Renovation of an old building - What costs will I face?

also only from acquaintances: Small semi-detached house built in 60. Without new windows and insulation: 200k. Small villa from the 30s: 350k Our settlement house 150m², built in 56, gutting in 2006, 200k with A LOT of own work. Surely more expensive today.

Our costs:
Detached single-family house with basement, built in 1962 with an extension from 1985. 140 sqm living space and 75 sqm usable basement.
The following was done:
Completely gutted, new roof, new windows and front door, new interior doors, new stairs, new underfloor heating, new oil heating, new screed, new electrical and water pipes, new interior plaster, and new plaster on exterior walls (basically everything new).
In the end, we were at about 150,000 to 160,000 euros with a lot of own work.
The basement was initially left out and is now being renovated. When it gets warmer, the outdoor area with carport will be done. We also budget about 20,000 euros for fences, carport, and so on.

In the end, no one can tell you how expensive it will be. Unless you go through it with an expert. But they can be wrong too. Because surprises are guaranteed to come up during the renovation, and you might choose the more expensive fittings. And so on.

Well, I think that renovation is worthwhile and I say that from personal experience, we bought an old house cheaply and completely renovated it and can now sell it really well, and I believe that especially here in Germany, houses can be easily renovated and also sold well.

I am completely new here in the forum and only noticed it in the middle of the renovation phase...

But for comparison, my experience with a somewhat newer house in the greater Hamburg area:

Single-family house with 145 sqm living space and 75 sqm basement, built in 1978, almost all windows new, exterior wall insulation added later, and roof newly insulated. All of this was done by the previous owner.
House purchased for 315,000 plus additional costs and realtor fees.

We have done the following, or are still doing: bathrooms new, new room layout on the upper floor, suspended ceiling on the upper floor raised higher, two window elements (floor-to-ceiling) new, all floor coverings, underfloor heating and screed in bathroom and kitchen new, plastering work inside the whole house, some socket outlets expanded, completely new interior doors, new covers for sockets and light switches, new radiators with minor modifications.
In the end, we will be at an investment sum of about €65,000. A lot of own work went into this and a circle of friends with a lot of expertise, tools, and help is available!

Hello Sabine,

You can't answer that categorically. It also depends on what/how much you want to do. We (semi-detached house, built in 1962 - not 1965, as mentioned in my last post, sorry, last work by the previous owner in the nineties) have just had a renovation cost calculated: new roof covering including insulation, new windows everywhere, replacing oil-air heating with gas central heating, new electrical installation, completely renovating the existing bathroom, installing a new bathroom in the attic... that comes to about 180,000.-. You can find such renovation calculators on the internet, but in the end houses are too different to say for sure without an autopsy.

Best regards,
Stefan

Renovations, especially when there is a lot to do, are almost unpredictable. Even professionals who make their living from this regularly miscalculate. Additional costs of 50-100% are not the rule, but also not that rare. I don't want to scare you, but one thing often leads to another. New insulation, new windows, new heating, new pipes, water then also new, suddenly basement leaking, sewage pipes dilapidated, electrical system new because outdated. And an old house always remains an old house. You always notice it somewhere (building fabric, ceiling height, room layout, crooked walls, ...). However, you should already budget around €200,000 if roof, insulation, windows, heating, and bathrooms are to be done.

I also looked at a nice house this week, built in 1986. Unfortunately, no measures have been taken there since the year it was built. Roof okay, bricks not nice but also okay, but balcony dilapidated, roof borderline, everything made of wood (e.g. roof substructure) completely rotten. Windows, heating, bathrooms, and also electrical system need to be done. That's simply too much for me personally. Especially since you also have to consider the time factor. I don't want to live on a construction site for 5 years until I have renovated all 3 floors.