Inherited a house – now what? Using AI to get a first overview

An inherited house arrives with everything at once: memories, responsibility and a list of open questions nobody left answers to. The first reflex is often to call a tradesperson or a friend right away. The simpler and smarter step is to get an overview yourself – structured, organised, without missing anything.

Artificial intelligence turns out to be a surprisingly good tool for this. It won't renovate a wall or replace a professional. But it takes on the role that is missing most at the start: the calm planner who turns a pile of loose observations into a sorted list of priorities. And it prepares you to talk to energy consultants, tradespeople and, if needed, architects on an equal footing.

What to check before you decide anything

Before you think about floors, kitchens or paint colours, it's all about the fabric of the building. These six areas determine where your money would need to go first:

1. Structure and envelope. Roof, basement, façade, damp. Cracks, mould, damp basement walls and a failing roof are the most expensive surprises – and the most important to tackle first.

2. Energy performance. Heating, insulation, windows. Age of the heating system, insulation of the roof and top-floor ceiling, condition of the windows. This is the biggest lever for comfort and costs – and a change of ownership can trigger mandatory energy upgrades. Check the current version of the German Building Energy Act (GEG) for your situation.

3. Building services. Electrics, water, drainage. Wiring from the seventies isn't just inconvenient – it's a safety issue.

4. Hazardous materials. Asbestos, old insulation materials, oil tanks. Not unusual in houses built up to the 1990s – and relevant for costs and disposal.

5. Legal and formalities. Land register, building encumbrances, possible charges, listed-building status. Especially with older houses, it pays to check the heritage register before you plan.

6. Funding and financing. Subsidy programmes exist for energy-efficient renovation. If you plan the order of the work wisely, you'll get considerably more out of them than if you just get started.

Where AI makes the difference

First, an honest boundary: AI can't assess structural stability or read moisture levels in a wall. What it can do is create order. You describe what you see – and you get back: a prioritised checklist, the right questions for the surveyor's visit, a rough sense of what counts as “now”, “soon” and “later”, and a first idea of the sequence in which the work builds on itself.

The key point: you no longer walk into the conversations where money is at stake unprepared – you walk in ready.

The prompt to copy

You are an experienced renovation planner and energy consultant. I have inherited a house and would like a structured first overview before I bring in professionals. 

Here are the key facts:

• Year built: [e.g. 1968]

• Location/region: [e.g. southern Germany, rural]

• Living space: [e.g. 140 m²]

• Heating: [e.g. oil heating, approx. 20 years old]

• Windows: [e.g. wooden windows, partly single-glazed]

• Roof/insulation: [e.g. not insulated, roof from the 90s]

• Defects I've noticed: [e.g. damp patch in the basement,

• draughty windows, outdated electrics]

• My goal: [e.g. move in myself / rent out / sell]

• Budget (rough): [e.g. unclear / up to €100,000]

Please give me:

1. A prioritised checklist: What do I need to clarify first (structure,

2.   safety), what is medium-term, what is cosmetic?

3. A list of specific questions I should ask a surveyor,

4. energy consultant and tradespeople.

5. A rough assessment of which mandatory energy upgrades

6. might apply to a house of my build year – noting that

7. I need to check the current legal situation.

8. A sensible order of renovation steps, so the work

9. builds on itself and I don't miss out on any funding.

10. An honest assessment of where I definitely need professionals and where AI or doing it myself is enough.

The last sentence is the most important one: a good result comes from dialogue. The more precisely you answer, the more useful the plan becomes.

A word about the windows

Of all renovation measures, the windows are where a house's energy, comfort and value come together. In an inherited house they are almost always outdated – and almost always underestimated. Planning here means thinking beyond insulation values to what a window actually does: it shapes light, quiet and the first impression of a room. That is exactly why windows deserve to be treated not as a line item on a list, but as one of the few decisions you make once – and make right.