Hello, we are new here. Thank you for having us!
We have been offered an old little house from the 1870s. The location and neighborhood are wonderfully beautiful and quiet. From our amateur perspective, the structure seems to be in fairly good condition. It has been unoccupied for about 50 years, but the owners have maintained it a little. It has electricity, but no water, sewer, gas, or phone connection. However, all the pipes run under the street. Of course, there is no heating system either. It also appears not to have a proper floor, as at least in one room the bare earth is visible.
What would be the best approach here? How can we find a professional who could assess what work would need to be done? We have some DIY skills but would need some guidance since we are not experts in construction. Thanks for any tips!
Yours, Holzauge
We have been offered an old little house from the 1870s. The location and neighborhood are wonderfully beautiful and quiet. From our amateur perspective, the structure seems to be in fairly good condition. It has been unoccupied for about 50 years, but the owners have maintained it a little. It has electricity, but no water, sewer, gas, or phone connection. However, all the pipes run under the street. Of course, there is no heating system either. It also appears not to have a proper floor, as at least in one room the bare earth is visible.
What would be the best approach here? How can we find a professional who could assess what work would need to be done? We have some DIY skills but would need some guidance since we are not experts in construction. Thanks for any tips!
Yours, Holzauge
Reminder: very old small rubble stone house, ground floor plus one upper floor; no concrete slab, no basement, intended use as a holiday home.
Currently, our consensus is as follows:
Keep it deliberately simple
No insulation on the thick rubble stone walls
Insulate the top floor ceiling (attic remains unheated)
Baseboard heating and hot water powered by gas, possibly a small solar panel on the south-facing wall
Repair roof and chimney
Wood stove in the kitchen-living area
No concrete slab, no waterproofing, no plastic sheeting, only lightweight expanded clay aggregate on the clay floor, with wooden floorboards above
No large furniture
What do you think? What else would you do?
Currently, our consensus is as follows:
Keep it deliberately simple
No insulation on the thick rubble stone walls
Insulate the top floor ceiling (attic remains unheated)
Baseboard heating and hot water powered by gas, possibly a small solar panel on the south-facing wall
Repair roof and chimney
Wood stove in the kitchen-living area
No concrete slab, no waterproofing, no plastic sheeting, only lightweight expanded clay aggregate on the clay floor, with wooden floorboards above
No large furniture
What do you think? What else would you do?
Thanks, but this doesn’t help us with our questions. Is the concept sensible? To recap:
Very old small rubble stone house, ground floor plus one upper floor; no concrete slab, no basement, future use as a holiday home.
Currently, our opinion is as follows:
Keep it deliberately simple
No insulation on the thick rubble stone walls
Insulate the top floor ceiling (attic remains unheated)
Baseboard heating and hot water powered by gas, possibly a small solar system on the south wall
Repair the roof and chimney
Wood stove in the living kitchen
No concrete slab, no waterproofing, no plastic sheeting, only expanded clay gravel on the clay floor, with wooden floorboards above
No large furniture
What do you think? What else would you do?
Very old small rubble stone house, ground floor plus one upper floor; no concrete slab, no basement, future use as a holiday home.
Currently, our opinion is as follows:
Keep it deliberately simple
No insulation on the thick rubble stone walls
Insulate the top floor ceiling (attic remains unheated)
Baseboard heating and hot water powered by gas, possibly a small solar system on the south wall
Repair the roof and chimney
Wood stove in the living kitchen
No concrete slab, no waterproofing, no plastic sheeting, only expanded clay gravel on the clay floor, with wooden floorboards above
No large furniture
What do you think? What else would you do?
B
Bauexperte5 Nov 2014 11:10Hello,
What is the expected cost for this project?
Regards, Bauexperte
Holzauge schrieb:
Thanks, but that doesn't help us with our questions. Is the concept actually reasonable?
What is the expected cost for this project?
Regards, Bauexperte
I was actually hoping for answers like
"Fieldstone walls definitely / only if... / absolutely never insulate on the outside / inside" or
"A baseboard heating system in fieldstone houses is nonsense / the best thing you can do" or
"Make sure to put a plastic vapor barrier on the ground"
Regarding the estimated cost: about 15 months’ salary, excluding everything else.
"Fieldstone walls definitely / only if... / absolutely never insulate on the outside / inside" or
"A baseboard heating system in fieldstone houses is nonsense / the best thing you can do" or
"Make sure to put a plastic vapor barrier on the ground"
Regarding the estimated cost: about 15 months’ salary, excluding everything else.
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