ᐅ Prefabricated house on a sandstone foundation

Hello,
I recently inherited an old timber-framed house. After several discussions with experienced tradespeople and a structural engineer, they no longer consider the timber frame house worth preserving. Over the years, it has been altered, extended, and repaired with materials that are actually harmful to this type of construction. Ultimately, we are leaning towards demolishing the house and possibly building a prefabricated house on the sandstone base.

What is the opinion here in the forum: Is this feasible? Pouring a concrete slab on the sandstone base and then continuing with a prefabricated house? This way, at least the beautiful sandstone cellar would be preserved.

Thank you very much for your responses.

The decision on whether a building is worth preserving is yours. It is possible that renovation may not be economically viable, but that is a separate assessment.

In our neighborhood, this exact idea has been implemented. The sandstone basement was completely preserved. It gives the house a special charm, combining modern features with a historically valuable original structure.

Hello, I have an old house with sandstone walls and partly a sandstone plinth.
My house has also been subjected to poor workmanship.
The entire house, as they say, rests on “compacted clay,”
so there is no real foundation. My house is located on a federal highway. The passing trucks have caused even more settling in recent years—unfortunately. However, our basement is dry.
If the foundation is load-bearing (consult a structural engineer) and the basement is dry, then why not? Still, I regularly curse these “legacy issues”!
But I also like the charm of the old house.

Economic efficiency should not be the top priority in this case…

Hello @Alex ander, your question cannot be answered reliably in the forum on its own. We are not familiar with the condition or your new requirements. Generally, a lot can be done with an older building...

A few houses down the street, there has been a timber frame house standing on an old sandstone cellar for several years.

Solid wood (which our general contractor built) and stone on stone (someone here in the village did that) also works if the cellar is still in good condition.

We decided to demolish, and that turned out to be the right choice. It was basically clear from the start that the excavator would come in. I grew up hearing my grandfather say, "Child, tear it down; old stays old."

Since I like half-timbered construction, we had considered renovating. However, it would have been more expensive and involved many compromises. During the demolition, surprises came to light that confirmed our decision.

Just checked around your area:
Wir Leben Haus, Albert Haus, Erhard GmbH, and Brandl Bau have built on old cellars.

We had a good experience with Leinweber for the demolition.