Inherited or bought a house: what to check before renovating
An inherited family home or a newly purchased older house raises lots of questions. What is still fine, what needs replacing, and in what order? A clear look at the existing building helps you avoid nasty surprises and plan better.
1. Gather the documents
Collect everything there is about the house: building plans, planning permission, energy performance certificate, invoices for earlier modernisations, heating service records. If you bought it, ask the previous owners; if you inherited it, ask relatives or neighbours – someone often knows when the roof or windows were last replaced. If there are no plans, an on-site measurement can help.
2. Check the building fabric
- Roof: is the covering watertight? Is there an underlay and insulation?
- Basement and walls: are there damp patches, efflorescence or a musty smell?
- Load-bearing parts: are there cracks in walls or ceilings, or sagging beams?
- Windows and doors: do they close tightly, are the frames intact?
3. Check the building services
In older houses, the electrical installation, water pipes and heating are often at the end of their life. Have these areas assessed by professionals. If a comprehensive renovation is happening anyway, that is the right moment to renew them – before new walls and floors go in.
4. Keep an eye on hazardous substances
Buildings from certain years of construction may contain materials that are now considered harmful, for example in old floor coverings, adhesives or boards. Before any strip-out work, it should be checked whether such materials are present and need to be removed professionally.
5. Note retrofit obligations
After a change of ownership, the German Building Energy Act (GEG) may impose certain retrofit obligations – for example insulating the top-floor ceiling or heating pipes in unheated rooms. Find out early which obligations apply to your house and by when, ideally with an energy consultant or your renovation company.
6. Set goals and limits
Do you want to move in yourself, let or sell? That determines how extensively you renovate. Also consider whether you want to proceed step by step or do everything in one go. A full renovation before moving in is often easier than working in an occupied house.
7. Clarify funding before awarding the contract
Energy-saving measures such as insulation, new windows or a complete renovation may be eligible for funding. For many programmes the application must be submitted before you award the contract. So plan this step early.
How we can help
We look at your inherited or purchased house together with you, tell you what we think is urgent and what can wait, and prepare a written quote with a construction schedule. If you live further away, you can follow construction progress regularly with photos on your project page “My Project”.