Hello,
I wanted to give a brief, ongoing report on the renovation of our old farmstead. Basically, a little diary for ourselves – with maybe some added value for others with similar projects. Our budget: 340,000 EUR including everything, plus ongoing expenses covered from salary, for: modernization of the attic, renovation of the ground floor, with a total of around 190 m² (2,045 sq ft) of living space.
I'll start at the beginning:
We searched for a suitable plot for a long time; there are one or two posts about this in the forum. Unfortunately, plots are also scarce in our area. The older new development areas are sold out, except for the less desirable plots; the “new” development area, which was supposed to come to market 1.5 years ago, is still delayed. The city administration can’t agree on a developer [...]
A great plot that we wanted was unfortunately bought by a competitor. Then our wish list changed: we now wanted two adjacent plots (or one large one that could be divided): one for my parents, one for us. We hoped for certain advantages if Grandma and Grandpa later lived next door. Also, we could better support them in old age. The new development area continued to be delayed. My mom’s and sister’s horses fell ill with lead poisoning where they were kept, so my mom wanted to bring the horses to her place. We then searched in the rural zone for a large plot either close to a stable or ideally with permission to build one. Ha! If only it were that simple...
Although, despite good contacts with the building authority and mayor through my parents, we experienced a fairly reasonable approach to public law (though maybe the contacts didn’t even affect that), nothing really fit. In the end, I expanded my search to old farmsteads that, judging by their layout, could be divided into two living units or were already divided in part. That also took time. Sometimes we hesitated too long. I come from the real estate industry and had difficulty committing to a property immediately without a building surveyor (technical due diligence, as we say) involved.
Then we found our current farmstead, and it fit the bill: just under 400 m² (4,306 sq ft) of living space on paper, realistically a bit less; about 6,200 m² (1.53 acres) plot; a small stable/shed in the outdoor area; carport for 5 cars; division into two theoretical semi-detached units possible or partly already done; DSL 200 Mbps available (! – rare in rural areas here); well-developed road access. What was missing was pasture/land for the horses. What didn’t fully meet our wishes was the state road running along the property with a speed limit of 100 km/h (62 mph) and a large number of crows. But – we liked the house immediately; it had that certain something. My mom agreed spontaneously. No negotiation on the purchase price, which hurt our budget, but that way no one else saw the house and the risk of wild bargaining was eliminated. This does happen here now, especially when wealthy people from the south look for vacation homes on the Baltic coast.
To-dos:
Subdivision of the floor plan into two semi-detached units
Decide who gets the fully renovated semi-detached unit and who still has to renovate
Division of purchase price and incidental costs
Pasture
Outdoor facilities, etc.
TBC
Fun fact: We later learned the hairdresser of my husband’s used to live here with her parents. Our village is small.
I wanted to give a brief, ongoing report on the renovation of our old farmstead. Basically, a little diary for ourselves – with maybe some added value for others with similar projects. Our budget: 340,000 EUR including everything, plus ongoing expenses covered from salary, for: modernization of the attic, renovation of the ground floor, with a total of around 190 m² (2,045 sq ft) of living space.
I'll start at the beginning:
We searched for a suitable plot for a long time; there are one or two posts about this in the forum. Unfortunately, plots are also scarce in our area. The older new development areas are sold out, except for the less desirable plots; the “new” development area, which was supposed to come to market 1.5 years ago, is still delayed. The city administration can’t agree on a developer [...]
A great plot that we wanted was unfortunately bought by a competitor. Then our wish list changed: we now wanted two adjacent plots (or one large one that could be divided): one for my parents, one for us. We hoped for certain advantages if Grandma and Grandpa later lived next door. Also, we could better support them in old age. The new development area continued to be delayed. My mom’s and sister’s horses fell ill with lead poisoning where they were kept, so my mom wanted to bring the horses to her place. We then searched in the rural zone for a large plot either close to a stable or ideally with permission to build one. Ha! If only it were that simple...
Although, despite good contacts with the building authority and mayor through my parents, we experienced a fairly reasonable approach to public law (though maybe the contacts didn’t even affect that), nothing really fit. In the end, I expanded my search to old farmsteads that, judging by their layout, could be divided into two living units or were already divided in part. That also took time. Sometimes we hesitated too long. I come from the real estate industry and had difficulty committing to a property immediately without a building surveyor (technical due diligence, as we say) involved.
Then we found our current farmstead, and it fit the bill: just under 400 m² (4,306 sq ft) of living space on paper, realistically a bit less; about 6,200 m² (1.53 acres) plot; a small stable/shed in the outdoor area; carport for 5 cars; division into two theoretical semi-detached units possible or partly already done; DSL 200 Mbps available (! – rare in rural areas here); well-developed road access. What was missing was pasture/land for the horses. What didn’t fully meet our wishes was the state road running along the property with a speed limit of 100 km/h (62 mph) and a large number of crows. But – we liked the house immediately; it had that certain something. My mom agreed spontaneously. No negotiation on the purchase price, which hurt our budget, but that way no one else saw the house and the risk of wild bargaining was eliminated. This does happen here now, especially when wealthy people from the south look for vacation homes on the Baltic coast.
