ᐅ Renovation of a Single-Family House Built in 1936 – Options for Energy-Efficient Upgrades, Especially Heating Systems
Created on: 24 Jun 2022 12:19
L
leschafHello everyone,
At the beginning of the month, we signed a notarized contract (for this house) and are currently selling a property to finance it. We have received initial offers and will probably get our estimated price, maybe even a bit more. In theory, we will have roughly €450,000-500,000 (about $490,000-$545,000) in capital, but we definitely do not want to use all of it.
Now we want to start the renovation gradually and are considering how it should look. We don’t have the keys yet and haven’t been back to the house since the viewing. The house is about 185 sqm (45 sqm (about 484 sq ft) of that are finished attic space measured according to slope). It was insulated in the late 1990s and received new double-glazed windows then. Currently, there are two 24 kW gas boilers inside from 2002.
Must-dos:
- Electrical work
- Expose and sand floors
- Painting
- Renovate 1 bathroom
- Renovate 1 guest toilet
- New kitchen including new floor there
- Insulate attic floor as the top ceiling (it is quite large and covers a lot of the roof area)
- Insulate cellar ceiling
Would like to:
- Install 2 steel beams to open up the living area on the ground floor
- Move the guest toilet from the garden side to the front (pipes through the cellar) – currently it is right in the middle of the living area
- More light on the ground floor with a sliding door/glass towards the garden
- Terrace
- Fireplace
- Exterior painting
- Front door
- Sand and paint the stairwell
- Replace some of the interior doors
- Possibly new radiators – see below
The architect gave us a rough estimate of somewhere between €200,000 and €250,000 (about $217,000-$272,000) for these works.
Additionally, I would like to modernize the heating system (independent of the expected future gas prices, although those are of course an additional motivation). The architect initially suggested removing one of the two boilers and installing solar support on the roof. For me, it makes (apart from potential delivery delays) more sense to install something different now since the boilers are already 20 years old. However, I am unsure about:
1) What options are viable? Heat pump vs. wood pellets?
2) Whether this makes sense with the current building envelope? The architect said that with attic and cellar insulation and partly new windows, the energy demand could be around 150 kWh/sqm per year. Or would the roof need to be completely redone for this?
3) Whether this also means installing underfloor heating? Throughout the whole house? We once looked at a house with a pellet heating system that had a mix of regular radiators and underfloor heating. How would that work with a heat pump?
4) What are the current waiting times for these heating systems, and how would that affect the overall renovation schedule? If we could only move in a year later because of this, it would not make economic sense (cold rent = $1,000 per month plus two times utilities during that period).
5) If waiting times currently make it uneconomical, does it make sense to at least prepare for modernization? For example, laying the underfloor heating now and then connecting it later?
Thanks for the input 🙂
At the beginning of the month, we signed a notarized contract (for this house) and are currently selling a property to finance it. We have received initial offers and will probably get our estimated price, maybe even a bit more. In theory, we will have roughly €450,000-500,000 (about $490,000-$545,000) in capital, but we definitely do not want to use all of it.
Now we want to start the renovation gradually and are considering how it should look. We don’t have the keys yet and haven’t been back to the house since the viewing. The house is about 185 sqm (45 sqm (about 484 sq ft) of that are finished attic space measured according to slope). It was insulated in the late 1990s and received new double-glazed windows then. Currently, there are two 24 kW gas boilers inside from 2002.
Must-dos:
- Electrical work
- Expose and sand floors
- Painting
- Renovate 1 bathroom
- Renovate 1 guest toilet
- New kitchen including new floor there
- Insulate attic floor as the top ceiling (it is quite large and covers a lot of the roof area)
- Insulate cellar ceiling
Would like to:
- Install 2 steel beams to open up the living area on the ground floor
- Move the guest toilet from the garden side to the front (pipes through the cellar) – currently it is right in the middle of the living area
- More light on the ground floor with a sliding door/glass towards the garden
- Terrace
- Fireplace
- Exterior painting
- Front door
- Sand and paint the stairwell
- Replace some of the interior doors
- Possibly new radiators – see below
The architect gave us a rough estimate of somewhere between €200,000 and €250,000 (about $217,000-$272,000) for these works.
