Many people who buy a house or apartment underestimate the maintenance costs and the service life of building components. The earlier you analyze and plan for future renovation needs, the more securely you protect your home and maintain its value. Maintenance costs are directly related to the age and thus the remaining life of individual components, electrical installations, appliances and wiring. Kitchen appliances or fitted carpets need to be replaced the fastest, while the shell of the house lasts the longest.
The Swiss Homeowners' Association, together with the Tenants' Association, has compiled the parity life table with the average and expected service life of components, pipes, electrical installations and operating equipment such as heating, refrigerators or washing machines. Using this life table, you can estimate what should last how long, when you need to renovate or refurbish what, and approximately how much it will cost you. In our table, we have summarized the service life for the most important components of appliances and installations for you, including maintenance intervals if necessary.
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Many buyers or homeowners underestimate the ongoing operating costs after construction, purchase or takeover. After 15 to 20 years, the first major renovations are due. That's why it makes sense to set aside 1 to 1.5 percent of the building's new value every year - from day one. This way, you have enough money on hand as soon as a renovation or refurbishment is due, and you don't have to worry about financing.
Over the entire life cycle of residential real estate, new construction costs account for only a quarter to a fifth of total costs. The remaining 75 to 80 percent are ongoing operating costs, for example renovations or refurbishments.
With our renovation calculator, you can analyze individual renovation needs with just a few clicks, coordinate the individual renovation measures in a cost-optimized manner, estimate the costs and thus build sufficient reserves. The intuitive program guides you safely through the simple process, creates an interactive life table tailored to your house or apartment based on your input, and derives the approximate renovation costs from this. If you own a condominium, the renovation calculator calculates the costs for your apartment as well as your share of the condominium association costs for common components and analyzes the renewal fund. In this way, you can estimate what you will be facing in the next few years and plan the financial requirements at an early stage.
Condominium owners should work with the Contribution calculator check if there is enough money in the renewal fund, and the items. «Costs Distribution in Condominium Ownership» and «Renovation Funds in Condominium Ownership: All You Need to Know» lesen.
In addition, the smart renovation planner shows you which components you should replace together in order to renovate as cost-effectively as possible. With the right strategy, you can reduce renovation costs. For example, it is easier and cheaper to replace the windows at the same time as you renovate and insulate the facade. If you only renovate the facade, the old windows will no longer fit because of the better insulation values of the new facade and will have to be replaced sooner rather than later. With a coordinated renovation you save time and money.
The sales price of properties in above-average condition is on average about 15 percent higher than that of properties in merely average condition. And that's with value-preserving investments that you can deduct from your taxable income.
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In Switzerland, renovations are only subsidized if they improve the energy efficiency of the building. Most of the subsidies are tied to clear conditions. For example, if you want money from the federal and cantonal building program, you have to renovate the entire building envelope, i.e. the walls, the roof and the windows. Renovating building components together is therefore doubly worthwhile: on the one hand, you renovate in a cost-optimized way, and on the other hand, you receive subsidies as long as you comply with all the conditions. That's why you should check all funding options before planning an energy-efficient renovation and placing orders. For example, check the Gebäudeprogramm, energiefranken.ch or the cantonal energy office. These websites can be found in German, Italian or French.
