Hello everyone,
About 2¼ years ago, I bought a two-family house built in 1964. Since the year it was built, nothing had ever been renovated, so it was still exactly as it was in 1964.
Each apartment has 95 m² (1,023 sq ft) of living space. The house is fully basemented and has an attic, which unfortunately is too low to be used as living space.
We completely cleared out the house (it was fully furnished and equipped) and fully renovated it. Most of the work was done by ourselves. I thought maybe the cost breakdown could be interesting to some, so I wanted to share it here.
But a quick warning: Don’t necessarily use this for your own budgeting unless you’re as crazy as I am and really want to invest a huge amount of time in the renovation.
We made the first apartment habitable within 9 months, then moved in, and 3 months later the second apartment was ready to live in. After that, we completed the remaining work in the stairwell, on the facade, and in the basement.
So, here are the works carried out and the costs:
Windows and Doors:
New windows, 3 patio doors, and one front door. All professionally installed. Double glazing with RAL sealing. The only DIY part was disposing of the old windows and doors.
Cost: $21,500
Bathrooms:
Two bathrooms, each 5.5 m² (59 sq ft). Removed the wall between the old bathroom and the toilet. The old toilet access was bricked up. Floor screed removed and new screed installed. All plaster removed. Small window in the old toilet removed and bricked up. All new plaster applied. New sink, toilet, and bathtub installed. Walls partially tiled, floors tiled. Partly done as DIY with help from friends, partly done by the plumber with my assistance. Mid-range fittings. Tiles bought from a tile store, ceramics from the sanitary supplier. Thanks to contacts at the sanitary supplier, we got good prices for the fittings.
(Floor tiles are not included here but under "Floors")
Cost: $6,100
Sanitary Installation:
Complete new water and wastewater pipes from the house connection onward.
Installed by the plumber with my assistance. We tore out all the old pipes ourselves. Made all the necessary wall penetrations and chases in the masonry ourselves. Pipes were laid by the plumber. Filled the chases ourselves. No circulation piping included. Includes a water softener from Grünbeck for $2,050.
Cost: $8,400
Heating:
Old oil heating disconnected and removed. Very old wood heating dismantled and removed. All done by myself. Installed new gas heating (Hoval) with a new buffer tank for hot water. Included laying the gas line from the house connection to the boiler room and routing the exhaust pipe in the chimney shaft. Heating installed by a professional; I only helped with the installation and some connection work.
Cost: $11,200
Radiators:
All old cast-iron radiators removed. Heating pipes rerouted in front of the radiator recess with copper pipes. Recesses bricked up and plastered. New radiators (13 x Buderus) fitted in front. One apartment fully equipped with electronic thermostats. All DIY.
Cost: $3,500
Plastering:
Bathrooms completely replastered, kitchens completely replastered. One living room replastered, various walls in two other rooms replastered and repaired. Hundreds of cracks filled. Radiator recesses plastered. Three walls removed, edges freshly plastered. Three bricked-up doors/passages plastered.
Help from friends with my own work mainly on filler and finishing work.
If I remember correctly, the needed bricks for all masonry work are included here as well.
Cost: $4,400
Chimney Renovation:
One chimney flue fitted with a stainless steel pipe that can connect a wood stove in each apartment. All preparatory and follow-up work done by myself. The chimney pipe was installed by a professional.
Cost: $2,200
Electrical Work:
Complete rewiring from the meter box. Two distribution boards with modern circuit breakers installed new. All cables newly laid. All sockets and switches replaced with new Busch-Jäger models. Of course, significantly more sockets installed than there were before. Partially ducting was already in place, but many chases were broken out and new conduits installed.
All DIY with support from a trained electrician who connected the distribution boards, so basically only material costs.
Cost: $3,700
Waste Disposal:
Disposal costs for old household items and demolition material: All waste that could be separated was dropped off at the recycling center. So not much “household waste” remained that cost money, probably only about 2 tons total. We transported demolition material ourselves for many weeks to the recycling center with a trailer, using buckets and tubs, thus disposing of it for free instead of ordering a container. (I might do that differently now, as it was truly a terrible job.)
Cost: $500
Tools:
For various tasks... Often bought second-hand via local classifieds like eBay Kleinanzeigen.
