Renovation of old buildings, what awaits us

So there are new findings:

- The basement is damp but not wet or musty (no mold). The expert said this is a condition like in every basement from this year of construction. The tiles would have to be removed from the wall, and the paneling as well.

- Electronics need to be completely replaced. Estimated at about €10,000.
- The roof needs to be insulated. Old insulation that is partially present must be removed, and then new insulation must be installed. Estimated at about €18,000.

So we are already at €30,000 costs that definitely have to be made.

The windows are still okay. If you want to replace them with new triple-glazed ones, the facade must also be insulated. Also about €20,000. Although windows and facade can be done later.

The question is what else will still come up later when you start renovating.

We would basically put the entire purchase price again into renovation costs.

But would still have a livable newly renovated house for €160,000.

... if everything goes smoothly ...

18,000 euros for roof insulation is quite steep... when you see such figures, it can make you a little queasy. But as has already been said here, depending on the condition, you "don't" have to do everything; some things can certainly be postponed or done yourself. At 1,000 euros renovation costs per square meter, we would have ended up at 200k euros. But it was then 60k, with a few thousand more to come, but we won't exceed 70k. So it can also be done much more cheaply. You just have to consider whether you really want to do everything, whether you want to have it done or do it yourself, and whether the whole thing is worth it to you in the end. Or whether you'd rather spend a few more euros and go for a new build, because with the renovation costs mentioned above, the price for that isn't much higher either. By the way, our house from the 70s was also livable before renovation. Of course, it doesn’t look super great, but it's more a question of expectations.

But you can really do roof insulation yourself. It's not rocket science. Even at the hardware store, there are all the flyers and instructions. If necessary, take an energy consultant along who occasionally checks if it's going in the right direction. Even 200mm insulation costs less than €10 per sqm. The foils for underneath and on top together cost €2 per sqm. I insulated my upper floor ceiling and had material costs of €700. PS. Why actually the whole roof? It actually makes more sense to insulate the upper floor ceiling. Because that’s where the heat passes through the room ceiling.

PS. Why the whole roof anyway? It actually makes more sense to insulate the upper floor ceiling. Because the heat passes through the ceiling.

Probably because the attic is inhabited. Then it gets expensive, because you often have to get to the roof covering.

Or if you want a warm roof without too large temperature fluctuations...

10,000€ for electricity I also find steep... What all has to be done there?