Hello everyone,
I have already taken over the construction cost thread quite a bit with this potential project. I'll show you a few things and hope for your input because we are still unsure whether we want to buy the property or not.
About the property: The house comes with a 2500 m² (27,000 sq ft) plot made up of 3 parcels. It is located in an area with poor infrastructure (but that’s where my family lives, and I grew up there, so we want to move there) in Rheinland-Pfalz. Boris says building plots in the area go for around 50€ per m² (approx. $5 per sq ft). The land consists of 3 parcels and is partly in a residential zone and partly adjoining garden land. There are also many older fruit trees on the garden areas, which we like.
The house on the plot was built in 1928, with an extension from the 1960s. The total living area was given by our realtor as 207 m² (2,230 sq ft), although I don’t fully trust the calculation. The expert who showed us around said that the attic should not be counted because the ceiling height is below 2.30 m (7.5 ft). The house has a basement.
What we like about the property is the large living area, the possibility to renovate the floor plan to a relatively modern standard (ground floor), the huge plot with good distance from neighbors, and the existing old trees. What we don’t like is the current layout on the upper floor (little hallway, extension only accessible through room 7).
What we want to change (structurally possible according to the initial impression of our expert):
- Ground floor: Dining area will become the kitchen, the door between dining (which will be kitchen) and living room should be widened, possibly with a sliding door, the old kitchen will become a pantry.
- Bathroom on the upper floor, either room 5 or 7 would be suitable.
- Door breakthrough in the hallway upstairs next to the stairs leading to the extension.
- Old bathroom in the basement: This will be my husband’s home gym. The bathroom will be removed completely except for the shower so that one can shower downstairs after working out (or after coming in dirty from the garden).
We would probably use the attic for “less frequently used” rooms because of the low ceiling height. Maybe for storage and a nice guest room.
On the upper floor, there should be space for a bathroom, bedroom, two children’s rooms, and a utility room for washing and drying.
On the ground floor, living, dining, kitchen + pantry, office, and possibly a shower-gym area should fit.
Heating should go in the basement (energy consultant recommends pellet heating). I’m not sure how good that is; we currently have the THZ504 air-to-water heat pump with ventilation and really like it. I would like to have the same again but don’t know if it is suitable to heat a house that probably won’t get better than KfW 85 standard.
I have already taken over the construction cost thread quite a bit with this potential project. I'll show you a few things and hope for your input because we are still unsure whether we want to buy the property or not.
About the property: The house comes with a 2500 m² (27,000 sq ft) plot made up of 3 parcels. It is located in an area with poor infrastructure (but that’s where my family lives, and I grew up there, so we want to move there) in Rheinland-Pfalz. Boris says building plots in the area go for around 50€ per m² (approx. $5 per sq ft). The land consists of 3 parcels and is partly in a residential zone and partly adjoining garden land. There are also many older fruit trees on the garden areas, which we like.
The house on the plot was built in 1928, with an extension from the 1960s. The total living area was given by our realtor as 207 m² (2,230 sq ft), although I don’t fully trust the calculation. The expert who showed us around said that the attic should not be counted because the ceiling height is below 2.30 m (7.5 ft). The house has a basement.
What we like about the property is the large living area, the possibility to renovate the floor plan to a relatively modern standard (ground floor), the huge plot with good distance from neighbors, and the existing old trees. What we don’t like is the current layout on the upper floor (little hallway, extension only accessible through room 7).
What we want to change (structurally possible according to the initial impression of our expert):
- Ground floor: Dining area will become the kitchen, the door between dining (which will be kitchen) and living room should be widened, possibly with a sliding door, the old kitchen will become a pantry.
- Bathroom on the upper floor, either room 5 or 7 would be suitable.
- Door breakthrough in the hallway upstairs next to the stairs leading to the extension.
- Old bathroom in the basement: This will be my husband’s home gym. The bathroom will be removed completely except for the shower so that one can shower downstairs after working out (or after coming in dirty from the garden).
We would probably use the attic for “less frequently used” rooms because of the low ceiling height. Maybe for storage and a nice guest room.
On the upper floor, there should be space for a bathroom, bedroom, two children’s rooms, and a utility room for washing and drying.
On the ground floor, living, dining, kitchen + pantry, office, and possibly a shower-gym area should fit.
Heating should go in the basement (energy consultant recommends pellet heating). I’m not sure how good that is; we currently have the THZ504 air-to-water heat pump with ventilation and really like it. I would like to have the same again but don’t know if it is suitable to heat a house that probably won’t get better than KfW 85 standard.
S
Smialbuddler16 Jan 2022 23:35kati1337 schrieb:
If we end up buying this, anyone could trace my real address from my online pseudonym, which I would rather avoid. :/
To be honest, I wouldn’t have posted pictures if I had known someone would find the listing from this. The listing was actually quite easy for me to find as well. In the past (I’m deliberately not saying where, so no one looks) you had already posted something that, when clicked, led straight to your real name. Maybe you should be a bit more cautious :-/
On topic: @Myrna_Loy already covered everything above :-) Just bring in a qualified professional and then get started. I really think it has "potential." The roof, the bay window, the high ceilings on the ground floor.
Personally, I would only be bothered by the lack of direct access to and view of the large garden. Unfortunately, the extension is right in front of that. Maybe an architect will come up with a good solution here.
B
barfly66616 Jan 2022 23:42Now I’ve taken a look at the offer!
