ᐅ Renovating a Timber-Framed House – Options for Low Ceiling Heights?
Created on: 24 Jul 2020 14:15
T
Tamstar
Hello,
A while ago, we looked at a timber-framed house in need of renovation, but didn’t pursue it further due to too many complications. Now, a few months later, offers in our area have not increased, and yesterday the property was listed again… this time at a lower price. Since we have often thought about the nice outbuildings in the meantime, one might say it’s a sign of fate that the house has been relisted and that we should seriously reconsider it.
The biggest drawback for me was the very low ceiling height. It was under 2 meters (6.6 feet). What do you think... is there anything that can be done about it? We haven’t done any inspections yet; I’m just gathering ideas. If it really comes down to it, of course, we would involve a structural engineer, carpenter, etc.
I would look at the floor construction. But since there is a vaulted cellar underneath, there probably isn’t much room for adjustment.
Then uncover the beams of the first floor and attic, as they are covered—here you might gain a few centimeters (inches).
But overall, you won’t get more than 10 centimeters (4 inches).
Are there solutions without a complete teardown? Maybe reinforcing or doubling the timber frames of the upper floors or something like that?
I’ll tag [USER=28319]@fach1werk
Oh, and by the way... there is no historic preservation designation and the timber frame is not visible.
Best regards
A while ago, we looked at a timber-framed house in need of renovation, but didn’t pursue it further due to too many complications. Now, a few months later, offers in our area have not increased, and yesterday the property was listed again… this time at a lower price. Since we have often thought about the nice outbuildings in the meantime, one might say it’s a sign of fate that the house has been relisted and that we should seriously reconsider it.
The biggest drawback for me was the very low ceiling height. It was under 2 meters (6.6 feet). What do you think... is there anything that can be done about it? We haven’t done any inspections yet; I’m just gathering ideas. If it really comes down to it, of course, we would involve a structural engineer, carpenter, etc.
I would look at the floor construction. But since there is a vaulted cellar underneath, there probably isn’t much room for adjustment.
Then uncover the beams of the first floor and attic, as they are covered—here you might gain a few centimeters (inches).
But overall, you won’t get more than 10 centimeters (4 inches).
Are there solutions without a complete teardown? Maybe reinforcing or doubling the timber frames of the upper floors or something like that?
I’ll tag [USER=28319]@fach1werk
Oh, and by the way... there is no historic preservation designation and the timber frame is not visible.
Best regards
H
HilfeHilfe24 Jul 2020 16:18How tall are you? 2.30 m (7 ft 7 in)?
Pinky0301 schrieb:
What do you like about the many/large outbuildings? Are they in good condition? They’re "like new." They were built… let me think… in the 1990s and are really in very good shape. Perfect for tractors, trailers, buses, cars, motorcycles, workshops (woodworking and automotive), game storage… That’s why we’re even considering it.
HilfeHilfe schrieb:
How tall are you? 2.30 meters? (7 ft 7 in) Well, if you can’t fit a refrigerator upright in the kitchen, it doesn’t matter that you’re not even 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) tall, it’s just impractical.
But I’ve already bumped my head on the door frames with my height of 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in). My husband, at 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in), nearly brushed the ceiling everywhere.
P
pagoni202025 Jul 2020 07:47Tinkering with a few centimeters here and there doesn’t seem very practical to me, and you probably won’t get a reasonable living situation at an appropriate price there. Apparently, others have already tried their luck in that area, and considering the current favorable market conditions for sellers, any price reduction should be carefully examined with that context in mind.
That seems like the most feasible option to me, but it could be a tricky matter requiring a larger budget flexibility.
Tamstar schrieb:
The change of use would need to be clarified in terms of building regulations, then I could imagine opening up the first floor of the house upwards and including parts of the barn.
That seems like the most feasible option to me, but it could be a tricky matter requiring a larger budget flexibility.
H
HilfeHilfe25 Jul 2020 08:39pagoni2020 schrieb:
Tinkering around by a few centimeters here or there doesn’t seem very reasonable to me, and you probably won’t get a suitable living situation at a fair price there. Apparently, others have already tried their luck, and any price reduction in the currently favorable market for sellers should definitely be examined with that in mind.
Something like this would seem more feasible to me, but it could be quite a challenging matter, likely requiring a larger budget. Correct, the market determines the price.
F
fach1werk25 Jul 2020 11:58With low ceilings in timber-framed buildings, there is little potential for improvement. The ideas Tamstar proposed are about the best that can be done with a manageable effort. I would rather consider whether it is possible to create something more spacious or to build in such a way from one of the outbuildings, perhaps gradually.
I know buildings with similar ceiling heights that did not really hold market value and changed owners frequently. From the perspective of long-term value retention, I would approach this cautiously.
Kind regards
Gabriele
I know buildings with similar ceiling heights that did not really hold market value and changed owners frequently. From the perspective of long-term value retention, I would approach this cautiously.
Kind regards
Gabriele
N
nordanney25 Jul 2020 12:55fach1werk schrieb:
From a value-retention perspective, I would approach this cautiously.The bank refers to it as a “niche property” — to put it mildly. If you buy this collection of buildings and want to live in it, keep in mind that you will only avoid losing money if you renovate according to current standards. A renovated house with 2m (6.6 ft) ceiling height plus the collection of buildings will not show any significant increase in value compared to its unrenovated condition (so plan mostly without major bank financing and with a lot of equity). So basically, buy it as a very conservative investment for aging in place, or find a way to convert the outbuildings into livable space. You can take your time planning—after all, nobody seems eager to buy the house.Similar topics