ᐅ Farmhouse has roof damage

Dear experts and renovation professionals,

My husband and I have come across a small farmhouse (main house built around 1800) that we instantly fell in love with. The previous owner invested a lot of effort over the last five years, and both the energy certificate and the heating system are new. The bathrooms have been renovated with high-quality materials, and the electrical wiring in the bathrooms as well as in the new kitchen has been updated. The small farm is priced at about 80,000 euros, and we were ready to finalize everything until someone advised us against it. The reason: the ceilings on the upper floor are extremely low and have been lowered even further. We thought (we are both not experts) that this is normal for an old farmhouse and that it could be changed. However, the covered wall beams upstairs are all uneven, sagging slightly downward, and three of the four room ceilings are bowed down. Only one beam is exposed, and it shows slight signs of woodworm infestation. The current owner says the beam was inspected and treated before he moved in and that everything is fine.

We then went up to the unfinished attic with our "expert," who said the problem lies there because the ceiling can no longer support the weight of the old clay insulation. To address this, everything would have to be removed, re-insulated, and the ceilings raised at the same time. His opinion is that all the covered beams are damaged; otherwise, they would not sag slightly, and that if we are unlucky, they might be eaten through by woodworm. On the attic, all visible roof beams and floor joists were free of holes and showed no signs of mold or moisture.

What do you think? Is this a major risk or just a normal renovation factor for an old house? In the worst-case scenario, what kind of costs should we expect if the beams really have to be exposed and replaced? (We would like to handle at least the removal of the ceilings and the old clay layer ourselves.)

Problem 2
What is probably much worse: the house is connected to a directly attached barn and a small stable by a large roof, forming a sort of shallow U-shape. According to the previous owner, the concrete tiles are no longer visually appealing but still watertight. Our helper said the roof needs to be completely redone because the tiles are already disintegrating. The owner’s idea was to tear down the barn and stable down to ground floor height and then build a flat or slightly sloped roof there to save costs. He said the still intact roof parts (beams) could be reused. Our helper, who works in drywall construction, threw out some rough figures that shocked us. We know a new roof covering for this area will cost a lot, but the question is whether it makes sense financially and for the future to re-roof the entire structure or just demolish it.

What do you think? What costs should we expect?
We know it is almost impossible to estimate without a proper inspection—we are looking for a second opinion and a rough estimate of the scope we are dealing with here, should we decide to go ahead with this small farmhouse dream.

Is there a cost-effective option? For example, only roofing the house with tiles and covering the barn and stable with bitumen corrugated sheets? Would that be sensible?

We appreciate any friendly tips, advice, or experiences!

Steffi and Patrick#

General information about the farmhouse (main house built around 1800)
House: 130 sqm (about 1,400 sq ft)
Barn: Garage/heating room on the ground floor, just a hayloft above (not planned for conversion)
Stable: 3 horse stalls (not planned for conversion)
Energy certificate: Green, 113 kWh
Windows: New
Heating: New (wood gasification boiler)
Bathrooms: 2 bathrooms renovated this year, high quality – electrical wiring new
Kitchen: Renovated, electrical wiring new
Sewage: Septic system / connections prepared for possible connection to municipal network
Farmyard/land: Well maintained
Terrace: Renovated
Other electrical work: Needs to be done
Purchase price: 80,000 euros