ᐅ Renovating an Older Home – Planning, Design, and Construction Supervision
Created on: 6 May 2012 19:44
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Oli S.Hello, dear forum members!
My wife and I are planning to buy a house from the 1950s and carry out extensive renovations and modernization. The following measures are planned:
- Insulating the roof,
- Insulating the exterior walls,
- Converting the attic,
- Redesigning the rooms on the upper floor (bedroom, children’s room, and large bathroom),
- Redesigning the basement (large living, dining, kitchen area and guest toilet),
- Installing new windows all around,
- Installing a new heating system,
- Underfloor heating on the ground floor,
- New electrical wiring,
- New water pipes,
- Drying out the basement (walls are somewhat damp).
Our question is: how should we approach this project? Who should be responsible for planning, project management, and construction supervision? Who contacts the relevant tradespeople? Who calculates the costs for the modernization? Who handles construction oversight and quality control, also considering any subsidized measures? Should we hire an architect or a construction company for this? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both options?
Although I am a trained automotive mechanic and would describe myself as fairly skilled with tools, I have no experience in construction. Since budget is a factor, I would like to contribute some DIY work, such as demolition. How would this be incorporated into the planning process?
Over the past weeks, we have visited several building trade fairs and spoken with homeowners’ associations, energy consultants, and building protection organizations. However, we are still unsure which approach would be best for our project. We would appreciate any advice here.
Thank you in advance.
Oli S.
My wife and I are planning to buy a house from the 1950s and carry out extensive renovations and modernization. The following measures are planned:
- Insulating the roof,
- Insulating the exterior walls,
- Converting the attic,
- Redesigning the rooms on the upper floor (bedroom, children’s room, and large bathroom),
- Redesigning the basement (large living, dining, kitchen area and guest toilet),
- Installing new windows all around,
- Installing a new heating system,
- Underfloor heating on the ground floor,
- New electrical wiring,
- New water pipes,
- Drying out the basement (walls are somewhat damp).
Our question is: how should we approach this project? Who should be responsible for planning, project management, and construction supervision? Who contacts the relevant tradespeople? Who calculates the costs for the modernization? Who handles construction oversight and quality control, also considering any subsidized measures? Should we hire an architect or a construction company for this? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both options?
Although I am a trained automotive mechanic and would describe myself as fairly skilled with tools, I have no experience in construction. Since budget is a factor, I would like to contribute some DIY work, such as demolition. How would this be incorporated into the planning process?
Over the past weeks, we have visited several building trade fairs and spoken with homeowners’ associations, energy consultants, and building protection organizations. However, we are still unsure which approach would be best for our project. We would appreciate any advice here.
Thank you in advance.
Oli S.
Hello,
The starting point for any renovation/modernization is a precise and detailed analysis of the current condition!
Best regards
Oli S. schrieb:Asking beforehand is definitely a good approach!
...My wife and I are about to buy a house from the 1950s and carry out extensive renovation/modernization.
Oli S. schrieb:In this case, a civil engineer, energy consultant, and building services engineer combined on site would likely be the right contact person.
..
The question is, how do we approach this project?
The starting point for any renovation/modernization is a precise and detailed analysis of the current condition!
Best regards
T
Thomas46318 May 2012 13:58So basically, except for the load-bearing walls, you want to tear everything out and redo it?
I don’t really see the need for a structural engineer here, since no structural calculations are required and the load-bearing structure won’t be changed.
An architect should definitely be able to create all the necessary plans and carry out the U-value calculation concerning the desired energy consumption.
A building physics consultant (or a general energy consultant) should also be sufficient for calculating the heating energy demand, etc.
Only the drying out (sealing and drying) of the basement might become somewhat more complex, depending on the cause.
Regarding your own work:
You will probably need to allow more time between each task. Otherwise, I don’t see any major problems.
Another option for you: routing electrical cables into the new (and possibly old) walls by chasing them out (with a wall chaser) to lay conduit pipes, threading the electrical wires, and plastering over the walls – with some skill, I think you could handle this.
However, connecting the cables should be left to a professional company (an electrician), as it’s associated with certain risks if you’re not experienced.
Which other tasks you can manage will depend on your skill level. Heating pipes and plumbing work are usually more critical since with inaccessible areas, you rely on precise workmanship; otherwise, leak detection tests can take a long time, and you’ll need the proper tools for that.
