone who coordinates this. That can be a civil engineer or architect. Or you try to coordinate it yourself. But you won't get around the fact that several trades will have to come by and possibly take a look on site.

But I think you should definitely get professional help to accompany you, since the renovation is quite extensive and you want to do quite a lot. A lot can go wrong and costs can rise very quickly.

We have now gone through the whole topic and are glad that we are finished. But it also cost quite a bit more money than we had planned.