ᐅ Anyone with too much money and poor judgment buys an old house and renovates it.

Which price component has increased? The land prices or the worn-out living space?

You get what you pay for.

And who decides if a price is inflated? Based on which parameters?

If this thread were a stream, the text would have jumped too short and would only be knee-deep in water.

readytorumble schrieb:
I’m not a fan.

A new build is easier to plan and therefore easier to budget than a renovation. But depending on the situation, either a renovation or a new build can be more cost-effective. It always depends!

Even if the renovation ends up being somewhat cheaper, the house is still old. It’s like a 20-year-old car with a new engine, transmission, and all other parts replaced—the car remains old. That doesn’t mean you necessarily have to build new. It means you have to consider what is important to you. Renovating an old building is not for those who want everything done by contractors. An older house is for those who enjoy doing much of the work themselves (though not everything), and for those who want to live in a particular location at any cost. New builds often can only be constructed in certain areas...

An old house must be in a good location and cheap. If both apply, it may be worth the effort to renovate it. Old buildings are not suitable for families, not for perfectionists, and not for people who have enough money to build new, either on the same site or elsewhere.

..ask me again in 2 years. We are currently renovating an inherited house from the 1960s and are optimistic. However, the planning phase has already shown that compromises are necessary in order to (hopefully) stay cheaper than building a new house.

The problem I see in our case: many people like to compare a standard developer-built new home with a renovation of an older building by architects. And that comparison is misleading.. In the end, the architect always tries to sneak in some architecture..

Knallkörper schrieb:
Old houses are not suitable for families

What nonsense!!

In 2015, I bought a two-family house built in 1964 with a huge plot of 1600 sqm (0.4 acres). Nothing had been renovated at all before.

Within 9 months, I finished renovating the first apartment, and after a total of 1 year, both apartments and the entire house were completely refurbished. Some of the work included:
- complete electrical system
- removing and rebuilding walls
- new heating system
- insulated radiator niches, installed new radiators
- completely new plumbing and sewage
- partial replastering
- new flooring throughout
- interior and exterior repainting
- balcony renovation
- all new windows and doors
etc.

Most of the work was done by myself with help from family and friends. I am an environmental and process engineering graduate; I never trained as a tradesperson but have always done a lot of hands-on work.

Yes, it was a stressful year. But, believe it or not, I did all this for just over €70,000. Really for a modest amount. Since about mid-2016, the house has been occupied by two families with four members each: ours and the family of my wife’s uncle. The four children are between 8 months and 9 years old. They are growing up together and have a huge garden with a vegetable patch, chickens, lots of toys, a trampoline, a swing, a sandbox, a large playhouse on stilts (being built this summer), and more.

The location is great! In the middle of a town with 12,000 inhabitants, all shops, doctors, and schools are within walking distance. The train station and kindergarten are a 6-minute walk away.

I believe it hardly gets better than this.

And yes, the house is not new, with advanced climate control or KNX smart home technology. But it was affordable, the renovation was enjoyable, I know the house inside out, and if anything else needs fixing, I can do most of it myself. We feel very comfortable here.

Just because most people are too picky for an old house or don’t want to do any hands-on work themselves, or think everything has to be perfect, that does not mean you should automatically dismiss an old house.

It always depends on the individual situation.
Get rid of the blinkers!

Regards,
Specki

Specki schrieb:
What nonsense!!

I bought a two-family house built in 1964 in 2015, with a huge plot of 1600 sqm (17,222 sq ft). Nothing had been renovated on the place at all.
Within 9 months, I completed the renovation of the first apartment, and after a total of 1 year, both apartments and the entire house were fully refurbished.
Work done included, for example:
- Complete electrical system
- Removed and rebuilt walls
- Entire heating system replaced
- Insulated radiator niches, installed new radiators
- Completely new water supply and drainage
- Partial replastering
- New flooring throughout
- Interior and exterior repainted
- Balcony renovated
- All windows and doors replaced
etc.
Most of it was done by myself with help from family and friends.
I am an environmental and process engineering graduate, no formal training in trades, but I have always done a lot of hands-on work myself.

Yes, it was a stressful year. But believe it or not, I managed to do all this for just over 70,000€ (about $75,000). So really on a tight budget. The house has been occupied since mid-2016 by two families of four each. Ours and my wife’s uncle’s family. The four children are between 8 months and 9 years old. They are growing up together, have a huge garden with a vegetable patch, chickens, lots of toys, trampoline, swing, sandbox, large playhouse on stilts (to be built this summer), and more.

The location is great! In the middle of a town with 12,000 inhabitants, all shops, doctors, and schools within walking distance. The train station and kindergarten are a 6-minute walk away.

I don’t think it can get much better than that.

And yes, the house is not new and doesn’t have advanced climate control or systems like KNX or other modern technology. But it was affordable, renovating was enjoyable, I know the house inside and out. If there’s anything else to renovate, I can mostly do it myself, and we feel very comfortable here.

Just because most people are too picky for an older house or don’t want to do any hands-on work themselves or think everything has to be perfect, doesn’t mean you should demonize an older house altogether.

It always depends on the individual situation.
Take off the blinders!

Regards,
Specki

Respect! You grow with the tasks! Even I, a couch potato, have learned a lot from that garden.

Yes, you can hire craftsmen for every little thing. But you don’t have to! Then it might be 1 cm (0.4 inch) crooked—
that’s life, do it yourself.