Best regards,
Thomas
I don’t really see the need for a structural engineer here, since no structural calculations are required and the load-bearing structure won’t be changed.
An architect should definitely be able to create all the necessary plans and carry out the U-value calculation concerning the desired energy consumption.
A building physics consultant (or a general energy consultant) should also be sufficient for calculating the heating energy demand, etc.
Only the drying out (sealing and drying) of the basement might become somewhat more complex, depending on the cause.
Regarding your own work:
You will probably need to allow more time between each task. Otherwise, I don’t see any major problems.
Another option for you: routing electrical cables into the new (and possibly old) walls by chasing them out (with a wall chaser) to lay conduit pipes, threading the electrical wires, and plastering over the walls – with some skill, I think you could handle this.
However, connecting the cables should be left to a professional company (an electrician), as it’s associated with certain risks if you’re not experienced.
Which other tasks you can manage will depend on your skill level. Heating pipes and plumbing work are usually more critical since with inaccessible areas, you rely on precise workmanship; otherwise, leak detection tests can take a long time, and you’ll need the proper tools for that.
Best regards,
Thomas
Hello Oli S.,
Did you buy the house and renovate it the way you described? We also have a similar house and unfortunately couldn't reach a final agreement with our last architect. How did you decide—did you have everything fully designed by an architect or a renovation company, or did you manage everything yourselves? And if you have already finished, did everything go according to your expectations?
Good luck
Did you buy the house and renovate it the way you described? We also have a similar house and unfortunately couldn't reach a final agreement with our last architect. How did you decide—did you have everything fully designed by an architect or a renovation company, or did you manage everything yourselves? And if you have already finished, did everything go according to your expectations?
Good luck
Hello,
The 1950s come with quite a few surprises! Building booms, shortages of cement, and so on. If the location is so good, you should consider demolition and maybe rebuilding. Just do a simple comparison, because the difference in effort is not that big. For example: demolition plus constructing a new shell, versus gutting the existing building plus dealing with design restrictions and surprises! The result is new construction, and the resale value is much higher! Alternatively, look for a similar location and simply build new.
Best regards, Waldemar
The 1950s come with quite a few surprises! Building booms, shortages of cement, and so on. If the location is so good, you should consider demolition and maybe rebuilding. Just do a simple comparison, because the difference in effort is not that big. For example: demolition plus constructing a new shell, versus gutting the existing building plus dealing with design restrictions and surprises! The result is new construction, and the resale value is much higher! Alternatively, look for a similar location and simply build new.
Best regards, Waldemar
Hello,
The post is not entirely unrealistic. Additionally, the “unrecognized” potential risks are rarely obvious to laypeople. This applies to the building structure as well as, for example, an inefficient existing heating system, which often results in significantly elevated operating costs. The initial “bargain” can quickly turn into a money pit.
Existing properties are often sold or purchased at inflated prices.
On the other hand, existing buildings often offer valuable, solid building fabric that contributes to a favorable indoor climate and provides a good foundation to build upon. New constructions are usually designed primarily for winter loads; summer thermal performance tends to be a secondary consideration, especially with monolithic exterior wall construction.
The differentiation between pros and cons is technically quite complex, especially since not only the building but also the heating system must be taken into account.
There is no general advice that applies universally; the specific initial conditions of each property are always decisive.
Best regards
Waldemar schrieb:
...Example: demolishing plus constructing the shell, compared to gutting plus planning restrictions and surprises! That’s what makes it new, and the resale value is much higher! Or look for a similar location and just build new.
The post is not entirely unrealistic. Additionally, the “unrecognized” potential risks are rarely obvious to laypeople. This applies to the building structure as well as, for example, an inefficient existing heating system, which often results in significantly elevated operating costs. The initial “bargain” can quickly turn into a money pit.
Existing properties are often sold or purchased at inflated prices.
On the other hand, existing buildings often offer valuable, solid building fabric that contributes to a favorable indoor climate and provides a good foundation to build upon. New constructions are usually designed primarily for winter loads; summer thermal performance tends to be a secondary consideration, especially with monolithic exterior wall construction.
The differentiation between pros and cons is technically quite complex, especially since not only the building but also the heating system must be taken into account.
There is no general advice that applies universally; the specific initial conditions of each property are always decisive.
Best regards
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