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Tigerlili9 Apr 2019 19:49Hello, I’m new here and wanted to ask for your opinions or personal experiences. We currently live in a beautiful old apartment in a sadly dilapidated manor house in the middle of nowhere. Now the house is being sold, and we will probably have to move out by early to mid-2020 due to partial demolition and extensive renovation. Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact timing yet. We only found out the day before yesterday and now feel a bit unsettled. We have been keeping an eye on the real estate market from time to time but never really felt pressured to find something.
I definitely don’t want to rent again, and neither does my husband. He’s a passionate gardener with an impressive plant collection, and moving is already tough enough. Anyway, long story short: we now want to buy something of our own (unfortunately under time pressure). It’s a terrible time since there are very few houses or plots available in the area, and those that are can be really overpriced.
I think building a house is probably not feasible either time-wise or financially (because of a larger plot, a house of about 110 m2 to 150 m2 (1,180 to 1,615 sq ft) would be plenty).
There is an old farmhouse here that we want to take a look at. The barns and garages are in good condition, but the house itself urgently needs renovation—bathrooms, walls, and floors all require work, and the heating is just a stove. The building structure seems quite solid.
That means a completely new heating system would have to be installed, the walls redone, and flooring laid everywhere. I don’t know anything about the insulation yet.
What do you think would be a rough estimate just for the heating system? I imagine many walls would have to be opened up and pipes or wiring installed.
We’re both fairly handy and willing to do the work ourselves. My husband works as a landscaper and can handle bricklaying, plastering, and similar tasks. Is a budget of 50,000 to 60,000 euros (about 54,000 to 64,500 USD) realistic, or am I dreaming?
Oh, a few more details: about 130 m2 (1,400 sq ft) of living space and 2 bathrooms with hot water boilers (which would need urgent renovation as well!).
Thanks in advance, and feel free to be brutally honest.
I definitely don’t want to rent again, and neither does my husband. He’s a passionate gardener with an impressive plant collection, and moving is already tough enough. Anyway, long story short: we now want to buy something of our own (unfortunately under time pressure). It’s a terrible time since there are very few houses or plots available in the area, and those that are can be really overpriced.
I think building a house is probably not feasible either time-wise or financially (because of a larger plot, a house of about 110 m2 to 150 m2 (1,180 to 1,615 sq ft) would be plenty).
There is an old farmhouse here that we want to take a look at. The barns and garages are in good condition, but the house itself urgently needs renovation—bathrooms, walls, and floors all require work, and the heating is just a stove. The building structure seems quite solid.
That means a completely new heating system would have to be installed, the walls redone, and flooring laid everywhere. I don’t know anything about the insulation yet.
What do you think would be a rough estimate just for the heating system? I imagine many walls would have to be opened up and pipes or wiring installed.
We’re both fairly handy and willing to do the work ourselves. My husband works as a landscaper and can handle bricklaying, plastering, and similar tasks. Is a budget of 50,000 to 60,000 euros (about 54,000 to 64,500 USD) realistic, or am I dreaming?
Oh, a few more details: about 130 m2 (1,400 sq ft) of living space and 2 bathrooms with hot water boilers (which would need urgent renovation as well!).
Thanks in advance, and feel free to be brutally honest.
If you do the work yourself and don’t have labor costs, you can get quite far with 50-60 (years old). But the problem is the time factor. There’s everyday life with the job, which is necessary because the money needs to be earned. Then there’s free time, and if you don’t know lots of colleagues who can increase efficiency, the projects drag on like chewing gum, and you end up living on the construction site for a very long time. Are you aware of this? If so, then go for it. Some people manage it, but unfortunately, many fail. K.
Such a renovation is usually a labor of love.
You can easily spend a fortune on bathrooms, kitchens, and so on.
To make it livable, and with a lot of your own work, the amount you mentioned might be sufficient.
We have just renovated an apartment (for rental). 123 m (135 ft)² with new electrical wiring, network, kitchen, replastered walls, painting... it cost more than €100,000, and no plumbing work was done.