You can forget about fiber optic internet; with such a large plot/garden, you won’t have much time for gaming... you’ll be spending a lot, a whole lot of time outdoors. :-)
The property is really spacious, impressive. If you’re truly willing to take on an old house (you don’t just live in an old house, you live with an old house), it offers many possibilities (the outbuilding could easily be converted into a pool house, guesthouse, etc.). Considering the purchase price, you’d have enough budget (after selling your current property) to hire professionals for the renovation.
If you renovate wisely (for example, you can use wall-mounted radiators instead of underfloor heating) and are ready to make compromises, it could definitely turn into a charming home!
At first glance, I wasn’t too keen on the extension either; it looks kind of slapped on. The bay window has also been leaking for quite some time, you noticed that, right?
Despite the low purchase price, you absolutely need to keep an eye on costs. Even small things like renewing the fence and painting the wall at the front facing the street, as well as clearing the overgrown garden, are “small” tasks that are easy to overlook and underestimate.
Overall, with this huge plot: fantastic! I’m curious to see if you go for it.
You can forget about fiber optic internet; with such a large plot/garden, you won’t have much time for gaming... you’ll be spending a lot, a whole lot of time outdoors. :-)
The property is really spacious, impressive. If you’re truly willing to take on an old house (you don’t just live in an old house, you live with an old house), it offers many possibilities (the outbuilding could easily be converted into a pool house, guesthouse, etc.). Considering the purchase price, you’d have enough budget (after selling your current property) to hire professionals for the renovation.
If you renovate wisely (for example, you can use wall-mounted radiators instead of underfloor heating) and are ready to make compromises, it could definitely turn into a charming home!
At first glance, I wasn’t too keen on the extension either; it looks kind of slapped on. The bay window has also been leaking for quite some time, you noticed that, right?
Despite the low purchase price, you absolutely need to keep an eye on costs. Even small things like renewing the fence and painting the wall at the front facing the street, as well as clearing the overgrown garden, are “small” tasks that are easy to overlook and underestimate.
Overall, with this huge plot: fantastic! I’m curious to see if you go for it.
W
WilderSueden16 Jan 2022 23:46kati1337 schrieb:
To be honest, I wouldn’t have posted any pictures if I had known someone would find this listing through them.Dear Kati, since you work in IT, you surely know that images can be compared using software. Sometimes it works better, sometimes worse, but it’s especially effective if you simply copy the real estate agent’s photo 😉My feedback:
If you like it and the house can be renovated for under 300,000 euros (including buffer), I would go for it. The charm is a bit like grandma’s house used to be, and in terms of energy efficiency, you will be in a completely different situation than with a new build. For 3 people, that’s quite a lot of rooms, even if everyone gets their own office. But that’s the topic you wanted to discuss in this thread 😉
You will also have to maintain a huge plot of land. Mowing 2,500 square meters (around 27,000 square feet) of lawn is no longer fun, it’s work. And so are all the trees and bushes.
What exactly is this so-called outbuilding mentioned?
It seems we have a different understanding of “lovingly restored by a carpenter.” I would throw everything in the house away—except for that amazing buffet cabinet in the office(?). The staircase probably won’t be very quiet either and could bother you in the bathroom.
The beams in the dining room were likely added later purely for decoration?
If this is really the house you want, I would gut it completely. I don’t want to imagine what “improvements” have been made over the decades. Given the price, you should think carefully about a full demolition.
Also, I had to smile a bit at what they call a “slight slope.” 😉
It seems we have a different understanding of “lovingly restored by a carpenter.” I would throw everything in the house away—except for that amazing buffet cabinet in the office(?). The staircase probably won’t be very quiet either and could bother you in the bathroom.
The beams in the dining room were likely added later purely for decoration?
If this is really the house you want, I would gut it completely. I don’t want to imagine what “improvements” have been made over the decades. Given the price, you should think carefully about a full demolition.
Also, I had to smile a bit at what they call a “slight slope.” 😉
J
JoachimG.17 Jan 2022 08:11Smialbuddler schrieb:
Personally, the only thing that would bother me is the lack of direct access to and view of the large garden. Unfortunately, the extension is exactly in the way. But maybe an architect will come up with a good solution here. My first thought was: demolish the extension and build a functional new one with a large living area, big windows, and a view of the garden. The new main bathroom could also go in the extension (so I wouldn’t have to run downpipes and pipes in the old building), along with two modern offices (then my husband would have his own connections 😉). The whole thing would be visually adapted to the main house, maybe with a wooden facade. Oh, I have plenty of ideas. 🙂
As someone with no experience in renovation, I would have the following concerns about moving into such a property with my family:
As I said, I’m not familiar with this. If someone takes on such a project with appropriate flexibility in their schedule and budget, I could imagine it turning out very well. However, this would only be the case if many elements are new and any extensions are adapted to the house’s architectural style.
I will continue to follow this with interest.
- The floor plan is too complicated and cluttered; it lacks any sense of spaciousness inside
- Without experience, I would constantly worry about unforeseen costs spiraling out of control...
- How long does something like this usually take?
- Concerns about questionable materials or wood treatment, although these might be completely unfounded if a) they are not present or b) have long since off-gassed
- The architect and structural engineering approach sounds more like gutting the building rather than just refurbishing and repainting
- I also find it hard to imagine achieving the living comfort standards typical of new builds
As I said, I’m not familiar with this. If someone takes on such a project with appropriate flexibility in their schedule and budget, I could imagine it turning out very well. However, this would only be the case if many elements are new and any extensions are adapted to the house’s architectural style.
I will continue to follow this with interest.
Similar topics