Hello,
we are about to purchase a mid-1990s terraced house in the middle of a row.
Living area: 125m² (1,345 sq ft) – distributed over 2 full floors and an attic floor (plus a fully finished basement)
The wall surface area is approximately 400m² (4,306 sq ft).
I am somewhat apprehensive about doing the work ourselves (about 2-3 months from start to moving in).
Both of us work full-time (40 hours/week), we have a toddler (2.5 years old), and our parents-in-law live 600 km (373 miles) away.
Potential vacation time for DIY work: 2 weeks for the husband, 1 week for the wife.
Both are skilled with crafts and handiwork.
The following tasks must be done:
More tasks will probably arise once we move in.
Work to be carried out progressively after moving in as DIY:
In addition, there are preparations for moving, the move itself, and possible renovation of the old 80m² (861 sq ft) apartment (first occupied 2.5 years ago).
As mentioned above, I definitely plan to do some of the work myself.
Is it still realistic to handle the sanding and painting without overextending ourselves? I honestly doubt it. What would be a reasonable cost per m² to budget for the second part of point 1?
I look forward to your opinions, tips, and information.
Best regards,
Stephan
we are about to purchase a mid-1990s terraced house in the middle of a row.
Living area: 125m² (1,345 sq ft) – distributed over 2 full floors and an attic floor (plus a fully finished basement)
- Ground floor: Living room (30m² (323 sq ft)), Kitchen (7m² (75 sq ft)), Hallway (6m² (65 sq ft)), Guest WC (2m² (22 sq ft))
- First floor: Child’s room (15m² (161 sq ft)), Bedroom (20m² (215 sq ft)), Landing (3m² (32 sq ft)), Bathroom (5m² (54 sq ft))
- Attic floor: Office (15m² (161 sq ft)), Guest room (10m² (108 sq ft)), Landing (3m² (32 sq ft)), Storage room (5m² (54 sq ft))
- The open staircase extends from the basement to the attic (4 levels) with a footprint of about 3m² (32 sq ft)
The wall surface area is approximately 400m² (4,306 sq ft).
I am somewhat apprehensive about doing the work ourselves (about 2-3 months from start to moving in).
Both of us work full-time (40 hours/week), we have a toddler (2.5 years old), and our parents-in-law live 600 km (373 miles) away.
Potential vacation time for DIY work: 2 weeks for the husband, 1 week for the wife.
Both are skilled with crafts and handiwork.
The following tasks must be done:
- Walls / ceilings renewal Remove textured wallpaper, fill large holes and cracks (DIY)
- Wall breakthrough for new door between kitchen and living room
- Completely new flooring (vinyl) plus baseboards (DIY with 1-2 friends)
- Remove and reinstall 9 interior doors (definitely DIY)
- Install satellite and LAN cables in all living areas (partly routed vertically through service shafts or channeled horizontally into plaster) (DIY)
- Attic office – one wall side Remove old wood paneling from sloped ceiling and ceiling (DIY)
- Remove kitchen backsplash tiles (to be replaced with glass or wooden panel) (DIY)
- Add extra electrical outlets in kitchen
- Replace roller shutter straps and possibly the winding mechanism (DIY)
- In basement – cover 20m² (215 sq ft) room with a simple, wipe-resistant floor (DIY)
- Dismantle and reinstall kitchen (DIY with 1-2 friends)
Sanding, fine filling, and painting (directly on the plaster)
Replace ceiling and sloped sections with drywall
More tasks will probably arise once we move in.
Work to be carried out progressively after moving in as DIY:
- Paint exterior window frames
- New roof for 2m² (22 sq ft) storage shed
- Clear out garden (50m² (538 sq ft))
- Redo patio paving or install wooden decking
- Attic guest room – replace skylights (not urgent)
- Install baseboards (possibly routing speaker cables etc. at the same time)
In addition, there are preparations for moving, the move itself, and possible renovation of the old 80m² (861 sq ft) apartment (first occupied 2.5 years ago).
As mentioned above, I definitely plan to do some of the work myself.
Is it still realistic to handle the sanding and painting without overextending ourselves? I honestly doubt it. What would be a reasonable cost per m² to budget for the second part of point 1?
I look forward to your opinions, tips, and information.
Best regards,
Stephan
Bentovic schrieb:
The following tasks need to be done
- Walls / ceilings new
Remove textured wallpaper and fill large holes and cracks (DIY)
Sanding, fine filling, and painting (directly on the plaster)- Wall opening for new door between kitchen and living room
- Completely new flooring (vinyl) + baseboards (DIY with 1-2 friends)
- Remove and reinstall 9 interior doors (definitely DIY)
- Install satellite and LAN cables in all living areas (partly through vertical utility shafts or channeled horizontally into the plaster) (DIY)
- Attic office - 1 wall side
Remove old wood paneling on sloped roof and ceiling (DIY)
Replace ceiling and slopes with drywall- Kitchen backsplash tiles removal (will be replaced with glass or wooden backsplash) (DIY)
- Add extra power outlets in kitchen
- Replace roller shutter straps and, if necessary, winders (DIY)
- Basement – fit 20m² (215 sq ft) with simple wipe-resistant flooring (DIY)
- Remove and reinstall kitchen (DIY with 1-2 friends)
Phew,
this reminds me of our first home renovation – we had just one month, and no kids at the time.
- Wall opening kitchen/living room (aerated concrete), 1 hour
- Remove wallpaper, repaint (painted the evening before moving in)
- Partial kitchen renovation, painting doors, countertop tiling, new textured plaster, etc.
- Remove carpet in living room on ground floor, repair screed with leveling compound, tiles
Nothing more!
We didn’t even have time to pack properly. I took the drawers out of the furniture and covered them with newspaper so they were “move-ready.” 🙁
Focus on finishing the kitchen and flooring in the living area. Expect that after removing textured wallpaper the surface will still need repairs. Plaster can come off with it, and textured wallpaper isn’t easy to remove cleanly.
For new flooring (vinyl), the entire floor must be perfectly level! You can work a whole week on that and still not be satisfied!
You can do the doors later, as well as the basement and the office.
Do all the dusty work first. And organize it so that everyday family life can continue smoothly.
Good luck! 🙂
Basically, you can achieve a lot in that time. We managed to renovate the kitchen and bedroom in 5 weeks.
Kitchen:
- New electrical wiring
- Main distribution board in the basement rewired due to errors
- Wallpaper removed and replaced
- Drywall ceiling installed
- Ceiling and walls painted
- Kitchen cabinets remained in place
- Pipes replaced, with the basement underneath
Hallway:
- Plaster removed and drywall installed
Bedroom:
- Insulated from the inside
- Textured plaster applied to the walls
- Drywall ceiling installed
- New electrical wiring
- Air conditioning unit installed, commissioning took place later
- Laminate flooring installed
It was a tough period, especially with 2 weeks of vacation. My wife had to work, and she packed the moving boxes. On weekends, at least 3 extra people were always there to help.
Kitchen:
- New electrical wiring
- Main distribution board in the basement rewired due to errors
- Wallpaper removed and replaced
- Drywall ceiling installed
- Ceiling and walls painted
- Kitchen cabinets remained in place
- Pipes replaced, with the basement underneath
Hallway:
- Plaster removed and drywall installed
Bedroom:
- Insulated from the inside
- Textured plaster applied to the walls
- Drywall ceiling installed
- New electrical wiring
- Air conditioning unit installed, commissioning took place later
- Laminate flooring installed
It was a tough period, especially with 2 weeks of vacation. My wife had to work, and she packed the moving boxes. On weekends, at least 3 extra people were always there to help.
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