To-dos:
Subdivision of the floor plan into two semi-detached units
Decide who gets the fully renovated semi-detached unit and who still has to renovate
Division of purchase price and incidental costs
Pasture
Outdoor facilities, etc.
TBC
Fun fact: We later learned the hairdresser of my husband’s used to live here with her parents. Our village is small.
South schrieb:
That sounds very sensible. So you’re probably using a type of stone that can absorb and release moisture well? That would be similar to the Multipor method.
I have actually considered doing a test borehole after several years to see how things look behind the surface. Although in a worst-case scenario, that would be quite alarming. To be honest, apart from the support beams, I don’t see much difference regarding condensation in our build – it’s old field-fired brick, which of course can’t be compared to modern facing brick, but still, then there’s a ventilated air gap, insulation wool (80mm (3 inches)), and aerated concrete (240 cm (94 inches)). I’m just choosing to be optimistic... hopefully 😉
By the way: are there any pictures of your old building?Compared to a cavity wall new build with mineral wool insulation, I mean.
M
Myrna_Loy24 Jan 2022 20:48South schrieb:
Compared to a new build with a cavity wall insulated with mineral wool, I mean.We haven't decided on an interior wall material yet. We're still postponing that decision because we're hesitant right now. 🤨T
Trademark25 Jan 2022 12:50South schrieb:
What I find really difficult about internal insulation or renovating an old building is that you ask four people and get four different answers. It might be similar with new builds at times, but with older buildings, future problems are often predicted. How are you doing it? Monolithic with thick masonry? I think that way you’re definitely on the safe side (although supporters of Multipor or clay plaster would probably say otherwise). What was the specific argument against wool insulation?
We decided this way because the mason has done it like this several times before, and there have been no issues so far. A really great project!
However you do it, it’s always “wrong” 😉 and I think it’s even more important that whoever carries out the work knows exactly what they’re doing. We chose Multipor mainly because our rooms are relatively small and we would have lost a lot of space otherwise. I believe your method is definitely cheaper, and in the end, a competent energy consultant can assess this reasonably well.
We actually solved the loadbearing issue with screw systems for external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS / EIFS) where necessary. They are expensive, but the anchors or fixing systems are designed to keep the insulation intact. We’ll find out eventually 😉
@Trademark: If we hadn’t wanted an additional load-bearing wall with a ring beam despite the structural engineer’s advice, we would have used Multipor. However, with nearly 200 m² (2,150 sq ft) of space later on, we felt we had more than enough area rather than too little, so it wasn’t important for us.
@kati: I’d like to say I succeeded here, but I have to admit that our plant wall no longer exists 😀 Either I have a talent for killing every plant or the room was just too dark. It works for my sister though. She’s a natural when it comes to plants. For me, I had to replace about one-third of the plants every 4-5 months. That was too much effort and too expensive. Now there are two hanging planters in that spot – … although I just drowned one of the plants… The only things I’m able to keep alive are ferns and pothos, but the latter is incredibly hardy and grows like weeds. The banana plant is surviving, knock on wood.
We’re currently worried about the air gap… it’s not even 4 cm (1.6 inches) 🙁 … we’ll probably have to make a phone call about it this evening.
@kati: I’d like to say I succeeded here, but I have to admit that our plant wall no longer exists 😀 Either I have a talent for killing every plant or the room was just too dark. It works for my sister though. She’s a natural when it comes to plants. For me, I had to replace about one-third of the plants every 4-5 months. That was too much effort and too expensive. Now there are two hanging planters in that spot – … although I just drowned one of the plants… The only things I’m able to keep alive are ferns and pothos, but the latter is incredibly hardy and grows like weeds. The banana plant is surviving, knock on wood.
We’re currently worried about the air gap… it’s not even 4 cm (1.6 inches) 🙁 … we’ll probably have to make a phone call about it this evening.
Winniefred26 Jan 2022 15:52Very nice project!
Unfortunately, there are only a few people in this forum who have actually renovated or at least done some hands-on work themselves (I don’t count a little bit of laying parquet or wallpapering here).
We have also been renovating since 2017. Currently, we are plastering two walls in the basement with renovation plaster; then tiles will be installed in the room, which will become my husband’s workshop. But our property isn’t comparable at all—we have just a single-family house from 1921 with 100m² (1,076 sq ft) of living space. And definitely not your budget (not even close^^).
Unfortunately, there are only a few people in this forum who have actually renovated or at least done some hands-on work themselves (I don’t count a little bit of laying parquet or wallpapering here).
We have also been renovating since 2017. Currently, we are plastering two walls in the basement with renovation plaster; then tiles will be installed in the room, which will become my husband’s workshop. But our property isn’t comparable at all—we have just a single-family house from 1921 with 100m² (1,076 sq ft) of living space. And definitely not your budget (not even close^^).
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