Teacher couple renovates a historic house from 1897 for €350,000
Between white patterns and red brick, a new life awaits in this old building: The historic house, built in 1897, will soon become the home of Mary and Hendrik Utler.
The couple originally come from different parts of Germany. 41-year-old Hendrik grew up in Modautal. 38-year-old Mary, on the other hand, comes from Welzow, a small town in Brandenburg.
Their paths crossed in Mannheim, where they both studied to become teachers. Today, Hendrik Utler is a senior teacher and teaches at a vocational school, and Mary Utler is a primary school teacher.
The couple moved in together in 2007 and married in 2019. The officers currently live in Schwäbisch Hall, Baden-Württemberg. “This professional constellation brings with it another difficulty,” explains Hendrik Utler.
Because: The couple's brick house is known to be in Hesse. In order to move into the old building, Mary would have to be transferred to the Hesse state border or to Hesse. “As a civil servant, however, such a transfer is not an easy undertaking,” says the 38-year-old. After the move, Hendrik would have to temporarily travel an hour to his office in Neckarsulm. But that is doable, at least for a certain period of time.
The couple are now just one transfer away from moving. And the anticipation of finally moving into the house that they renovated themselves over months and years couldn't be greater. The Utlers put a lot of love into the project – even though they actually preferred a new build.
In an interview with Business Insider, Mary and Hendrik Utler reveal why they ended up choosing the house with the beautiful bricks from 1897. The couple explains why they would make the same decision again and again and, in addition to the financing, reveals which mistakes should definitely not be made.
The old building has been on the teachers' minds for a long time – but not originally because it was an option for a new home. “The brick house from 1897 has a deep-rooted meaning for us because it has been in Hendrik's family for generations,” says Mary Utler. Hendrik's great-grandfather bought the house many, many years ago. “Both his father and his uncle grew up there.”
The 41-year-old says he still vividly remembers his childhood days when both grandparents and great-grandparents lived in the house. “These family connections are crucial to understanding why we decided to undertake the extensive renovation of this house,” explains the official.
The house had recently been empty. “This raised the question of what to do with it. There were basically only two options: sell or renovate,” he says, giving an insight into the decision-making process. The couple had actually been thinking about building a new house. “But the more we looked at the house, the more we became aware of its sentimental value.”
In addition, Hendrik Utler wanted to be closer to his family again. “The fact that the house was in remarkably good condition for the year it was built in 1897 – no significant damage, no damp walls or other problems that are often found in old houses – ultimately made the decision easier,” explains Mary Utler.
The couple were ultimately given the property without paying a purchase price – that was also a key reason for the project. “We only had to worry about financing the renovation. We are aware that this is an absolute privilege. If we had had to buy the house, it would probably have exceeded our financial limits,” says the 38-year-old. It was always clear to her and her husband that housing expenses should not exceed a certain limit. “The idea of owning a house but not being able to afford anything else was always far from our minds.”
There were also arguments against the renovation – including the professional situation in particular. “It is extremely complicated and involves a lot of uncertainty. But we were certain that this is no reason not to try,” says Mary Utler. In the worst case scenario, the couple would have to wait even longer and pay their rent and the installments for the house at the same time. “To be on the safe side, we took this into account in our calculations.”
Some people in the area advised the couple to rent out the old building. But that was not an option. “We definitely want to move in ourselves. For example, we have bought our dream kitchen and want to be the first to use it,” explains Hendrik Utler.
In the end, the couple invested too much love and too much nerves in the project – and too much money too. The Utlers have contributed 50,000 euros in equity. 150,000 euros each come from a loan for energy-saving renovations from KfW and a real estate loan from Commerzbank. In total, they are paying 350,000 euros for the renovation. “Because the KfW loan has a very low interest rate, the interest burden is reasonable at 2.8 percent despite the relatively expensive loan from Commerzbank,” says Hendrik Utler. The couple will also receive a repayment grant of around 15,000 euros from KfW after the renovation is completed.
