Renovation assessment of 1980s solid house

Meal everyone,

after a more modern house that was considered by us was already taken, another opportunity opened up elsewhere.
Through acquaintances in the town of my family, we got the chance to view a house before the exposé is posted online.

Discussions about the financial situation have already taken place here: [URL

https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/hauskauf-realistisch-oder-uebernehmen-wir-uns.49102/[/URL]

I am just not quite clear about the renovation effort; maybe there are some interesting tips & hints here. An inspection with an expert is still planned.

Key data:



[*]Single-family house
[*]Built in 1981
[*]Solid construction with attached half-timbered facade
[LIST]
[*]If I interpret it correctly, 32cm wall thickness with 12cm half-timbered construction attached in front


[*]Partially basemented
[*]Living area 125m2
[*]Plot 735m2
[*]Windows


[*]Wood, double-glazed


[*]Roof should have insulation between the rafters
[*]Energy certificate demand-oriented


[*]Primary: 254kwh/m2
[*]Final energy: 229kwh/m2
[*]---> That seems really high to me?? I requested the bills for the last 3 years but have not received them yet.


[*]Gas central heating including hot water tank from 2023

The house itself makes an extremely good impression; apparently a bank manager from a local bank once lived there.

We would trust ourselves with the interior finish. My father has a listed half-timbered house and does all the maintenance himself, but due to his age I cannot fully involve him:

[*
Remove wood paneling
[*]Possibly suspend the ceiling, including plastering works
[*]Wallpapering
[*]Lay floors (parquet, vinyl?)
[*]Tile bathroom
[LIST]
[*]Depending on budget, only guest bathroom or both


[*]The kitchen is present; the kitchen setup should also be included

Financially:
If we scrape everything together (Riester, stocks, equity), we would have €200,000.

We would try to finance the property so that I take €100,000 for the purchase. That leaves €100,000 for us. Of course, I would not want to budget all of that, so I would be at about €60-80k for renovation budget. (Opinions on this?)

What would interest me is a rough cost estimate, if that is at all possible from a distance:

[*
Materials from own work I would estimate at about €15-20k.
[LIST]
[*]Tiles, floors, paint etc., drywall, battens.


[*]Replace windows & doors €15-20k


[*]2 roof windows, 12 "normal" ones
[*]Is that reasonable if they are basically still tight? Double glazing from 1980 will not have the standard we have today


[*]Renew electricity (€10k?)


[*]Fuse box looks very good to me. 20 single fuses alone, no RCD, grounding present
[*]--> My assessment is that not “everything new” has to be done here?
[*]Possibly add new sockets if the number is not sufficient yet


[*]Sanitary?


[*]The condition of the pipes is extremely hard for me to judge. How is it best to proceed? Everything is somehow embedded in the masonry...


[*]Long-term


[*]New roof including exterior rafter insulation
[*]General exterior insulation
[LIST]
[*]--> Here the question arises what is possible if the solid masonry is clad with the half-timbering. I am also curious about the expert’s opinion on this...

[/LIST]

ps: Sorry for the somewhat suboptimal photos; we were at the first viewing with a child and had to leave quickly at the end (usually we do it calmly once and then take photos afterward). I have to take better ones at a second viewing.

At that age, you are at a boundary. On one hand, it is still relatively "new" and does not have major renovation needs. On the other hand, many components are reaching their limits.
Electrical system - will be okay, but not for current needs (number of circuits/sockets, LAN, etc.)
Roof - will probably be okay as well, but for how much longer?
==> then the question of insulation also arises
Windows - well, rather slowly deteriorating and old glazing
Pipes/water - should be unproblematic
Heating - is new, but radiators or poorly installed underfloor heating (general issue, haven’t looked at the photos)
The rest is aesthetics.

With the budget, you can make it livable. But no major renovation. Windows and basement ceiling are my top priority. If radiators, then go for 33mm and adjust the heating accordingly. That will also keep heating costs low.

Based on experience, the insulation between the rafters is often rather poorly executed in these years. I would therefore plan this anew and possibly double the rafters. All of this can also be done by a layperson for relatively little money. The same applies to the basement ceiling. Insulating it yourself here is also inexpensive.

For the facade, I would consider blown-in insulation, if possible. This is a very cost-effective option. Windows and doors should really be replaced at the same time. It is then essential to discuss ventilation!

Water/sewage are probably okay. As long as no iron pipes were used, they last a long time.

For the electrical system, I would look carefully, inspect, and then budget around 20k. If you tackle that, do it properly and well right away. It will accompany you for many, many years, and it is problematic in an inhabited state.

Roofs usually last a long time. I would not worry about that at first, provided there are no indications.

If you are okay with the bathrooms, they do not need to be touched. A simple replacement of the bathroom furniture is quite inexpensive if done yourself. If it involves a renovation, it becomes expensive.

Hi,

thanks for your feedback so far. We still have an inspection with a building surveyor in the coming days and then we’ll see.

I have roughly estimated the material costs/trades based on the floor area and wall surface, it could get tight... especially since I certainly haven’t considered everything.

[*
Roof insulation (between rafters, under rafters)
[*]Bathroom furniture
[*]Tiles, floors, paint and such stuff
[*]Radiators
[LIST]
[*]--> 20-25k

That leaves the rest (30-40k) for windows, front door, electrical, sanitary (if new plumbing would have to be installed).

It will get really tight for possible unplanned things that come up, possibly work by energy consultants and co., disposal etc. and so on.

The question would then be what we should do immediately, what can possibly wait, what we could do without, etc. I’m curious to hear what the surveyor says about the general condition and what his assessment is.

*Since I can no longer edit. The rest refers to the remaining budget of 30-40k. This will presumably then not be sufficient for the listed items such as windows, front door, electrical, sanitary.

Then the remaining (30-40k) stays for windows, front door, electrical work, plumbing (if new pipes would have to be installed). Yes, that can be tight. Something you really have to learn with a tight budget and an old house (similar applies to new builds) is setting priorities and learning to distinguish exactly between "nice-to-have" and "necessary" – so unfortunately I still forego my fancy new interior doors, but this year the heating system already needed repairs three times and, based on today's funding guidelines, well aware of how volatile they are, we have to keep it going for at least 3 years so it will be "old" enough for a replacement that makes economic sense from today's perspective. Well, and since a functioning heating system is more important than nice-looking interior doors, the available euros naturally went to the installer and not to the building supply center, even though I personally regret that very much... enough about me. In the above list, the item "Badmöbel" stands out to me --> does that mean renewing the sinks, shower trays, toilets? If the existing ones are not pretty but still functional, that would be an item to push back on the to-do list in favor of things that are more important, such as installing better windows or a tighter / more secure front door.