Good morning,
I am new to this forum and have already been browsing through it quite a bit.
However, I have not yet been able to find an answer to my main concern. Therefore, I would like to gather information and hear your opinions here.
My girlfriend and I have the opportunity to be transferred ownership of my parents’ house.
The house is a detached, two-story, partially basemented two-family house built in 1945 and partially renovated in the early 1990s, including double-glazed PVC windows, Velux roof windows, oil heating, and partial electrical work.
The house is practically divided in the middle, so each apartment has a ground floor and an upper floor, somewhat comparable to a townhouse.
We intend to renovate the house because certain areas are clearly in need of refurbishment.
For example, the oil heating system is only used for space heating and does not heat the tap water, which is why there are still large old electric water heaters installed throughout.
Furthermore, there are old galvanized water pipes and partly old aluminum electrical cables in the house.
The roof also needs to be replaced.
The ceiling height on the ground floor is quite low at just over two meters (6.6 feet).
As mentioned, we plan to renovate the house. A major challenge is that my parents still live in the house and want to remain there.
Our idea is to renovate one half of the house while my parents stay in the other half, then switch when the first half is done to enable renovation of the second half.
Additionally, there is the issue of the low ceiling height.
We would like to raise the ceiling height by adding an additional storey, which of course means that the wooden beam ceiling separating the ground floor from the upper floor would have to be removed. The roof also needs to be completely replaced since the beams are no longer in good condition.
A new heating system independent of oil and gas (possibly geothermal or another option, but we are not sure yet), including underfloor heating, will also be installed. Naturally, this system should also heat the water.
The electrical system must be completely replaced and brought up to current standards.
The house should be as energy-efficient as possible; therefore, the insulation will likely need to be upgraded and triple-glazed windows installed.
Unfortunately, we have no idea if it would be feasible to demolish half of the roof and the corresponding half of the wooden beam ceiling, raise the ceiling height and walls to an appropriate level, install a new wooden beam ceiling and half of a new roof, and then repeat the process for the second half when that renovation stage begins. (Or would it make more sense to remove the entire roof and the half wooden beam ceiling first, then proceed with the other necessary work?)
All under the condition that my parents will always occupy one of the two apartments...
We have not yet consulted with any companies or structural engineers, as we wanted to first gather information and put together a rough plan of what we envision and what should be considered. We would be very grateful for any tips and recommendations.
What do you think? Would this be feasible, or do you have better suggestions on how and whether this project could be carried out?
And roughly, what would the costs be?
Best regards
tukaram
I am new to this forum and have already been browsing through it quite a bit.
However, I have not yet been able to find an answer to my main concern. Therefore, I would like to gather information and hear your opinions here.
My girlfriend and I have the opportunity to be transferred ownership of my parents’ house.
The house is a detached, two-story, partially basemented two-family house built in 1945 and partially renovated in the early 1990s, including double-glazed PVC windows, Velux roof windows, oil heating, and partial electrical work.
The house is practically divided in the middle, so each apartment has a ground floor and an upper floor, somewhat comparable to a townhouse.
We intend to renovate the house because certain areas are clearly in need of refurbishment.
For example, the oil heating system is only used for space heating and does not heat the tap water, which is why there are still large old electric water heaters installed throughout.
Furthermore, there are old galvanized water pipes and partly old aluminum electrical cables in the house.
The roof also needs to be replaced.
The ceiling height on the ground floor is quite low at just over two meters (6.6 feet).
As mentioned, we plan to renovate the house. A major challenge is that my parents still live in the house and want to remain there.
Our idea is to renovate one half of the house while my parents stay in the other half, then switch when the first half is done to enable renovation of the second half.
Additionally, there is the issue of the low ceiling height.
We would like to raise the ceiling height by adding an additional storey, which of course means that the wooden beam ceiling separating the ground floor from the upper floor would have to be removed. The roof also needs to be completely replaced since the beams are no longer in good condition.
A new heating system independent of oil and gas (possibly geothermal or another option, but we are not sure yet), including underfloor heating, will also be installed. Naturally, this system should also heat the water.
The electrical system must be completely replaced and brought up to current standards.
The house should be as energy-efficient as possible; therefore, the insulation will likely need to be upgraded and triple-glazed windows installed.
Unfortunately, we have no idea if it would be feasible to demolish half of the roof and the corresponding half of the wooden beam ceiling, raise the ceiling height and walls to an appropriate level, install a new wooden beam ceiling and half of a new roof, and then repeat the process for the second half when that renovation stage begins. (Or would it make more sense to remove the entire roof and the half wooden beam ceiling first, then proceed with the other necessary work?)
All under the condition that my parents will always occupy one of the two apartments...
We have not yet consulted with any companies or structural engineers, as we wanted to first gather information and put together a rough plan of what we envision and what should be considered. We would be very grateful for any tips and recommendations.
What do you think? Would this be feasible, or do you have better suggestions on how and whether this project could be carried out?
And roughly, what would the costs be?
Best regards
tukaram
For a complete renovation, I would estimate 2000€/m² (approximately 185 USD/ft²). Whether this is necessary should be professionally assessed and planned.
Carrying out the work in the first half and then later in the second half seems impractical, as you would have to bring in the contractors twice, and your parents would have to deal with the stress, noise, and dirt twice.
Are they already retired? If so, send them on a cruise for three months. This saves everyone time and nerves and may even be cheaper because the contractors only need to come once. You can store their belongings during this time; moving companies take photos, pack, store, return, and unpack everything.
Carrying out the work in the first half and then later in the second half seems impractical, as you would have to bring in the contractors twice, and your parents would have to deal with the stress, noise, and dirt twice.
Are they already retired? If so, send them on a cruise for three months. This saves everyone time and nerves and may even be cheaper because the contractors only need to come once. You can store their belongings during this time; moving companies take photos, pack, store, return, and unpack everything.
W
WilderSueden23 Aug 2022 09:52SoL schrieb:
I think it makes no sense to carry out the work in half 1 and only later in half 2, since you would have to hire the companies twice and your parents would have to deal with the stress, noise, and mess twice. If it were just about new floors, etc., that might be an option. But I find it hard to believe that it would be practical to add the upper floors in one half first and then do the other half later.
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