Settlement house 1954 - complete renovation possible?

So far, the estimate seems to be conservative enough. An offer for the ETICS facade is, for example, around €10k. However, I also interpret that as an optimistic figure.

When estimating optimistically, it's better to add a flat 20% buffer... With me, we hadn't considered several things at all - base renovation, demolition of an unauthorized part of the floor slab, core drillings through the concrete ceiling inside the house for the cables and through the floor slab outside for the house connections, counter battens for drywall in the attic by the carpenter... The insulation of the floor was not included in the sanitary estimate... Especially in a renovation, some things might only become apparent during the process, or you might still want to add a little extra... For example, I had an additional skylight installed. Each item on its own manageable, but in the end the thousands add up...

I can only agree with that – for a house that, according to the exposé (yeah, yeah), "doesn’t need any renovation and you can move in immediately," we shelled out over 50,000 EUR in modernization costs and we are by no means finished with all the measures. The mentioned costs were only for measures that absolutely had to be done before moving in. It’s also worth mentioning that the complete renewal of the electrics (except for the final approval after the fuse box) was done by my father-in-law (master electrician) and the gas boiler as well as the heating circuit had already been modernized. If we had had to have both done as well, we would have certainly needed around another 25,000 EUR just for that, and as I said, there is still quite a bit to do (at least one bathroom renovation, since only the sanitary fixtures were replaced).

One of the biggest items was, among other things, a surprising interior construction measure in one of our rooms, when it turned out that beneath the "fancy" wood paneling were the poorly insulated outer walls. The remaining items were all smaller, but the quantity adds up, and even if you do a lot yourself, the material costs should not be underestimated if you want to use something decent. From these experiences, I also recommend to you – just like many who spoke before me – to plan a very generous buffer (also in terms of time?) so that you can handle all the surprises that an older house throws at you well.

You might get the insulation on the wall for that, but nothing else. Better calculate with 150€/m² façade area.

The insulation may cost 10,000€, but you also need an additional top coat plus paint. And then things happen like: "Oh, it's an old building? Yes, I forgot to include the doweling for 5,000€, without that we won't do it." And always ask(!) whether the price was net/gross.

150€/m² is already a very good guideline.

The largest item was, among other things, a surprising interior finishing measure in one of our rooms, when it turned out that directly under the "fancy" wood paneling were the barely insulated exterior walls. The remaining items were all smaller,

May one ask exactly where the 50,000€ disappeared to?

Sure; the following measures were carried out): Replacement of courtyard gate, material for electrical work, installation of new fuse box, final acceptance of electrical work, restoration of old floorboards, interior construction of 1 complete room (insulation, drywall, sanding), plaster renewal, painting work (filling, sanding, painter's fleece, painting), floor leveling & laying of new floors (vinyl), replacement of sanitary fixtures, new pump for heating, renewal of roof ridges, adjustment of windows, tiling and material, material, material. Many medium and small items, which however added up to this amount. You wouldn’t believe it, but that’s exactly why sufficient cash reserves are so important.

Small update on the topic of costs and KFW:
We had an architect certified by the KfW make a cost estimate.

HOAI fee zone III with 25% old building surcharge results in the following for 225,000 euros of eligible costs for the energy renovation, excluding VAT:

1 Inventory	3500
2 Planning	3800
3 Cost calculation	3200
4 Approval planning	1600
5 Execution planning	10500
6 Preparation and awarding	8000
7 Construction supervision	17500
8 Energy saving ordinance and BAFA consultation, energy certificate	1800
9 Thermal bridge calculation	4800
Total	54700

These are initially all service phases except for the subsequent support from 1-9 included. So about 25% of the construction sum.

That means even if you now do everything except items 6 and 7, it will be roughly covered by the KfW-55 subsidy. (30,000 + 4,000 construction supervision + 800 BAFA)

He made his own cost estimate, summarizing the individual topics:

Roof	45000
Facade	40000
Windows	30000
Heat pump (only air-water heat pump now!)	25000
Underfloor heating 2x60sqm	22000
Electrical installation	22000
Water installation	11000
Bathroom + WC	30000

Are the costs (including installation) plausible? I find that compared to what people around us end up paying, these are tendentially set quite high (which of course is also in the architect’s fee interest). Also compared to the HOAI tables per construction sum that can be found online, I find the architect’s costs somewhat high. Thoughts?