ᐅ Our First House – We Need Your Advice!

Created on: 6 Aug 2019 23:32
T
Tschitschi
Good evening, dear community!

I have been a silent reader for weeks but now need expert opinions and fresh ideas as we can’t reach a consensus on our issues.
This will probably be a very long text, so please forgive me if I’m asking questions that have already been answered elsewhere or are misplaced.

So.
We (me, my wife, and my parents) have the opportunity to buy a house from a close relative.
It is a detached single-family house with three floors? (basement, ground floor, attic). The footprint is 9 x 13 meters (29.5 x 42.6 feet) on both basement and ground floor. That means approximately 230 m² (2475 sq ft) plus attic space.
I estimate the lot to be about 500 m²+ (5400 sq ft+). I haven’t received exact numbers yet.
Year built: 1987/88.

What needs to be done?
- The house has wooden windows installed — so new windows are needed, but which type? PVC (vinyl) or wood/aluminum composite?
- The interior condition reflects about 30 years of use. A few tiles are broken here and there, door frames damaged. Bathroom dated in ’90s style.
Basically, we want to renovate EVERYTHING inside: walls, electrical wiring, plumbing, flooring, bathrooms.
- When I inspected the roof from the inside, I could see through to the outside. So it is not fully insulated.
- As far as I understand, the house has no insulation. Maybe the attached documents clarify?
- The house has no energy performance certificate.
- The heating system also needs to be replaced.

We want to buy the house because it represents the "final" step in terms of space enlargement.
My parents want to occupy the entire basement, and my wife and I would take the rest.
We want to separate the basement as a granny flat (secondary dwelling), also considering the possibility of renting it out in the future.

Now to the basic problems and questions.
My father insists on having one boiler/heating unit per dwelling. To better calculate the consumption.
My question to you: Is this common practice?
Is it true that these boilers require an air supply and exhaust flue similar to a chimney? During the renovation, some walls will be removed. In the basement, the boiler room (please see the attachments) would connect to room 01Child to create a larger living area. Room 04Play becomes the kitchen without a wall to room 01Child; 08Cellar turns into a bedroom. The small bathroom will be removed and a new bathroom created in room 03Cellar. I’m not 100% sure what will happen to 07Cellar.
On the ground floor, walls will also be removed. Rooms 2Child and 3Living will be combined; rooms 7Bathroom and 5Child will form the new bathroom. Room 4WC will be removed completely.

How exactly would one integrate a boiler in this configuration if my assumption above is correct? Am I right in thinking that these boilers are those tank-type units hung in bathrooms/kitchens, like in caravans or older apartments? That would be a complete deal-breaker for me.
Is it possible to run an exhaust duct several meters through the apartment up to the chimney? Or do you have other ideas? Please feel free to get creative!

Next problem. In the entrance area on the ground floor, there are two spiral staircases. One goes clockwise upwards on the right, the other, located deeper in the room, goes clockwise downwards. Is this description correct?
To define a secondary dwelling, you need separate residential units. However, if the status remains as is, I would have to install a lockable door for the ground floor and attic to prevent my father from simply walking upstairs and entering my bedroom. I consider that a bit absurd — I hope you agree. The door for the basement apartment will likely be near the last few steps of the staircase.
I hope this problem is explained clearly. I’m also asking for suggestions here!

The attic is largely unfinished except for one room and is currently used as storage. Here I really have freedom to design the rooms as I like. A bedroom with a walk-in closet, a small toilet, a small hallway, and 2–3 children’s/guest rooms should definitely be feasible. I already have some ideas, but I would greatly appreciate any floor plan suggestions!

From the outside, the façade shows some spots where it looks like something dripped down, best described as a stain on a T-shirt that has dried. Could this be moisture or leaks in the roof?

As mentioned, the house apparently has no insulation. Is it worth adding insulation now? Is it still worthwhile?

Regarding the heating system, I don’t know much. Except for room 3Living on the ground floor, every other room has radiators. Room 3Living apparently has underfloor heating. What would you recommend?
Complete underfloor heating for the whole house? Using liquid medium? Electric? Underfloor heating combined with radiators — is that worth it?

There are also some outdoor tasks. The terraces need to be leveled, there is a fish pond, and the path needs attention, weeds, etc.

Now for the numbers.
At the very first discussion, the seller mentioned a price between €180,000 and €200,000.
She now wants to have the house formally appraised. The property is located in Märkischer Kreis.
From my preliminary calculations, I expect renovation costs between €100,000 and €120,000. Is this realistic?