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At the moment, it looks like the teachers will be able to manage well with this money. This is also because the duo has made certain compromises – or had to make them. An example: “At the beginning, we had planned to extend the attic of the house and have the roof completely re-covered – including the rafter insulation.” They had been under the illusion that the money would be enough for this. But the renovation started at a time when interest rates and prices were rising sharply – “so at a really unfavorable time,” said the primary school teacher.
The couple's calculations were completely unrealistic for these plans. “The insulation and re-roofing alone would have cost around 100,000 euros – and not even a single part of the attic would have been finished,” she says. Looking back, that would probably have cost another 50,000 euros or more, even if they had done the work themselves. That's why the couple decided against it.
Couple opts for energy-efficient renovation
The money saved went into an energy-efficient renovation, “in order to save energy costs in the long term and reduce our ecological footprint,” explains Hendrik Utler. This contributes to sustainability and makes economic sense as it increases the value of the property. “It is also important to us to make the house future-proof and thus make a positive contribution not only for us but also for future generations.” In this way, the couple would combine economic advantages with a more conscious use of resources.
Hendrik Utler is convinced: “Yes, it is possible to upgrade an old property so that it meets modern standards.” And this is possible even if it does not meet the strict requirements of a passive house. Such an approach would often be disproportionately complex and expensive and could damage the historic masonry. “Instead, it is about finding a compromise that achieves the highest possible energy standard while preserving the special features and character of the old house.”
To this end, Mary and Hendrik Utler have taken targeted measures – including improving the insulation, installing modern windows and doors, and installing efficient heating systems. This “can achieve a significant upgrade that both increases living comfort and reduces energy costs. This makes it possible to protect the old building structure while simultaneously meeting modern-day requirements,” explains the teacher.
Together with his wife, he opted for triple-glazed wooden windows, which visually restore the old charm of the house while also being technically state-of-the-art. “The outside walls were insulated from the inside with 6-centimeter-thick, vapor-permeable wood fiber boards and lots of clay. This allowed us to meet our goal of using as natural materials as possible to ensure energy efficiency and a healthy living environment,” explains the 41-year-old.
The couple also keeps energy consumption low by using surface heating. “We have these in the walls and ceilings, which provide wonderfully comfortable warmth. We are particularly impressed by the pleasant radiant heat from the ceiling heating. But the wall heating also provides a wonderful tiled stove feeling,” says Mary Utler. Thanks to the surface heating, in combination with a very good heat pump, the couple only needs a little energy to heat the old building. “The heating system also gives us the opportunity to preserve the historic floors in many rooms. That would not have been possible with underfloor heating.”
The couple is aiming for the so-called “Efficient House Monument Renewable Energy Class”. This is a designation from the KfW, which states that the annual primary energy requirement may not exceed 160 percent of the value of a comparable new building according to the Building Energy Act. “Renewable Energy Class” means “that we cover 55 percent of the energy requirement with renewable energies. We achieve and exceed this with photovoltaics and the heat pump,” explains Hendrik Utler.
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Overall, the couple's measures will probably be significantly better than the specifications. The teacher duo had originally had an “efficiency house 85 renewable energy class” in mind. However, during the energy consultation, the officials were then “confronted with completely disproportionate measures that were not good for the house or did not correspond to our ideas about the building materials,” explains the 41-year-old. At that time, the house's listed status had not yet been clarified.
The couple is happy that they decided on the old building. “An old property always has a lot of charm, but of course a house like this is always full of surprises. In both a positive and a negative sense,” says Mary Utler. She and her husband have had years of experience with the house. The couple knew that it was built solidly and that there had never been a mold problem. “So we were spared any nasty surprises.” But that doesn't have to be the case. This is something that is seen again and again with others who carry out renovation projects.
“I would therefore always recommend hiring an appraiser with experience in historic properties. Simply to rule out certain expensive surprises in advance,” recommends Hendrik Utler. Admittedly, an appraiser does not know what is lurking behind some walls. But: “The risk is at least reduced that an expensive surprise awaits here that causes the project to falter.”