Additionally, I would like to modernize the heating system (independent of the expected future gas prices, although those are of course an additional motivation). The architect initially suggested removing one of the two boilers and installing solar support on the roof. For me, it makes (apart from potential delivery delays) more sense to install something different now since the boilers are already 20 years old. However, I am unsure about:
1) What options are viable? Heat pump vs. wood pellets?
2) Whether this makes sense with the current building envelope? The architect said that with attic and cellar insulation and partly new windows, the energy demand could be around 150 kWh/sqm per year. Or would the roof need to be completely redone for this?
3) Whether this also means installing underfloor heating? Throughout the whole house? We once looked at a house with a pellet heating system that had a mix of regular radiators and underfloor heating. How would that work with a heat pump?
4) What are the current waiting times for these heating systems, and how would that affect the overall renovation schedule? If we could only move in a year later because of this, it would not make economic sense (cold rent = $1,000 per month plus two times utilities during that period).
5) If waiting times currently make it uneconomical, does it make sense to at least prepare for modernization? For example, laying the underfloor heating now and then connecting it later?
Thanks for the input 🙂
D
Deliverer24 Jun 2022 19:57It will inevitably come down to a heat pump. Read up a bit on wood pellets, and then it won’t be a question anymore. (Fine dust, CO2 emissions are just as bad as with oil, supply issues, prices, resource depletion…)
A heat pump generally works in older buildings as well. Of course, you can save on operating costs if you install underfloor heating and insulate beforehand. But it will work without those as well. And naturally, it makes sense to do everything before moving in.
And yes: You can install underfloor heating first and, if necessary, wait a little longer for the heat pump. As long as the boilers are running, it’s not a problem. I retrofitted underfloor heating in an occupied house and would not recommend it. One thing to keep in mind: Underfloor heating increases the property value AND also the comfort of living. It simply provides much more pleasant warmth. No air or dust circulation, no cold feet and warm heads. Plus, you gain some extra square meters of living space. And that’s valuable too…
I wouldn’t recommend mixing (radiators and underfloor heating). If it becomes difficult in some rooms, walls and ceilings can also be options. And if so, design it so that different temperatures don’t need to be managed.
How a heat pump works has been covered in dozens of other threads here. Just browse the forum a bit. It’s always the same.
Insulating the roof should always be top priority on the renovation list. Even before the windows. If you address that, it usually makes sense to install photovoltaics at the same time. You’ll have to do it sooner or later anyway, and it’s cheaper if someone is already working up there.
A heat pump generally works in older buildings as well. Of course, you can save on operating costs if you install underfloor heating and insulate beforehand. But it will work without those as well. And naturally, it makes sense to do everything before moving in.
And yes: You can install underfloor heating first and, if necessary, wait a little longer for the heat pump. As long as the boilers are running, it’s not a problem. I retrofitted underfloor heating in an occupied house and would not recommend it. One thing to keep in mind: Underfloor heating increases the property value AND also the comfort of living. It simply provides much more pleasant warmth. No air or dust circulation, no cold feet and warm heads. Plus, you gain some extra square meters of living space. And that’s valuable too…
I wouldn’t recommend mixing (radiators and underfloor heating). If it becomes difficult in some rooms, walls and ceilings can also be options. And if so, design it so that different temperatures don’t need to be managed.
How a heat pump works has been covered in dozens of other threads here. Just browse the forum a bit. It’s always the same.
Insulating the roof should always be top priority on the renovation list. Even before the windows. If you address that, it usually makes sense to install photovoltaics at the same time. You’ll have to do it sooner or later anyway, and it’s cheaper if someone is already working up there.
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