ᐅ Achenbach Prefabricated House from 1980 Without Insulation – Insulation Costs

Hello,

we have been offered a prefabricated house from Achenbach (no information available about this company; the floor plan suggests the typical wall thickness for that construction period) from 1980. It has a new heating system but is otherwise completely uninsulated 😡 – original condition from 1980. Since the house is very interesting in terms of the floor plan, plot, and location 🙂 I am now asking what a high-quality insulation would roughly cost.

The house is an L-shaped bungalow, fully basemented, with about 124 m² (1334 sq ft) of living space. The price is so low that we can afford to invest up to around 50,000 euros in energy-efficient renovation. Nevertheless, this would still be cheaper than a comparable new build. The question is whether this budget is sufficient.

Thanks in advance for all your answers.

Hello,
with 50,000 EUR you can already do quite a bit. 🙂

It’s best to consult an energy advisor you trust. They can tell you which measures make sense and give you an approximate cost.

Regards

Hello,

E.Curb schrieb:
...It’s best to consult your trusted energy advisor.

Trust is important, but it does not replace professional expertise. The term “energy advisor” is not legally protected! Ideally, this person should be a building services engineer and have a technical building-related education (degree). The energy-efficient renovation of existing buildings is significantly more complex and demanding than planning a new build. Without proper professional support, an initially affordable project can quickly become a money pit.

Best regards

Hello,

[QUOTE=€uro;24130 The energy retrofit of existing buildings is significantly more challenging and complex than planning a new construction. Without appropriate professional support, the initially affordable project can quickly turn into a money pit.
[/QUOTE]

I agree completely.

The renovation of existing buildings should definitely be entrusted to architects or structural engineers. However, they must be aware of their own expertise and limitations. If the architect or engineer steps outside their field of expertise, a specialized engineer should be consulted (such as an HVAC designer, structural engineer, etc.).

The energy consultant should of course have knowledge in both disciplines (building technology and mechanical systems).

Best regards

Renovating existing buildings should ideally be left to architects or structural engineers. However, they also need to know their limits. If the architect or engineer steps outside their area of expertise, a specialist engineer (such as an MEP planner, structural engineer, etc.) should be involved.

That’s right,

we certainly did not intend to make things worse by doing insulation with styrofoam or similar materials ourselves. Instead, we want to entrust the entire project to a professional company with the appropriate experts who specialize in renovating prefab houses. We also plan to get quotes from several companies.

Apart from the energy-efficient renovation, the bathroom and partly the flooring need to be updated as well. These are not included in the estimated budget of 50,000 (currency not specified), but are accounted for in our financing plan. We have no real idea yet what an energy renovation might cost. We have only completed the initial brief inspection so far. Apparently, there is a building biology report stating that formaldehyde and other common pollutants are below limit values (probably due to 30 years of constant ventilation through the thin walls 🙂), so we can focus on the energy renovation and the other work. There are also other houses available in our area, so we don’t have to commit to this one, even though we like it well.

Before involving surveyors and others, I wanted to get an idea whether this budget (possibly a bit more, preferably less) is roughly realistic.

Best regards, Claudia

Hello,

Claudia56 schrieb:

We definitely did not intend to make things worse ourselves with Styrofoam or similar materials, but rather to entrust the entire project to a specialized company with the appropriate experts who focus on renovating prefabricated houses. We would also get quotes from different companies.

But at least make sure to hire someone who can supervise the construction work. Or better yet, someone who can both plan and supervise.

Claudia56 schrieb:

But before we bring in inspectors and so on, I wanted to know whether this amount (if needed, a bit more, preferably less) would roughly be sufficient.

It depends on what you want or need to do.
50,000 EUR sounds reasonable at first. However, to determine if it will be enough, you need to know the house and the scope of work involved.

Best regards