Another question is whether you will have to meet requirements regarding renewable energy, insulation, and so on for such a renovation.
In that case, you might as well tear it down and put up a standard modular/prefabricated house. That is probably faster than making a severely dilapidated house livable with your own labor.
I like old renovated buildings (even though we are now building completely differently), but this will be a massive project for you.
What is the budget for this? What can/want you to spend?
You can easily spend a fortune on bathrooms, kitchens, and so on.
To make it livable, and with a lot of your own work, the amount you mentioned might be sufficient.
We have just renovated an apartment (for rental). 123 m (135 ft)² with new electrical wiring, network, kitchen, replastered walls, painting... it cost more than €100,000, and no plumbing work was done.
Another question is whether you will have to meet requirements regarding renewable energy, insulation, and so on for such a renovation.
In that case, you might as well tear it down and put up a standard modular/prefabricated house. That is probably faster than making a severely dilapidated house livable with your own labor.
I like old renovated buildings (even though we are now building completely differently), but this will be a massive project for you.
What is the budget for this? What can/want you to spend?
I completely agree with Nordlys!
You can achieve a lot if you have some basic DIY skills. And your husband definitely does.
Time is really the "issue."
On the other hand, if the price and location are excellent, I would definitely prefer that over building a new house. You don't have to finish everything within two months. Often it’s the passive pressure from everyone else (family, friends, neighbors, etc.) that drives you crazy and puts you under immense stress.
Regarding the heating system, I would definitely recommend (if gas is available) installing the pipes as surface-mounted, especially in an older building. Less work and therefore cheaper, while also being more efficient in heating performance. And it CAN look good. (Just search for "Konrad Fischer." He is widely disliked here on the forum by most people and lobbyists alike. But not everything he says is wrong. He has many YouTube videos about renovating older buildings.) The heating system itself is relatively inexpensive (3-4k).
That said, if you have to redo the floor anyway, you might as well install underfloor heating. It doesn’t really cost much more if the floor is already opened up.
Cables and walls aren’t a big issue now. You just get the right saw for the cable channels and install them accordingly. (Very simple.) The electrical panel must and should be installed by a licensed electrician.
If the roof beams are still in good condition, you can reroof this summer if necessary. A few new windows and doors, and the biggest step is done.
Again... this probably won’t be a “luxury home” or “amazing architecture” place... But it will be yours, and you won’t have to pay it off for 30 years. If you do, then better not do it.
You can achieve a lot if you have some basic DIY skills. And your husband definitely does.
Time is really the "issue."
On the other hand, if the price and location are excellent, I would definitely prefer that over building a new house. You don't have to finish everything within two months. Often it’s the passive pressure from everyone else (family, friends, neighbors, etc.) that drives you crazy and puts you under immense stress.
Regarding the heating system, I would definitely recommend (if gas is available) installing the pipes as surface-mounted, especially in an older building. Less work and therefore cheaper, while also being more efficient in heating performance. And it CAN look good. (Just search for "Konrad Fischer." He is widely disliked here on the forum by most people and lobbyists alike. But not everything he says is wrong. He has many YouTube videos about renovating older buildings.) The heating system itself is relatively inexpensive (3-4k).
That said, if you have to redo the floor anyway, you might as well install underfloor heating. It doesn’t really cost much more if the floor is already opened up.
Cables and walls aren’t a big issue now. You just get the right saw for the cable channels and install them accordingly. (Very simple.) The electrical panel must and should be installed by a licensed electrician.
If the roof beams are still in good condition, you can reroof this summer if necessary. A few new windows and doors, and the biggest step is done.
Again... this probably won’t be a “luxury home” or “amazing architecture” place... But it will be yours, and you won’t have to pay it off for 30 years. If you do, then better not do it.
Phew. For a project of similar size (a semi-detached house from 1912, 110m2 (1,184 sq ft), major renovation including modern heating and plumbing, conversion of the attic resulting in a total of about 140m2 (1,507 sq ft)), but without any owner participation, I estimate around €200,000. This is based on the architect’s estimate plus a 15% contingency. And the house already has a new, insulated roof (2012).
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