Tips for a single-family house built in 1976

Hello dear community,

I am hoping for several tips regarding the house I am about to purchase. Unfortunately, there is a lot of uncertainty about the extent of renovations needed. Here are a few basic facts:

- 150 sqm of living space plus basement
- 1.5 stories
- 40-year-old windows with "double glazing": are largely still intact
- Roller shutters present
- Solid brick house with facing bricks
- Gas heating system 15 years old with new condensing boiler
- Roof uninsulated - you can stand right on the tiles
- Attic floor insulated
- Electrical installation from the time the house was built - FI switch available
- Radiators from the time the house was built
- Energy certificate letter "E", no recommendations: final energy demand 163 kWh per sqm*a
- Sanitary installations from the time the house was built
- Heating pipe installation from the time the house was built

Well, since the budget for renovation measures is limited, our preliminary plan is as follows:

- Insulate basement ceiling
- Otherwise basically just renovate including 2 new bathrooms

Are we making a cardinal mistake somewhere here? Of course, the window discussion is very present. What savings do I get with new windows? Will it only pay off once I need new windows again soon anyway, or much sooner? Can I even install triple-glazed windows regarding wall mold?

For further renovation measures, it would then be tight anyway? What would you definitely do, what can be skipped? Which measure would still be quite inexpensive and effective? New radiators (or a wall heating system)? Have we overlooked anything important?

Any advice is very dear to us at the moment! We are very much hoping for your help!

Basically: At that time I was a student and earned my studies working construction as a laborer. (Hol ma Kasten Bier und 10 Boonekamp, Jung) Mechanization on construction sites was still rudimentary. In Northern Germany, we traditionally built with sand-lime bricks, followed by an air layer, then clinker bricks. (Die Luftschicht könnte man gegen relativ kleines Geld mit Perlitekügelchen auspusten lassen, was die Wanddämmung klar verbessert) Basements usually got a slurry protection layer inside and outside. The roofing work was often more solid/thicker than today; roof tiles were coated with mortar. Is the coating okay? Then don't touch it. Such an uninsulated roof is healthy for the house and wood, it is dry, drafty, breathes, and the roof wood can last 200 years. The windows: mahogany or already plastic? If mahogany and intact, carefully paint and maintain with glaze. It lasts almost forever. You can create the frame thickness on mahogany windows by gluing on strips to fit triple glazing. It’s not too expensive. Otherwise: leave it as it is for now. More important to me would be the piping: the old copper pipes often suffer from pitting corrosion, and then you have the mess. Wet walls, etc. If you’re tearing out the bathrooms anyway, deal with it. Hot water/heating pipes are affected. (Muss nicht sein, kann sein, kam auf die Kupferqualität an, Zirkulationspumpen beschleunigen das auch). Insulating the basement ceiling would be more of a nice-to-have for me. New radiators are cheap but mostly unnecessary. Sprucing up the old ones with radiator paint is usually enough. That’s all for now. Karsten

Well, the budget does not match the backlog of renovation work.

The old windows should be replaced
Brickwork offers a great opportunity for core insulation
Attic slopes on the upper floor urgently need insulation
If bathrooms are renovated, water/sewage should also be checked and done in one go. If there are still galvanized pipes, they can clog up in a short time. Then you'll be tearing apart the new bathroom in 5 years
Electrical wiring should/must be renewed, depending on equipment and condition. I assume 3-core wiring. But that is not something you do quickly again in 5 years when money is available
I only see personal labor for the slopes upstairs and the basement ceiling
The unheated attic does not need to be insulated!

Radiators can stay, for example, if not defective. But through the energy measures, you can significantly reduce your monthly consumption.

Will you reveal the budget planned for the renovation? Then one could try to create a meaningful priority list

Joe, I haven’t assumed galvanized pipes since 1975. More likely copper. The electrical wiring, what is there to age? The windows, why necessarily new? It would depend on their condition. Of course, you have to insulate the attic spaces.

Well, that's why I said to check and have it done. I can't say exactly when the transition to copper happened. In my case, it was half and half installed and the copper was already corroded. That's why I had it done. With electricity, it's often not about the age itself, but about the equipment and the electrical demand. Often rooms were combined or entire floors. Now you have many electrical devices in the kitchen. In my old house, the cable in the wall overheated when I turned on the induction double hotplate. I had to tear everything open to re-lay it. The bathroom doesn't have to be combined with the hallway anymore. In the bathroom, the hairdryer, hair straightener are on and in the hallway the vacuum cleaner is turned on. That's already critical. Such things should be considered during a renovation. Because nothing will happen to the electricity for the next 40 years.

Windows are a thing. For wood, I say have new panes installed by the carpenter. With plastic, it's difficult. Windows with poor values double the heating costs. 1. due to the actual heat loss 2. a cold feeling is created by the cold surface, which is compensated by a higher room temperature.

Admittedly, I have little knowledge when it comes to new builds. But when it comes to renovations, I am quite experienced as a layman. I made stupid mistakes with the first house myself. Hopefully not with the second one. Haven't lived there long enough yet to judge.

The first thing would be to let someone with expertise in before the purchase.