Renovation of old buildings, what awaits us

Moreover, one should think carefully about the insulation. I have looked at many old houses that were newly insulated, and almost all of them had a terrible indoor climate. We also experienced this in our last rental apartment. Super insulated, low additional costs, but stuffy air. After a week of vacation, you couldn't enter the apartment without airing it out first. Mold was also our constant companion.

That is also our current consideration. The Gemsher said we should renew them because of the shutters and the fly screens.

We will probably have to live like this for at least one winter anyway and can compare our additional costs. They will definitely be lower than in our current rental apartment, I am sure of that.

The point about time and the helpers you mention also makes us think. At the moment everyone is offering their help, but still they also have to work on the side like we do.

Of course, it is a big and not an unhazardous project.

It doesn't have to be dangerous, you just have to plan it well and know what to expect. I have remodeled and renovated a lot in my life (for myself and friends/family), yet sometimes people tend to overestimate themselves or what they can accomplish in a certain amount of time. In addition, there is work and family, which you cannot simply ignore.

There is always a lot of the unexpected during renovations. That also costs time and money. I just realized that again over the weekend. I wanted to lay new cables with my father-in-law. We were happy during the planning because there was a conduit between the ground floor and the basement through which we could pull the cables. The day was well planned, unfortunately, the conduit had been pierced by the previous owner when laying another cable. So it took half the day to chisel/drill a new hole into the basement (past the underfloor heating) and half of the work was left undone. These things happen all the time. No matter how carefully you look beforehand, some things only become apparent during the renovation. Especially ceilings and walls were often botched. The same applies to water, heating, and electrical lines that were laid afterward. Then the floors have to be leveled so that tiles or laminate can be laid evenly. With the prices for leveling compounds, your eyes start to water when bag after bag disappears on the floor.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to discourage you from your project and you seem to question your plans quite reasonably, but three months is not much time if you can mainly work only on weekends. You don't do a bathroom or complete electrical work in just one or two weekends.

Thank you very much for your opinions. I have had exactly the same concerns all along, but then the excitement about the house and the work ahead suddenly outweighs them again, especially when you can see the dream coming true.

On the other hand, it can quickly turn into a nightmare, because, as you already said, you cannot foresee how things were built / botched back then.

We won't do everything entirely on our own either. For example, the bathroom is supposed to be done, as well as the roof and the kitchen.

We have now increased our renovation budget to 80,000, so there is always a buffer or leeway.

It doesn't have to be perfect right away, but it should be livable.

At the moment, I am making my list of materials we need and creating a priority list.

Apparently the house is bought. You are now properly at it, diligently doing the sweat-inducing preliminary work. I am curious! I hope we will be involved again and again (as it is also with the tiles), and can thus experience the small successes together

Regards

Currently, we are documenting everything only with photos; I wanted to keep a construction diary, but at the moment I lack the time.

However, I will occasionally post status updates here at irregular intervals.

Status as of 18.10.:

- 16 new plastic windows including shutters (4 of them electric)
- 9 new basement windows
- 9 new interior doors
- new front door and back entrance door
- the kitchen expanded with a terrace door

- insulation of the top floor ceiling
- rafter insulation and division of the attic. (one half is used as a "wardrobe". Stairs from the bedroom)

- new meter box including 2 RCDs and fuses for every room.
- slots and drillings for the sockets are almost finished.

- bathroom planning completed and ordered.

These were the things that are already concrete and I would call "new".


In the meantime, I carried out all the "handyman" activities.

- all wallpaper removed
- Heraklith boards removed from the roof slopes for insulation purposes
- paneling and wall tiles in the basement removed
- everything that was old thrown out (doors, frames, sockets, switches, wires)
- tiles in the bathrooms and kitchen removed
- old bathtubs removed (they were bricked in --> wall torn down)
- floor tiles in the hallway and kitchen removed
- bathroom exposed except for the pipes


Next steps:

- waiting for the plumber's offer --> pipes from the meter new in guest bathroom, bathroom and kitchen, possibly underfloor heating in the bathrooms
- planning the kitchen (our carpenter offered us a solid wood kitchen, we are considering that)
- planning floor coverings (sanding floorboards, vinyl, laminate, tiles)

What also encourages us are the neighbors who welcomed us kindly and overlook all the noise.

Since it is a settlement house and all the houses on the street were built in these years, you can also clearly see the changes and what is possible.

The immediate neighbors who were still present during construction also give us confidence and confirm that it is a solid house and has never had problems with moisture or similar issues.

What is also remarkable is that all the houses on that street still have the same roof. Clay tiles.