Hello Forum!
After my grandmother’s life estate ended, we now have an unoccupied semi-detached house and face the big question: should we demolish and build new or do a (major) renovation?
What we know:
Not visible in the photo are two garages on the right, which are still in use and could remain untouched for now. How the house looks beneath the facade is unknown.
What we don’t know:
We would be very grateful for any kind of suggestions. For example, do you need a basement? Should you build an additional rental unit as a form of retirement planning, or the opposite – could you omit a floor to reduce costs, and so on…
There are two of us, around 35 years old, without children or pets, though that could change in five years. Unfortunately, the lottery win hasn’t come through yet, so we can’t replace this house with a castle. Ideally, we would like to come in under the architect’s estimated budget.
So, who has an idea, an opinion, a suggestion, or a question?
After my grandmother’s life estate ended, we now have an unoccupied semi-detached house and face the big question: should we demolish and build new or do a (major) renovation?
What we know:
- The house is 90 years old.
- There is a damp rubble stone basement.
- We consulted an architect who pointed out what might be wrong. For example, he picked at a piece of steel beam from the basement ceiling/wall with his fingers, which as a complete layperson I find extremely concerning. However, the houses in the neighborhood are all roughly the same age, none have been demolished so far, and none have collapsed. I am not sure how to evaluate this “the steel beams will eventually become flaky” information. He advised against a minor renovation, calling it a bottomless pit, and said it would ultimately cost much more than planned if something unexpected happens. He threw out the figure of 300,000€ (euros) for both a full renovation, a new build, or a sale. The latter is not an option for now.
- Electrical, plumbing, and heating systems would all need to be replaced.
- A call to the building authority revealed there is no zoning plan. So, basically, anything is possible at this stage.
Not visible in the photo are two garages on the right, which are still in use and could remain untouched for now. How the house looks beneath the facade is unknown.
What we don’t know:
- What we actually want.
- How we should proceed.
- Who to turn to for advice.
We would be very grateful for any kind of suggestions. For example, do you need a basement? Should you build an additional rental unit as a form of retirement planning, or the opposite – could you omit a floor to reduce costs, and so on…
There are two of us, around 35 years old, without children or pets, though that could change in five years. Unfortunately, the lottery win hasn’t come through yet, so we can’t replace this house with a castle. Ideally, we would like to come in under the architect’s estimated budget.
So, who has an idea, an opinion, a suggestion, or a question?
A
allerdings27 Jun 2017 15:22Oops! I had forgotten about that.
It turned out to be a full renovation! Sometimes you have to take a risk...
There is currently scaffolding up, and soon there will be a new roof. Due to the significant amount of self-performed work, this is a very lengthy project. But it’s progressing.
It turned out to be a full renovation! Sometimes you have to take a risk...
There is currently scaffolding up, and soon there will be a new roof. Due to the significant amount of self-performed work, this is a very lengthy project. But it’s progressing.
A
allerdings28 Jun 2017 15:47Owner-performed work includes everything except water, electricity, and masonry tasks. So far.
Regarding the costs: I would need to break down in detail everything that has happened so far. For example, quite a few containers have been needed because we first had to clear out the house. On the other hand, there have also been some incomes from selling furniture.
An excavator was on site. Will you need an excavator as well? Even grass seeds are charged to the major renovation fund.
We have wooden beam ceilings and will be getting clay plaster. There is also a portable toilet in the garden.
What I want to say is that—whatever number I might state now—it won’t be useful to anyone else because perhaps none of these points apply to your situation.
I really can’t help with this.
Regarding the costs: I would need to break down in detail everything that has happened so far. For example, quite a few containers have been needed because we first had to clear out the house. On the other hand, there have also been some incomes from selling furniture.
An excavator was on site. Will you need an excavator as well? Even grass seeds are charged to the major renovation fund.
We have wooden beam ceilings and will be getting clay plaster. There is also a portable toilet in the garden.
What I want to say is that—whatever number I might state now—it won’t be useful to anyone else because perhaps none of these points apply to your situation.
I really can’t help with this.
Similar topics