Cost: $500
Whitewashing:
All rooms in both apartments and partly in the basement and the entire stairwell newly whitewashed. The paint was obtained very cheaply through contacts. High-quality mineral paint from a premium manufacturer was used. All work done by ourselves, of course.
Cost: $400
Floors:
All floors were renewed:
Bathrooms and kitchens tiled. One apartment has high-quality parquet flooring (tongue and groove), grade B, but hardly noticeable. Children’s room with cork flooring. Second apartment with mixed flooring: parquet, linoleum, and cork.
Skirtings and transition strips installed everywhere, as all rooms have different screed heights.
All work done by ourselves, so only material costs for 190 m² (2,045 sq ft) of flooring.
Cost: $5,500
Facade:
Old paint completely removed with a pressure washer, followed by crack repairs on the facade and then two coats of high-quality paint, which I again got at a very low price. Three sides scaffolded; one side has a full-length balcony, so ladders were used instead.
Scaffolding delivered and assembled by a professional; the rest done by ourselves with help from friends.
Cost: $1,600
Insulation:
105 m² (1,130 sq ft) of insulation wool for insulating the top floor ceiling. Thickness: 180 mm (7 inches). Ordered online. Fully installed by ourselves.
Cost: $740
Miscellaneous:
Everything else that does not fit into the above categories:
Cost: $1,200
There is still a bit to do in the basement: plaster repairs and whitewashing, etc. But I’ll handle that myself, so it won’t be a major cost.
Altogether, this adds up to total costs of about $72,000.
My initial budget was around $90,000 including a $10,000 contingency. So realistically, I estimated about $80,000.
Some items turned out more expensive, but electrical work was significantly cheaper. I originally budgeted $15,000 for that but, thanks to a friend, we did it all ourselves, which saved me a lot.
So, my conclusion:
It was an extremely demanding time (45–50 hour weeks at my job and then 13-hour days on Saturdays and Sundays on the construction site for a full year). It really took its toll, especially since we had our first child during this time, which unfortunately was not an easy experience either.
I learned a great deal and found the whole process very exciting. I’m glad I did so much myself. Now I know exactly where every pipe runs, which materials were used, and the weaknesses and strengths of my house.
I would do it the same way again, with a few small exceptions.
Without many friends (including electricians, masons, and plumbers) and many helping hands from my family, this would never have been possible in such a short time.
Maybe some of you find this interesting or useful.
Again, my warning: This should not be considered a typical cost example!
Two very rough initial estimates indicated around $200,000 renovation costs if I had everything done by companies.
If anyone has questions, just ask.
Best regards,
Specki
About 2¼ years ago, I bought a two-family house built in 1964. Since the year it was built, nothing had ever been renovated, so it was still exactly as it was in 1964.
Each apartment has 95 m² (1,023 sq ft) of living space. The house is fully basemented and has an attic, which unfortunately is too low to be used as living space.
We completely cleared out the house (it was fully furnished and equipped) and fully renovated it. Most of the work was done by ourselves. I thought maybe the cost breakdown could be interesting to some, so I wanted to share it here.
But a quick warning: Don’t necessarily use this for your own budgeting unless you’re as crazy as I am and really want to invest a huge amount of time in the renovation.
We made the first apartment habitable within 9 months, then moved in, and 3 months later the second apartment was ready to live in. After that, we completed the remaining work in the stairwell, on the facade, and in the basement.
So, here are the works carried out and the costs:
Windows and Doors:
New windows, 3 patio doors, and one front door. All professionally installed. Double glazing with RAL sealing. The only DIY part was disposing of the old windows and doors.
Cost: $21,500
Bathrooms:
Two bathrooms, each 5.5 m² (59 sq ft). Removed the wall between the old bathroom and the toilet. The old toilet access was bricked up. Floor screed removed and new screed installed. All plaster removed. Small window in the old toilet removed and bricked up. All new plaster applied. New sink, toilet, and bathtub installed. Walls partially tiled, floors tiled. Partly done as DIY with help from friends, partly done by the plumber with my assistance. Mid-range fittings. Tiles bought from a tile store, ceramics from the sanitary supplier. Thanks to contacts at the sanitary supplier, we got good prices for the fittings.
