ᐅ Renovation of an Older Building (1966): Two-Family House – Floor Plan Sketch
Created on: 30 Jul 2018 13:39
H
HappyDee45
Hello everyone,
We are currently planning a renovation of an older house built in 1966. Over the years, the house has been extended and remodeled several times. It has previously served as a two-family home. We are taking over the house now and do not want any "stranger" tenants living in it. This means we want/need to live in the house ourselves as a single-family home for the next 1-2 decades at least.
So, we have the challenge—or luxury—of being able to plan a lot of space.
You can find our first draft attached.
Basement:
We do not want to make any changes here for the most part. Only the electricity meter and related equipment need to be removed from the stairwell as part of the electrical upgrade. We have discussed with the electrician to create an “electrical room” in the workshop for this purpose. Everything else will remain as is.
Ground Floor:
On the ground floor, we plan to remove three walls to create a large open living and dining area including the kitchen. The pantry will be prepared as a potential bathroom (water supply and drainage will be renewed). We might want to add a bathroom there in about 10 years. A full guest bedroom is essential for us, due to family circumstances. The office will serve as a home or remote work space for both of us. The “home theater” will probably remain an unused room for now until we have more budget to invest there.
Upper Floor:
On the upper floor, we plan to move the door to the terrace (currently located in the "children’s room") and relocate the wardrobe wall to create a new hallway with access to the terrace. In the bedroom, we will add a wall to create a second bathroom on the upper floor (currently, there is a kitchen in that space).
Attic:
The attic will remain an unheated area and will remain unused or serve as an attic storage space.
This is roughly our current plan. A structural engineer has already reviewed the walls. Most of the work will be done by ourselves. But here, we want to focus on the floor plan.
We are open to all ideas. Please share any constructive feedback.
Thanks and best regards
We are currently planning a renovation of an older house built in 1966. Over the years, the house has been extended and remodeled several times. It has previously served as a two-family home. We are taking over the house now and do not want any "stranger" tenants living in it. This means we want/need to live in the house ourselves as a single-family home for the next 1-2 decades at least.
So, we have the challenge—or luxury—of being able to plan a lot of space.
You can find our first draft attached.
Basement:
We do not want to make any changes here for the most part. Only the electricity meter and related equipment need to be removed from the stairwell as part of the electrical upgrade. We have discussed with the electrician to create an “electrical room” in the workshop for this purpose. Everything else will remain as is.
Ground Floor:
On the ground floor, we plan to remove three walls to create a large open living and dining area including the kitchen. The pantry will be prepared as a potential bathroom (water supply and drainage will be renewed). We might want to add a bathroom there in about 10 years. A full guest bedroom is essential for us, due to family circumstances. The office will serve as a home or remote work space for both of us. The “home theater” will probably remain an unused room for now until we have more budget to invest there.
Upper Floor:
On the upper floor, we plan to move the door to the terrace (currently located in the "children’s room") and relocate the wardrobe wall to create a new hallway with access to the terrace. In the bedroom, we will add a wall to create a second bathroom on the upper floor (currently, there is a kitchen in that space).
Attic:
The attic will remain an unheated area and will remain unused or serve as an attic storage space.
This is roughly our current plan. A structural engineer has already reviewed the walls. Most of the work will be done by ourselves. But here, we want to focus on the floor plan.
We are open to all ideas. Please share any constructive feedback.
Thanks and best regards
HappyDee45 schrieb:
First, the plumbing and other installations as well as the roof will be renovated. The windows are not from 1966 but from 1998.Windows from 1998 usually have thermal insulation glazing and a U-value around 1.5 W/m²K (0.26 BTU/hr·ft²·°F); I would keep them if the hardware is still in good condition. You might consider replacing the sash seals.
I would rather look into adding a few more windows on the south side. As the house is currently positioned, the living area tends to be quite dark, especially in the afternoon.
Are you really budgeting €200,000 (about $220,000) for new electrical work, water/sewage systems, roofing, and some walls/masonry work as DIY? I’m not sure where you would spend that much on materials alone.
H
HappyDee4531 Jul 2018 08:45dertill schrieb:
Windows from 1998 already have insulated glazing with a U-value around 1.5 W/m²K – I would keep them if the fittings are still in good condition. Possibly renew the sash seals. I would rather look into adding a few more windows on the south side. As it is, the living area will be quite dark, especially in the afternoon.
