So, a little update again.
Yesterday was key handover. From now on, we are responsible for the cabin, which particularly means regularly checking how much water accumulates in the basement for the time being. The neighbor (and one of the three sellers) has kindly taken care of that so far. Here is a picture of the situation:
The good old tinkerer (toolmaker) attached a metal funnel here with some viscous, sticky sealing compound. Originally, about 7m of hose was connected to the funnel, which he routed behind the workbench and led into the drain in the laundry room one room further. No one knows exactly how long this "worked." But it is probably 20-30 years...
Afterwards, a general contractor came by, whom I was recommended and who has had top ratings for over 10 years.
It was a great conversation (finally! after so many clowns on site...). Actually, the appointment yesterday was only scheduled to inspect the above-mentioned water ingress and to seal it promptly so that no more water runs in for months now. He had his "basement specialist" with him for that. He also measured moisture again. Directly above the floor slab, the values are high, but normal for the age. Just a few centimeters higher, the moisture decreases sharply.
Some exterior walls are in poor condition, especially where hardly any air reaches (e.g. oil room, workshop behind the immovable workbenches):
A cheap solution with renovation plaster could be done, but then repeated every 5 years because it is not a permanent solution. Injection sealing, which has proven itself over decades, was recommended. Of course, it costs a lot (20k+), but one can focus on the most important rooms, fully renovate them, and then catch up on the rest of the basement later.
Once the basement issue was done, the basement guy left again. I had planned to force the general contractor to look at the whole house while he was there. But that was not necessary at all, because he meticulously went through every room on his own, made notes, took measurements, made sketches to explain this and that to me. He was quite impressed with our ideas and that a certain knowledge level is present and he does not have to start with Adam & Eve.
We now agreed that we (I) will manually excavate around the water ingress from outside, and he will then do the targeted sealing at the electrical line. We should also tear down the wallpaper and open the floor as soon as possible in order to better assess the existing substance.
In parallel, the whole application matter still has to be clarified (KfW, iSFP). I am not yet quite clear on when what has to be submitted by whom where and whether approval has to be awaited or whether one can start "at one’s own risk." Everyone agrees that BAFA is a slow bunch... :rolleyes:
Anyway, I have a very good feeling about him and plan to do the whole thing with him. A down-to-earth, experienced guy, as old as the house, but technically up to date. Patient, willing to explain, pragmatic. A small carpentry business specialized in complete renovations. They do roofing and drywall themselves; for other trades, there are reliable partners who are strictly weeded out in case of problems.
On the weekend, I already dismantled some firewood from the stairwell...
And last but not least, a nice foreword from a modernization book I am currently reading:
