Single-family house from 1962, heating pipes and radiators problematic?

Hello everyone,

my wife and I are in the process of checking out a house that seems interesting to us, to find out if it can be renovated with affordable costs to a reasonable extent.

The house received a new gas condensing boiler a few years ago. Copper pipes have also partly been routed through the basement to reconfigure the radiators on the ground floor.

However, steel rib radiators of unknown age, possibly even from the year the house was built, still hang throughout the house. There are also thick steel pipes in the walls supplying the radiators. The radiators hang in niches under the windows. These niches are to be closed up, so the radiators need to be moved forward a bit.

Should the steel pipes and radiators also be replaced? On the ground floor, that is quite feasible, as the rooms could be supplied from the boiler in the basement through the basement ceilings. It's different on the upper floor; I have no idea how the pipes are laid and how extensive it would be.

I wonder anyway if a new gas boiler harmonizes with the thick pipes and old rib radiators, or if that doesn't matter?

Many thanks in any case for your ideas!

Kind regards Patrick

I’m wondering anyway whether a new gas heating system will harmonize with the thick pipes and the old ribbed radiators, or does it not matter?

Since you yourself say that you are very inexperienced in this, you should ask an expert, meaning here: a heating specialist, a plumber by profession.

I think it is wrong to separate this question from your existing one. Ultimately, it is a compact package that will either become a charming house or a money pit.

The house has no energy certificate (which would probably look bad anyway). I have no idea how much it would cost to heat this house. Is all this effort worth it, or will we still be overheating ourselves to death?

An energy certificate is mandatory, especially for the seller. And even the poor man should have had to get one a few years ago.

As for the rest: the improvement of the energy standard is probably at the top of the list, along with the electrical system.
I find the flooring okay, it’s probably new?
And the floor tiles in the kitchen probably look better than some laminate that will be laid instead.
And the bathrooms: pink is really extreme now, but the ground floor bathroom is totally in the emerging or already existing trend. They’re not subway tiles, but at least the color and texture. And the rest looks reasonable too. What do you want to do here?

Basically, I like houses like these, it could belong to my grandmother. And when you buy something like this, you should also get used to the style regarding beautiful parquet and the bathrooms. It’s not ugly, just different. In a few years everyone will want it. Of course not those who now have everything grey and black, but those who are already dealing with new trends.
There is a user here who revived the old charm in the house, including a yellow kitchen. Just have a look.