(Floor tiles are not included here but under "Floors")
Cost: $6,100
Sanitary Installation:
Complete new water and wastewater pipes from the house connection onward.
Installed by the plumber with my assistance. We tore out all the old pipes ourselves. Made all the necessary wall penetrations and chases in the masonry ourselves. Pipes were laid by the plumber. Filled the chases ourselves. No circulation piping included. Includes a water softener from Grünbeck for $2,050.
Cost: $8,400
Heating:
Old oil heating disconnected and removed. Very old wood heating dismantled and removed. All done by myself. Installed new gas heating (Hoval) with a new buffer tank for hot water. Included laying the gas line from the house connection to the boiler room and routing the exhaust pipe in the chimney shaft. Heating installed by a professional; I only helped with the installation and some connection work.
Cost: $11,200
Radiators:
All old cast-iron radiators removed. Heating pipes rerouted in front of the radiator recess with copper pipes. Recesses bricked up and plastered. New radiators (13 x Buderus) fitted in front. One apartment fully equipped with electronic thermostats. All DIY.
Cost: $3,500
Plastering:
Bathrooms completely replastered, kitchens completely replastered. One living room replastered, various walls in two other rooms replastered and repaired. Hundreds of cracks filled. Radiator recesses plastered. Three walls removed, edges freshly plastered. Three bricked-up doors/passages plastered.
Help from friends with my own work mainly on filler and finishing work.
If I remember correctly, the needed bricks for all masonry work are included here as well.
Cost: $4,400
Chimney Renovation:
One chimney flue fitted with a stainless steel pipe that can connect a wood stove in each apartment. All preparatory and follow-up work done by myself. The chimney pipe was installed by a professional.
Cost: $2,200
Electrical Work:
Complete rewiring from the meter box. Two distribution boards with modern circuit breakers installed new. All cables newly laid. All sockets and switches replaced with new Busch-Jäger models. Of course, significantly more sockets installed than there were before. Partially ducting was already in place, but many chases were broken out and new conduits installed.
All DIY with support from a trained electrician who connected the distribution boards, so basically only material costs.
Cost: $3,700
Waste Disposal:
Disposal costs for old household items and demolition material: All waste that could be separated was dropped off at the recycling center. So not much “household waste” remained that cost money, probably only about 2 tons total. We transported demolition material ourselves for many weeks to the recycling center with a trailer, using buckets and tubs, thus disposing of it for free instead of ordering a container. (I might do that differently now, as it was truly a terrible job.)
Cost: $500
Tools:
For various tasks... Often bought second-hand via local classifieds like eBay Kleinanzeigen.
Cost: $500
Whitewashing:
All rooms in both apartments and partly in the basement and the entire stairwell newly whitewashed. The paint was obtained very cheaply through contacts. High-quality mineral paint from a premium manufacturer was used. All work done by ourselves, of course.
Cost: $400
Floors:
All floors were renewed:
Bathrooms and kitchens tiled. One apartment has high-quality parquet flooring (tongue and groove), grade B, but hardly noticeable. Children’s room with cork flooring. Second apartment with mixed flooring: parquet, linoleum, and cork.
Skirtings and transition strips installed everywhere, as all rooms have different screed heights.
All work done by ourselves, so only material costs for 190 m² (2,045 sq ft) of flooring.
Cost: $5,500
Facade:
Old paint completely removed with a pressure washer, followed by crack repairs on the facade and then two coats of high-quality paint, which I again got at a very low price. Three sides scaffolded; one side has a full-length balcony, so ladders were used instead.
Scaffolding delivered and assembled by a professional; the rest done by ourselves with help from friends.
Cost: $1,600
Insulation:
105 m² (1,130 sq ft) of insulation wool for insulating the top floor ceiling. Thickness: 180 mm (7 inches). Ordered online. Fully installed by ourselves.
Cost: $740
Miscellaneous:
Everything else that does not fit into the above categories:
Cost: $1,200
There is still a bit to do in the basement: plaster repairs and whitewashing, etc. But I’ll handle that myself, so it won’t be a major cost.
