ᐅ Complete Renovation of a 150 sqm Semi-Detached House Built in 1925

Hello everyone,

We have been actively searching for a house for a year now. Unfortunately, the situation here is very tense and prices are skyrocketing—if anything is even sold at all. In the year we have been looking, we were only able to view two houses. For the few other interesting properties, we were too late, even though we contacted the seller on the day the listing was posted. My girlfriend’s bank advisor indicated that they regularly receive triple-digit numbers of inquiries for houses in our area. Here you can find the old thread—basically, not much has changed: we have saved some money, but at the same time prices are rising (faster than we can save). We are still in a good position financially, but there are still very few properties available.

However, we actually have a viewing appointment this Thursday for a semi-detached house from 1925 in a perfect location (a beautiful, central quiet side cul-de-sac). We know the street and even dropped a letter with an inquiry in that very house (though the appointment came about through the bank). A large plot (1250 sqm (0.31 acres)) is included. So, in principle, it’s ideal.

The house (150 sqm (1615 sq ft), fully basemented, 2 full floors plus attic) needs complete renovation except for the hipped roof (1995). The heating, bathrooms, floors, windows, insulation, etc. all need work. The bank advisor reportedly walked through the house with a contractor who estimated renovation costs at about €175,000 (~$190,000), which seems very optimistic to us for everything that needs to be done. We will bring an architect/structural engineer to the appointment—she estimated the costs after reviewing the listing at around €400,000-500,000 (~$430,000-$540,000), depending on what needs or can be done with the basement. Personally, I would estimate the costs somewhere in the middle range of €300,000-350,000 (~$320,000-$375,000), and perhaps our architect included a bit of extra luxury? Well, we will know more on Thursday. The problem: €500,000 (~$540,000) is definitely beyond what we can or want to afford, €400,000 (~$430,000) is borderline, and anything below that would be manageable.

We will have to decide very quickly, so I wanted to open this topic here and gather some initial feedback. A few questions as preparation:

1) The house is completely empty. From the floor plan and photos, the kitchen is currently at the rear, and the living and dining rooms face the front. Since it's a full renovation, would moving the kitchen to the front have a significant impact on costs? Naively, I would think the pipes just need to be extended and that’s about it?

2) Another thing we don’t like is that there is currently no terrace at the back. Instead, the basement stairs lead out to the garden from the laundry room. Does it make sense or is it expensive to “seal off” the stairs and build a terrace above them (the kitchen is on the elevated ground floor)? We wouldn’t really need the stairs since there is also a shed in the garden.

3) Do you have a rough idea how much funding or subsidies one could receive for such a complete renovation? New regulations with significant amounts apply starting July 1st. As mentioned, new heating, windows, insulation… What standard would be realistic or sensible for a house like this?

4) Regarding semi-detached houses in general: Are roofs usually renovated together with the neighboring half? From the photos, it looks like that was done during the last renovation.

5) In a full renovation, are there still likely to be nasty surprises or is it relatively predictable when everything is going to be replaced and the risk of needing extra funding well manageable?

Thanks in advance for your input!

dankosos schrieb:

They estimated the costs at 400,000–500,000 euros (€).

For 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft)? That makes me want to cry on the floor. At that price, you might as well tear down half of it and build completely new.

175,000 euros (€) for a major renovation (no luxury finishes) and only insulating the basement ceiling, with no changes to the floor plan, seems reasonable to me.

dankosos schrieb:

Naively, would you say you just need to extend the pipes and that’s it?

The drainage is the key question. With a basement, it’s usually quite manageable.

dankosos schrieb:

3) Do you have a rough estimate of how much funding one could get for such a full renovation?

Substantial, especially if you aim for KfW55 standard. That’s quite achievable. You can get 40% funding on up to 120,000 euros (€) of costs (the better the efficiency, the higher the funding). This includes gutting and rebuilding (e.g., screed and parquet flooring, since you have to remove and reinstall them for underfloor heating). So it’s definitely worth it.

dankosos schrieb:

For semi-detached houses in general: Do people always renovate the roofs together with the other half?

Not necessarily.

dankosos schrieb:

Are there really still nasty surprises in a major renovation, or is it fairly predictable if you’re rebuilding everything anyway and the risk of needing extra funding is manageable?

It’s manageable. But you should always review everything with an expert beforehand, so you’re not suddenly forced to deal with asbestos or other hazardous materials. Or discover serious dry rot, for example.

There are currently several threads about renovations (including some from me). You can learn a lot from those.

$500,000 for 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft)?
I would immediately look for a different architect!
We are renovating a roughly 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) house completely to heritage standards. This includes a new roof structure, insulation, new intermediate ceilings, windows, heating system, flooring, plumbing, facade, and more... and expect the total cost to be around $250,000.

Hmm, I always thought that a full renovation costs almost as much as a new build, which for 150 m² (1,615 ft²) and 2,000–3,000 €/m² (185–280 $/ft²) quickly adds up to 300,000–450,000 €. I'm a bit surprised that you consider that to be extremely overpriced. The 400,000–500,000 € estimate included excavating the basement and installing drainage, as well as some minor layout changes (making the ground floor area more open).

The lady has quite a lot of experience and very good reviews.

dankosos schrieb:

The lady has quite a lot of experience and very good reviews.

And she doesn’t look at the budget.

dankosos schrieb:

Hmm, I always thought that a full renovation is almost as expensive as a new build, which for 150m² (1,615 sq ft) and 2000-3000 €/m² (186-279 $/sq ft) quickly adds up to 300,000-450,000 €.

As long as the floor plan isn’t completely changed, a full renovation is always cheaper.
You already have a shell including the roof as a basis.
The basement has to be (partially) excavated anyway for perimeter insulation. Completely? Is the basement damp?

I think she will offer you a full-service package because everything is supposedly necessary. But not all old things are bad.

The costs are more around 1500 per sq.m. (150 sq.ft). The claim that a renovation costs as much as a new build is often made by people who are not interested in old buildings. Unless you are doing the type of conversion that wins architecture awards and is featured in AD.