Recently, I went with my father to the local savings bank. On our side, we would include two condominiums (one fully paid off, the other with 8 years left on the mortgage) with rental income. We will cover the purchase incidental costs ourselves.

Additional questions:
Do I need to involve the building authority to convert a single-family house into a single-family house with a secondary dwelling (granny flat)?
Should only my wife and I be listed on the title, or all four of us?
Does an architect need to be engaged due to the extensive structural changes?
Is it worth applying for government support programs (like KfW) given the scale?

I hope I was able to explain my concerns understandably and thank everyone who has read this far.
I am already looking forward to reading your ideas and suggestions.

Good night

Floor plan of a house with living room, kitchen, bathroom, hallway, garage as well as master and children’s bedrooms.


Floor plan of a basement with several cellar rooms, hallway, doors, and stairs.
B
boxandroof
7 Aug 2019 22:13
Tschitschi schrieb:

By quantity counter, do you mean those small, handy devices attached to the radiators? Quote from my father: "You don’t want to have that thing hanging on the radiator, right?" How to interpret that statement, I’ll leave up to you.
Only your own evaluation matters to you.
Tschitschi schrieb:

Regarding underfloor heating: Would it be advisable to have one in the basement? My parents prefer a warm floor and like to have warm feet.
A modern underfloor heating system at most makes the floor less cold, but not warm. A warm floor would be unhealthy. Consider using a carpet.

You might be taking on too much with this project, regardless of the finances. You already have individual conflicting interests on minor issues like the old heating system. How this works out for you in the long term and what may come next is something only you can assess.
T
Tschitschi
7 Aug 2019 22:19
Of course, my post contains mistakes and is not professionally perfect. I am neither an architect nor an expert in this field. I openly admit that I have little to no knowledge about the subject. That is why I am turning to this forum and asking for ideas, approaches, and suggestions from you!

Several opinions have been expressed that will make me reconsider. Also, wonderful approaches have been provided that I will definitely take to heart and study further!

I think I went a bit too far with the nonsense, and that was not correct! I apologize for that.
11ant schrieb:

That evidence, in a certain density, is almost proof.

I’m sorry. Please be straightforward with me—I don’t really understand what you mean by that.
11ant7 Aug 2019 22:19
I see no technical or contractual reason to split the total heat generation across several small systems. In multi-family buildings (unlike here, where it’s just a main apartment plus a secondary unit), this is done because the neighbors are usually not related. Even social welfare offices don’t have an issue with allocated costs. If the father already says that without separate meters there will be arguments, I would take that as a warning sign.
Tschitschi schrieb:

I’m sorry. Please spit it in my face, I don’t understand what you mean by that

For a building year like this, it would be surprising if room dimensions were measured in BRM (or quarter decimeters) instead of BRM +1, and wall thicknesses measured in BRM instead of BRM -1 (or non-load-bearing interior walls 10 instead of 11.5) not to be due to aerated concrete plan blocks. If that’s not aerated concrete, “I’ll eat my hat.”
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
Matthew03
8 Aug 2019 09:39
11ant schrieb:

For a building year like this, it would be unbelievable if room dimensions were measured in BRM (or quarter decimeters) instead of BRM +1, and wall thicknesses in BRM instead of BRM -1 (or internally non-load-bearing walls 10 instead of 11.5) were not due to aerated concrete plan blocks. If this isn’t aerated concrete, “I’ll eat my hat.”

@11ant I might be completely wrong, but I understood it as the original poster just wanting to know if aerated concrete was really that bad...?
kaho6748 Aug 2019 13:23
Well, based on what you’re saying, I don’t see any point in taking over this house anymore. Why bother? You want to change everything anyway, and in the end, it will still be a poor compromise. You will spend just as much money as with a new build. Call it off, find a piece of land, and build new.
B
Buchweizen
8 Aug 2019 15:14
Tschitschi schrieb:

In the very first conversation, she mentioned a figure between €180,000 and €200,000.
Now she wants to have the house appraised first. The house is located in Märkischer Kreis.
Based on my initial estimates, I arrived at a renovation cost of €100,000 to €120,000. Is that realistic?

Where exactly in Märkischer Kreis? There are significant price differences depending on the location, so her expected amount might be more or less justified.

Considering what you still need to invest to convert it into a multi-family house, I find the proposed price range quite high relative to what you will get. However, it also depends on your budget and how important it is for you to live exactly there.