Altogether, this adds up to total costs of about $72,000.
My initial budget was around $90,000 including a $10,000 contingency. So realistically, I estimated about $80,000.
Some items turned out more expensive, but electrical work was significantly cheaper. I originally budgeted $15,000 for that but, thanks to a friend, we did it all ourselves, which saved me a lot.
So, my conclusion:
It was an extremely demanding time (45–50 hour weeks at my job and then 13-hour days on Saturdays and Sundays on the construction site for a full year). It really took its toll, especially since we had our first child during this time, which unfortunately was not an easy experience either.
I learned a great deal and found the whole process very exciting. I’m glad I did so much myself. Now I know exactly where every pipe runs, which materials were used, and the weaknesses and strengths of my house.
I would do it the same way again, with a few small exceptions.
Without many friends (including electricians, masons, and plumbers) and many helping hands from my family, this would never have been possible in such a short time.
Maybe some of you find this interesting or useful.
Again, my warning: This should not be considered a typical cost example!
Two very rough initial estimates indicated around $200,000 renovation costs if I had everything done by companies.
If anyone has questions, just ask.
Best regards,
Specki
I can well imagine that floor plans, both old and new, as well as contributions to the house pictures thread, would also attract interest.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
There is only the old floor plan, but even that didn’t fit perfectly. There isn’t a new one. I will probably draw one myself someday, if I have the time and motivation in the next few years ^^
I had linked pictures to my Dropbox here before, but that was not desired.
So I’ll see if I can upload them all directly here...
Regards
Specki
I had linked pictures to my Dropbox here before, but that was not desired.
So I’ll see if I can upload them all directly here...
Regards
Specki
Wow. Neat work. Respect.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Specki schrieb:
Hello everyone,
About 2¼ years ago, I bought a two-family house built in 1964. Since the year it was built, nothing has ever been renovated, so everything was still as it was in 1964.
Each apartment has 95 m² (1024 ft²) of living space. The house has a full basement and an attic, which is unfortunately too low to be used as living space.
We completely emptied the house (it was still fully furnished) and renovated everything. Most of the work was done by ourselves. I thought some of you might find the cost breakdown interesting, so I wanted to share it here.
But a quick warning: Don’t necessarily use this for your own budget unless you are as crazy as I am and really want to invest a huge amount of time into the renovation.
We made the first apartment habitable within 9 months, then moved in, and 3 months later had the second apartment ready. After that, we completed remaining work in the staircase, on the façade, and in the basement.
So, here’s a list of the carried-out work and costs:
Windows and Doors:
New windows, 3 patio doors, and one front door. All professionally installed. Double-glazed with RAL sealing. The only work we did ourselves was disposing of the old windows and doors.
Cost: $21,500
Bathrooms:
Two bathrooms, each 5.5 m² (59 ft²). The wall between the old bathroom and toilet was removed. Access to the old toilet was bricked up. Screed was removed and replaced. All plaster was removed. Small window in the old toilet was removed and bricked up. Completely replastered. New washbasin, toilet, and bathtub installed. Walls partially tiled, floors tiled. Partly done by ourselves with help from friends and partly done by the plumber with my assistance. Mid-range fixtures. Tiles from a tile store and sanitary ceramics. Thanks to contacts, got good prices on the fixtures.
(Floor tiles are not included here but under "Floors")
Cost: $6,100
Plumbing:
Complete replacement of water and wastewater pipes from the main connection.
Installed by the plumber with my help. We tore out all old pipes ourselves. Made necessary wall chases and openings ourselves. Pipes laid by plumber, chases sealed by us. No circulation pipe included. Water softener system by Grünbeck included for $2,050.
Cost: $8,400
Heating:
Old oil heating disconnected and removed. Very old wood stove dismantled and removed—all done by ourselves. New gas heating system (Hoval) with a new buffer tank for hot water installed and connected. Included gas line from main connection to the heating cellar and flue pipe installation in the chimney shaft. Heating professionally installed; I only helped with the installation and some of the connections.
Cost: $11,200
Radiators:
All old cast-iron radiators removed. Heating pipes rerouted in front of the radiator niches with copper pipes. Niches bricked up and plastered, new radiators (13 Buderus units) installed in front. One apartment fully equipped with electronic thermostats. All done by ourselves.
