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Houses also get older and show signs of age. After 10 to 15 years, the first minor renovation measures become due. For example, painting walls or replacing carpeting. The shell of a house lasts the longest. After 40 to 60 years, it is usually time for a comprehensive house renovation. Based on the life expectancy table (see «Lifespan: How long do components, devices and installations last?»), you can estimate what should last how long and when you need to renovate or refurbish what.
Renovation measures cannot be considered in isolation. If you replace the heating system, for example, it makes sense under an energetic perspective to renovate and insulate the building envelope. And while you're at it, you could convert the attic and gain living space or rethink the room concept, tear out walls and thus create larger rooms. All that's missing now is a new kitchen and a new bathroom ... Very few people can afford everything at once. That's why they have to choose between more living quality and more energy efficiency when renovating their house. Often, however, the condition of the building components determines the order of the renovation measures.
The examination of building applications can take months for larger renovations. Therefore, submit your building application as early as possible.
House renovation costs a lot of money. That's why you should plan it before the measures are necessary and put money aside for it. How much depends on the building fabric and the standard. Triple-insulated windows with aluminium or wood-metal frames, for example, cost plus/minus twice as much as the same windows with plastic frames.
With our smart Renovation Calculator, you can analyse your individual renovation needs with just a few clicks, plan the renovation dates, estimate the costs and make sufficient provisions at an early stage. In addition, our renovation planner lists which components you should replace or overhaul at the same time in order to renovate as cost-effectively as possible. With the right strategy, you can spread the renovation costs over years or decades, optimise your expenses and maintain or increase the value of your residential property in the long term.
If you own a condominium, our online renovation calculator also calculates your share of the costs of the condominium owners' association and analyses the renewal fund.
There are three reasons for a house renovation: you want to increase the living quality, you want to improve the energy efficiency of the house - or a component is broken. If you have to replace something in an emergency, you have to act immediately. But if you want more living quality or energy efficiency, you should plan the renovations step by step. Start with a wish list and write down what you want. Without questioning whether it is technically or financially feasible. Think about the future and don't let your current housing situation limit or influence you. It can change quickly, for example when your children move out.
Once you have compiled your wish list, it is time for a detailed building analysis. An expert clarifies what is necessary in terms of building technology and what makes sense in terms of energy. On this basis, you can balance your wishes, any necessary or sensible measures and your financial possibilities. If, for example, you want to renovate your bathroom, enlarge it and add a sauna for two, it may be worthwhile to install a new heating system and thermal insulation in order to optimise renovation and maintenance costs. Bathroom and sauna increase your living quality, heating is necessary, insulation makes sense. The better you plan, prioritise and divide renovation measures, the more you can afford.
It makes sense to set aside 1 to 1.5 percent of the building's new value each year for home renovation, right from day one.
When you renovate an old house, a complete renovation costs less than a renovation in stages, because certain work only has to be done once, for example putting up the scaffolding. In addition, the renovation measures are completed more quickly and place less of a burden on you, your family and your neighbours. Nevertheless, most homeowners prefer to renovate in stages. On the one hand, because they can split the costs. On the other hand, because they can deduct their value-preserving investments from their income in several tax periods and thus optimise their tax burden. Craftsmen recommend this sequence to avoid building defects such as damp, mould or thermal bridges:
Window replacement and façade insulation (step 1) and roof insulation (step 2) minimise energy losses and reduce energy consumption. The new heating system (step 3) can be optimised for lower energy requirements. The kitchen renovation and bathroom renovation maintain or increase your living quality, the new pipes maintain the value sustainably (step 4).
The Houzy Renovation Calculator not only analyses the condition of the building components, but also proposes the renovation stages that make sense from a structural point of view, together with a rough cost estimate.
Order the windows at least three months before the work begins, so you avoid unnecessary construction delays.
You should only renovate the heating system after the windows and the façade. If you replace it beforehand, it will be too large after the energy renovation measures, will not work at the best possible efficiency and will wear out sooner because it is oversized and you switch it on and off more often than necessary. In the short term, the cheapest option is to replace the old heating system 1:1 with a new oil heating system. In the medium and long term, however, other heating systems are cheaper. The investment costs for a heat pump, for example, are higher, but they pay for themselves quickly thanks to the lower energy costs. Especially if you supplement the heat pump with solar collectors on the house roof.
Cantons, cities, municipalities and regional energy suppliers promote energy renovations such as insulation, solar systems or new heating systems if you renovate an old house. On www.energiefranken.ch you will find an overview of all funding programmes in Switzerland and can apply for funding contributions online.
In our partner network you can find the right craftsmen if you want to renovate an old house. In your Houzy overview, click on "Renovation" under "Lifetime" and then on the component you want to renovate in the graphic. On the detail page, you will see an estimate of the renovation costs, the renovation date and up to three craftsmen from your region that we recommend. By clicking on "non-binding offers", you can write a message to one, two or three craftsmen and, for example, request quotations that you can compare with the others.
