Ruhrgebiet23
2018-07-13 11:44:17
- #1
Hello everyone,
We bought a house in February this year. A semi-detached house from the 1950s. Generally in good, old condition. It quickly became clear to us that we wanted and could invest a lot of money (up to about €300,000) to have everything "properly done." We quickly found an architect from a distant acquaintance circle who was there for the inspection in December.
The purchase then took place in February, and we hoped for a quick submission of the building application – we wanted to renovate everything (new heating, pipes, insulation, windows, etc.) and extend to the back; we had already created a draft (which was roughly adopted and, of course, presented in more detail). At the second appointment, the architect informed us that he had a new employee who would be responsible for us. We were somewhat taken aback, but okay. He has made and continues to make some mistakes (incorrect cardinal directions on the building application (my husband noticed this before submission), errors regarding the building boundaries, which was never admitted), but that is not the main focus here.
The original architect quickly made it clear that he was rather skeptical about insulation. Because of this, we were also of the opinion that we probably would not achieve low-energy house standards or similar. However, early on, we stated that we were very interested in a photovoltaic system for hot water.
The building application was submitted three months ago, and we have been waiting since – nobody can be blamed for that (at least not the architect). Meanwhile, we are constantly trying to discuss KFW funding programs with the architects. Both say that age-appropriate remodeling is easier to implement than energy-efficient renovation. Since we persistently ask, they have meanwhile admitted that funding measures for energy-efficient renovation are also possible. Regarding further information, they constantly refer us to the financial advisor, who can only tell us that the conditions are naturally better with a loan there than at the house bank. Now we have involved an energy consultant to assess what is really sensible for our property. She is of the opinion that insulation according to the Energy Saving Ordinance makes quite a bit of sense and is not much more expensive. She sat down with the architects at the beginning of the week.
We have already asked the architects several times to prepare a cost breakdown with precise details – so far we only have a status from 02/2018, which is very general. But in order to be able to decide what kind of funding might be sensible FOR US, we have to have comparative values. Is that really too much to ask? What can we demand from the architect here? He has been commissioned for all construction phases.
We have the impression that the architects simply want to keep the planning effort as low as possible. We have to bring up many things several times before they are considered. For example, we asked that a facing shell towards the neighbor be taken into account. At the last meeting, we were asked to take care of the kitchen planning as soon as possible. After we finally received the dimensions, we asked again whether the facing shell was included. It was not. So this is how it goes with everything so far, that we as laypeople always have to remind them. We certainly will not be able to think of various things ourselves... The new architect takes care of the visual design of the entrance area outside on his own initiative – when we refer to efflorescence in the basement, he replies that he can look at it during the execution. We are laypeople, but the priorities do not seem sensible to us...
Maybe I am mistaken, which is why I would be grateful for assessments.
Best regards!
We bought a house in February this year. A semi-detached house from the 1950s. Generally in good, old condition. It quickly became clear to us that we wanted and could invest a lot of money (up to about €300,000) to have everything "properly done." We quickly found an architect from a distant acquaintance circle who was there for the inspection in December.
The purchase then took place in February, and we hoped for a quick submission of the building application – we wanted to renovate everything (new heating, pipes, insulation, windows, etc.) and extend to the back; we had already created a draft (which was roughly adopted and, of course, presented in more detail). At the second appointment, the architect informed us that he had a new employee who would be responsible for us. We were somewhat taken aback, but okay. He has made and continues to make some mistakes (incorrect cardinal directions on the building application (my husband noticed this before submission), errors regarding the building boundaries, which was never admitted), but that is not the main focus here.
The original architect quickly made it clear that he was rather skeptical about insulation. Because of this, we were also of the opinion that we probably would not achieve low-energy house standards or similar. However, early on, we stated that we were very interested in a photovoltaic system for hot water.
The building application was submitted three months ago, and we have been waiting since – nobody can be blamed for that (at least not the architect). Meanwhile, we are constantly trying to discuss KFW funding programs with the architects. Both say that age-appropriate remodeling is easier to implement than energy-efficient renovation. Since we persistently ask, they have meanwhile admitted that funding measures for energy-efficient renovation are also possible. Regarding further information, they constantly refer us to the financial advisor, who can only tell us that the conditions are naturally better with a loan there than at the house bank. Now we have involved an energy consultant to assess what is really sensible for our property. She is of the opinion that insulation according to the Energy Saving Ordinance makes quite a bit of sense and is not much more expensive. She sat down with the architects at the beginning of the week.
We have already asked the architects several times to prepare a cost breakdown with precise details – so far we only have a status from 02/2018, which is very general. But in order to be able to decide what kind of funding might be sensible FOR US, we have to have comparative values. Is that really too much to ask? What can we demand from the architect here? He has been commissioned for all construction phases.
We have the impression that the architects simply want to keep the planning effort as low as possible. We have to bring up many things several times before they are considered. For example, we asked that a facing shell towards the neighbor be taken into account. At the last meeting, we were asked to take care of the kitchen planning as soon as possible. After we finally received the dimensions, we asked again whether the facing shell was included. It was not. So this is how it goes with everything so far, that we as laypeople always have to remind them. We certainly will not be able to think of various things ourselves... The new architect takes care of the visual design of the entrance area outside on his own initiative – when we refer to efflorescence in the basement, he replies that he can look at it during the execution. We are laypeople, but the priorities do not seem sensible to us...
Maybe I am mistaken, which is why I would be grateful for assessments.
Best regards!