Cost: $3,500
Plastering:
Bathrooms fully replastered, kitchens fully replastered. One living room replastered, various walls in two other rooms replastered and repaired. Hundreds of cracks filled in. Radiator niches plastered. Three walls removed and new corners plastered. Three bricked-up doors/passages plastered.
Help from friends with my own support (mostly filling work).
If I remember correctly, the bricks needed for all masonry work were also included here.
Cost: $4,400
Chimney Renovation:
One chimney flue fitted with a stainless steel liner, so that a wood stove can be connected from each apartment. All preparatory and finishing work done by myself. The chimney liner installed by a professional.
Cost: $2,200
Electrical Work:
Complete rewiring from the meter. Two distribution boxes with up-to-date circuit breakers installed new. All cables replaced. All sockets and switches exchanged for new Busch-Jaeger (brand) units. Significantly more sockets installed than before. Partly there were existing empty conduits; partly many wall chases were made, and new conduits installed. All done by ourselves with support from a trained electrician who connected the distribution boxes, so almost only material costs.
Cost: $3,700
Disposal:
Disposal costs for the old household items and demolition material: all waste that could be separated was taken to the recycling center. So not much "household" waste that incurred costs, I believe it was about 2 metric tons (2.2 US tons) in total. Demolition debris was transported to the recycling center over many weeks with a trailer using buckets and tubs, so disposal was free instead of renting a skip. (I might do it differently now because that was really terrible work.)
Cost: $500
Tools:
For various tasks... often bought second-hand via local classifieds.
Cost: $500
Whitewashing:
All rooms in the two apartments and partially in the basement and the entire staircase whitewashed. Very inexpensive paint obtained through connections. High-quality mineral paint from a premium manufacturer used. All work done ourselves.
Cost: $400
Floors:
All floors redone: bathrooms and kitchens tiled, one apartment with high-quality parquet flooring (tongue and groove), factory seconds but hardly noticeable. Children’s room with cork flooring. The second apartment has mixed floors: parquet, linoleum, and cork.
All rooms have skirting boards and transition strips between rooms due to different screed heights.
All work done by ourselves, so only material costs for 190 m² (2045 ft²) of flooring.
Cost: $5,500
Façade:
Old paint completely removed with a pressure washer. Then crack repairs and two coats of whitewash with high-quality paint, again obtained at a bargain price. Scaffolding installed on three sides; one side has a full-length balcony, allowing ladder work there.
Scaffolding was provided and erected by a professional, all other work done by ourselves with help from friends.
Cost: $1,600
Insulation:
105 m² (1130 ft²) of insulation wool for the insulation of the top floor ceiling, 180 mm (7 inches) thick. Ordered online and installed entirely by ourselves.
Cost: $740
Miscellaneous:
Everything else that doesn’t fit the above categories:
Cost: $1,200
There is still a bit to do in the basement: plaster repairs and whitewashing, etc. But I will do all that myself, so it won’t add much to the overall costs.
This brings total costs to about $72,000.
Initially, I had budgeted around $90,000 including a $10,000 contingency. So my realistic estimate was $80,000. Some items were more expensive, but for example, the electrical work was much cheaper than expected. I had originally budgeted $15,000 for it but ultimately saved a lot by doing it myself with help from a friend.
So, my conclusion:
It was an exhausting time (45 to 50 hours weekly at work plus 13-hour days on the construction site on Saturdays and Sundays for about a year). It really took a toll, especially since we also had our first child during this time, which was not easy either.
I learned a huge amount and found it very exciting. I’m glad I did so much myself. I now know exactly where each pipe runs, which materials were used, and where the weak and strong points of my house are.
I would do it pretty much the same way again, with only a few minor changes.
Without many friends (including electricians, masons, plumbers) and a lot of help from family, this wouldn’t have been possible in such a short time.
Maybe someone found this interesting or can take something from it.
Again, a warning: do not take this as typical costs!
Two very rough estimates at the beginning were about $200,000 renovation costs if I had everything done by companies.
If anyone has questions, just ask.
Regards,
Specki Congratulations; you really earned it
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