Terraced house with oil warm air heating '65

Hello

I looked at a small mid-terrace house earlier and for the first time during a viewing, I thought it might actually fit... However, there are also 2-3 points I don’t like very much and I need your opinion.

90m² living space mid-terrace house with converted attic and basement (attic and basement not included in the living space).
Ground floor: kitchen, living room, guest toilet, terrace with small south-facing garden
Upper floor: study, children’s room, bedroom with south-facing balcony, and bathroom (unfortunately without a bathtub and only an old shabby shower, renovation is probably necessary here), hot water via instantaneous water heater
The attic is accessible via a narrow spiral staircase.
Windows, except for the balcony doors on the upper floor of the bedroom/study, are new plastic; the balcony doors are still wood.

There is a central oil warm-air heating system in the kitchen, controlled in the living room which is heated directly. On the upper floor, only the study, bedroom, and bathroom are heated; the children’s room could possibly be connected. According to the previous owner, oil consumption is about 500-700 liters per year. The heating system is supposedly 20-25 years old; measurement reports will be sent to me in the next few days.
Question: If I want to keep the heating system, is that possible? I have heard that 30-year-old heating systems must be replaced? Does that apply here?

Basement is unfinished but apparently very dry, with two 750-liter tanks for oil, unfortunately unheated; however, I would like a partially heated room there. Would it possibly be conceivable to install solar panels on the roof that simply (only?) heat the basement? The reasons are secondary, but if this is conceivable (what would the costs be?), that would be completely sufficient for me. It would be fantastic if it could also produce hot water.

Yes, what bothers me is the bathroom on the upper floor which probably urgently needs renovation, as well as the unheated basement and the heating system. The rest is really great and would fit.

The price is about €30,000-50,000 below what is usual in the area (normal central heating but often also 15-20 year old oil heating systems), presumably because of the points I mentioned. Demand for houses in the area is quite high and there is little for sale. I am not in a hurry and not urgently looking for something. Therefore, I am considering making a “bold offer” and just seeing what happens. What would be a range where the price seems very low but might still be acceptable? -20%?

What else should I pay close attention to regarding the heating system and what should I ask for besides the measurement reports?

Regards

My goodness, what a load of concentrated questions.

So - a 1965 year of construction doesn’t have to be bad, but with houses from that era I would generally have my doubts, meaning a specialist should definitely check the details on site. From a distance - most of your questions cannot be reliably answered. Impossible.

At that time, construction was sometimes sloppy, cheap, and very poor.

Also all your questions about renovation, modernization, solar and the like - a professional has to take a look. If you are considering the house, please spend the money on an expert.

Heating systems from before 1978 must be replaced after the sale depending on the circumstances. With the heating system mentioned, this can be very expensive. But very likely this property is more or less a case of extensive renovation / insulation, which can easily cost in the range of 70-100K euros, quickly even. A proper bathroom renovation alone will definitely cost you 15-35K euros. Depending on the level of demand.

And although sometimes I believe that banana plugs really do plug bananas: I don’t believe the oil consumption you were told for that house, age/size, never. Realistically, I would assume 3-4 times the consumption if the house is heated properly and correctly. Reason: There are no miracles.

You can start the price negotiation properly once you have facts from a specialist’s inspection that open your eyes. You will probably be amazed at what a proper renovation would cost.

Regards
Thorsten

Hello,

we live in a semi-detached house from 1965 and also still have an oil warm air heating system, albeit with a more modern burner. This actually achieves very low consumption compared to an oil central heating system in a house of the same year of construction. The energy consultant did not want to believe us, but it is so. The living comfort is not comparable to a modern house, however. But as Thorsten correctly noted: the renovation costs cannot be low given the year of construction. Even with good building fabric (according to the expert, we have that) we are in the six-digit range depending on the scope of the (planned) renovation, since, for example, the electrical system must be completely redone, when you open up the wall anyway you will move away from oil (and then install a central heating system) etc. etc. So first have it inspected.

Best regards,
Stefan