Are you really planning to invest 200,000€ in DIY work for new electrical, plumbing/drainage, roof, and some walls/masonry? I honestly don’t know where I would spend that much on materials.Correct – that’s what a professional also told me. I have factored in “window maintenance.” I still need to find and upload the site plan of the property. The south side has very few windows because the distance to the neighboring house is just under 2 meters (6.5 feet). So not much light will come in there anyway, and fire protection regulations have to be considered here as well.
There are a few more items included in the calculation. I will upload my cost estimate in the next few days – we are still working on it intensively.
H
HappyDee4531 Jul 2018 08:52So, we have taken your suggestions into account and revised our upper floor plan. The idea of having a baby room and, if necessary, moving the guest room into the baby room in a few years was well received.
In total, we now have 285 m² (3,067 sq ft) of living space. Yes, it is a lot, but for the planned five occupants (luxuriously), it seems reasonable, doesn’t it?
Furthermore, I found a depiction of the terrace/balcony to help illustrate it — it wasn’t implemented exactly as shown, but it gives a better idea. There is one room each in the basement and ground floor, and a terrace/balcony on the upper floor.
In total, we now have 285 m² (3,067 sq ft) of living space. Yes, it is a lot, but for the planned five occupants (luxuriously), it seems reasonable, doesn’t it?
Furthermore, I found a depiction of the terrace/balcony to help illustrate it — it wasn’t implemented exactly as shown, but it gives a better idea. There is one room each in the basement and ground floor, and a terrace/balcony on the upper floor.
Okay, now I understand. So it’s more like a rooftop terrace.
I really think the parents' area is much better now!
Even though the bathroom is relatively new, I would still consider combining the narrow WC with the kids' bathroom. If it was done just 4 years ago, maybe you can still get the same tiles and won’t have to renovate everything?
A short wall next to the bathtub could remain as a privacy screen for the toilet. The door to the bathroom could be bricked up, keeping only the toilet door, which would make for a nice bathroom.
Then there would only be two narrow rooms left.
I once lived in an old house with a similar bathroom/WC setup. It always annoyed me because you ended up with two cramped rooms. However, I was renting at the time (so I wouldn’t have invested in a renovation), and also, the bathtub was located on the wall between the two narrow rooms, so it wouldn’t have been as easy to change as it is here.
But I guess it was the “latest trend” to design it that way back then.
I really think the parents' area is much better now!
Even though the bathroom is relatively new, I would still consider combining the narrow WC with the kids' bathroom. If it was done just 4 years ago, maybe you can still get the same tiles and won’t have to renovate everything?
A short wall next to the bathtub could remain as a privacy screen for the toilet. The door to the bathroom could be bricked up, keeping only the toilet door, which would make for a nice bathroom.
Then there would only be two narrow rooms left.
I once lived in an old house with a similar bathroom/WC setup. It always annoyed me because you ended up with two cramped rooms. However, I was renting at the time (so I wouldn’t have invested in a renovation), and also, the bathtub was located on the wall between the two narrow rooms, so it wouldn’t have been as easy to change as it is here.
But I guess it was the “latest trend” to design it that way back then.
H
HappyDee4531 Jul 2018 09:24Climbee schrieb:
Okay, now I get it. So it's more of a roof terrace.
I really find the parents’ area much better now!
I would still consider, even if the bathroom is relatively new, whether to combine the narrow toilet room with the children’s bathroom. If it was done just 4 years ago, maybe you can still get the same tiles and wouldn’t have to redo everything?
A small wall segment by the bathtub could remain as a privacy screen for the toilet. The door to the bathroom could be bricked up and only the toilet door kept, then it would be a nice bathroom.
Right now, there are just two narrow rooms.
I once lived in an old house with a similar toilet/bathroom layout. It always annoyed me because you had two cramped rooms. But back then I was renting (and wouldn’t have invested in remodeling), and also the bathtub was located on the wall between the two narrow rooms, so it wouldn’t have been as easy as it is here.
But at that time, it was apparently “the latest trend” to design it that way.Roof terrace! Yes, exactly! That’s the term I was missing—thanks.
Yes, we all have to agree with you on that. We really couldn’t think of any major arguments against it yesterday. Everything really “makes sense” this way.
Right, right, and right. We will reconsider it and take another careful look.
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