ᐅ Renovating a Timber-Framed House – Options for Low Ceiling Heights?
Created on: 24 Jul 2020 14:15
T
Tamstar
Hello,
A while ago, we looked at a timber-framed house in need of renovation, but didn’t pursue it further due to too many complications. Now, a few months later, offers in our area have not increased, and yesterday the property was listed again… this time at a lower price. Since we have often thought about the nice outbuildings in the meantime, one might say it’s a sign of fate that the house has been relisted and that we should seriously reconsider it.
The biggest drawback for me was the very low ceiling height. It was under 2 meters (6.6 feet). What do you think... is there anything that can be done about it? We haven’t done any inspections yet; I’m just gathering ideas. If it really comes down to it, of course, we would involve a structural engineer, carpenter, etc.
I would look at the floor construction. But since there is a vaulted cellar underneath, there probably isn’t much room for adjustment.
Then uncover the beams of the first floor and attic, as they are covered—here you might gain a few centimeters (inches).
But overall, you won’t get more than 10 centimeters (4 inches).
Are there solutions without a complete teardown? Maybe reinforcing or doubling the timber frames of the upper floors or something like that?
I’ll tag [USER=28319]@fach1werk
Oh, and by the way... there is no historic preservation designation and the timber frame is not visible.
Best regards
A while ago, we looked at a timber-framed house in need of renovation, but didn’t pursue it further due to too many complications. Now, a few months later, offers in our area have not increased, and yesterday the property was listed again… this time at a lower price. Since we have often thought about the nice outbuildings in the meantime, one might say it’s a sign of fate that the house has been relisted and that we should seriously reconsider it.
The biggest drawback for me was the very low ceiling height. It was under 2 meters (6.6 feet). What do you think... is there anything that can be done about it? We haven’t done any inspections yet; I’m just gathering ideas. If it really comes down to it, of course, we would involve a structural engineer, carpenter, etc.
I would look at the floor construction. But since there is a vaulted cellar underneath, there probably isn’t much room for adjustment.
Then uncover the beams of the first floor and attic, as they are covered—here you might gain a few centimeters (inches).
But overall, you won’t get more than 10 centimeters (4 inches).
Are there solutions without a complete teardown? Maybe reinforcing or doubling the timber frames of the upper floors or something like that?
I’ll tag [USER=28319]@fach1werk
Oh, and by the way... there is no historic preservation designation and the timber frame is not visible.
Best regards
Pinky0301 schrieb:
Remove every second floor, so between the ground floor and first floor, and between the attic and roof space—could that work? Maybe.
Pinky0301 schrieb:
If you really want to fully renovate to today’s energy standards, unfortunately $200k is not much. That was just a rough estimate for now; I don’t actually intend to reach today’s energy standards for this timber-framed house.
N
nordanney27 Jul 2020 10:59Tamstar schrieb:
I asked you a (yes, amateur) question, no need to make fun of it. No making fun intended. Sometimes exaggeration is necessary to get the point across.
I also provided a detailed assessment and did not simply laugh at you.
You want to transfer the risk of a specialized property to the bank. That won’t work. You have to make a substantial upfront investment and keep additional funds in reserve, as unexpected issues are guaranteed to occur.
nordanney schrieb:
P.S. I estimate the appropriate renovation of a half-timbered house at from €1,500 per square meter of living space.A conversation with an architect two weeks ago revealed at least €2,500 if it is a full renovation to “new build standard.” In my case, it’s not even a half-timbered house but a regular brick house with historic preservation status, built around 1920. Renovation costs including additional expenses are around €300,000. The bank will finance it, but only if detailed plans from an architect with cost calculations are submitted beforehand.For this planning phase (everything required for the heritage office and building permit / planning permission, subsidies, KfW funding), the architect charges about €9,000.
If the land / existing house were not part of my equity, I wouldn’t go through with it. This results in a “benefit” of about €100,000–€150,000 compared to a newly built semi-detached house marketed 100 meters away, which has a significantly smaller garden.
N
nordanney27 Jul 2020 11:23@RomeoZwo: The original poster will realize this eventually, even if they don’t plan such extensive renovations (and are not dealing with a listed building).
However, they will also receive good financial support.
However, they will also receive good financial support.
“Liebhaberobjekt” basically means that this property is only suitable for a specific clientele who have the financial means and can afford to write it off as a lost cause.
Unacceptable ceiling height, half-timbered structure on a vaulted cellar, change of use, an organically developed colorful ensemble of outbuildings: taken together, these are clear contraindications—at least for anyone without significant experience in renovation. In my opinion, this is definitely not a project for beginners, as it can only lead to serious problems. Overall, I would describe the plot more as contaminated rather than developed (in my case, just a personal opinion, but as a board member of a bank, I would probably think the same).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Unacceptable ceiling height, half-timbered structure on a vaulted cellar, change of use, an organically developed colorful ensemble of outbuildings: taken together, these are clear contraindications—at least for anyone without significant experience in renovation. In my opinion, this is definitely not a project for beginners, as it can only lead to serious problems. Overall, I would describe the plot more as contaminated rather than developed (in my case, just a personal opinion, but as a board member of a bank, I would probably think the same).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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