ᐅ "Extension" of a townhouse – just before construction begins...
Created on: 9 Jan 2021 17:29
J
JonasK.Hello dear forum,
My wife and I are planning to build an urban villa of just under 170sqm (1,828 sq ft) together with our two children. We have found a nice plot with hardly any restrictions in the development plan, a great architect, a floor plan that works well for us, the building permit (in the building notification procedure) is in place, and we want to start in the next few days. So far, everything sounds great...
...if only my wife and I hadn’t received an unexpected Christmas gift and now need an additional child's bedroom :p 😎 although unplanned, of course we are really happy, but we now have to rethink. Our architect is still on vacation and will be back on Tuesday, but this whole thing is weighing on my mind, maybe someone still has an idea...
[B]Option 1 – Bigger house, completely new floor plan[/B]
This is only an absolute last resort for us; we actually don’t want to build bigger since our eldest is “already” 14, so it won’t be three kids forever...
Option 2 – Basement
Not an option due to costs and the required redesign.
Option 3 – Adjust existing floor plan
We have already tried this, but we don’t want to make the children’s rooms smaller either. Although we have planned an office, it is also needed as such.
Option 4 – Our favorite
We have a hipped roof with a pitch of 25 degrees, initially designed as a cold roof (is that the correct term?), with a folding ladder. We planned to insulate it ourselves later (although I have now read that “simply insulating” is not a good option regarding mold, but that is another topic...) and use it as storage space.
Our current idea would be
Is this feasible—or a totally crazy idea?! 🙄
At first, I would just need to notify the building authority about the changed roof pitch (is that complicated? A completely new building notification? We will still remain within the development plan with this modification) — the static calculations would have to be redone... but I estimate this option to have the lowest cost and time effort.
What about escape routes...? Is there anything to consider?
Of course, I will discuss this with our architect, but I wanted to get some feedback before I get stuck on this idea...
Thanks for your suggestions!
My wife and I are planning to build an urban villa of just under 170sqm (1,828 sq ft) together with our two children. We have found a nice plot with hardly any restrictions in the development plan, a great architect, a floor plan that works well for us, the building permit (in the building notification procedure) is in place, and we want to start in the next few days. So far, everything sounds great...
...if only my wife and I hadn’t received an unexpected Christmas gift and now need an additional child's bedroom :p 😎 although unplanned, of course we are really happy, but we now have to rethink. Our architect is still on vacation and will be back on Tuesday, but this whole thing is weighing on my mind, maybe someone still has an idea...
[B]Option 1 – Bigger house, completely new floor plan[/B]
This is only an absolute last resort for us; we actually don’t want to build bigger since our eldest is “already” 14, so it won’t be three kids forever...
Option 2 – Basement
Not an option due to costs and the required redesign.
Option 3 – Adjust existing floor plan
We have already tried this, but we don’t want to make the children’s rooms smaller either. Although we have planned an office, it is also needed as such.
Option 4 – Our favorite
We have a hipped roof with a pitch of 25 degrees, initially designed as a cold roof (is that the correct term?), with a folding ladder. We planned to insulate it ourselves later (although I have now read that “simply insulating” is not a good option regarding mold, but that is another topic...) and use it as storage space.
Our current idea would be
- to partition off 8sqm (86 sq ft) of the walk-in closet from the bedroom as a separate room and install a staircase from there to the attic
- to turn the current office into a bedroom, and use the attic as an office/guest room
Is this feasible—or a totally crazy idea?! 🙄
At first, I would just need to notify the building authority about the changed roof pitch (is that complicated? A completely new building notification? We will still remain within the development plan with this modification) — the static calculations would have to be redone... but I estimate this option to have the lowest cost and time effort.
What about escape routes...? Is there anything to consider?
Of course, I will discuss this with our architect, but I wanted to get some feedback before I get stuck on this idea...
Thanks for your suggestions!
K
knalltüte9 Jan 2021 18:02Go ahead and upload your floor plans and fill out the questionnaire 😉
That will make it easier for the experts (and I definitely don’t mean myself) to provide suitable suggestions.
That will make it easier for the experts (and I definitely don’t mean myself) to provide suitable suggestions.
bauenmk20209 Jan 2021 18:06How far apart in age are the children? Especially in the first few years, a separate children's room is not necessarily needed. But eventually, the time will come when each child requires their own room.
We also have a walk-in closet that was planned as a "backup office" if needed (network outlet, enough electrical sockets). The primary office on the ground floor could then be used for an older child. Or even as a parents' bedroom, with the previous parents' bedroom plus walk-in closet becoming the room for the older child.
I think this is a good way to plan for a "temporary adjustment to needs."
A full conversion of the attic, however, would be a much bigger project. If it were financially feasible, I would do it right away. What knee wall height do you have, and is there a cross-section drawing of the house?
We also have a walk-in closet that was planned as a "backup office" if needed (network outlet, enough electrical sockets). The primary office on the ground floor could then be used for an older child. Or even as a parents' bedroom, with the previous parents' bedroom plus walk-in closet becoming the room for the older child.
I think this is a good way to plan for a "temporary adjustment to needs."
A full conversion of the attic, however, would be a much bigger project. If it were financially feasible, I would do it right away. What knee wall height do you have, and is there a cross-section drawing of the house?
JonasK. schrieb:
We have a great floor plan, the building permit (under the notification procedure) has been approved, and we plan to start in the next few days. Everything sounds great so far... [...] maybe someone else has an idea... [...] What about the emergency escape route, ... is there something that needs to be considered? Well, then please show the existing plans, otherwise we only know the basis for the changes from the text description (which easily reduces participation in the discussion by a factor of ten). Emergency escape routes, yes, they are required for every floor with habitable rooms.
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Congratulations.
As always, my comment regarding fire safety: Are the roof windows suitable as a second means of escape for the floor? Otherwise, the attic is not officially approved for living space.
Overall, converting the attic is certainly the simplest option. It’s doable. Just wait for the architect; she will be able to tell you exactly what needs to be done properly. Of course, you can already check with the building authority (building permit / planning permission office) on Monday to find out how easily such changes can still be made and how long a new inspection might take. The reason involving the baby will probably please them as well. In my experience, people are always very understanding and helpful in such cases 🙂
It’s better to have it done properly now than to have a botched job later. I’m not a fan of the idea with the underfloor heating. You still have the chance to install the underfloor heating correctly upstairs now.
As always, my comment regarding fire safety: Are the roof windows suitable as a second means of escape for the floor? Otherwise, the attic is not officially approved for living space.
Overall, converting the attic is certainly the simplest option. It’s doable. Just wait for the architect; she will be able to tell you exactly what needs to be done properly. Of course, you can already check with the building authority (building permit / planning permission office) on Monday to find out how easily such changes can still be made and how long a new inspection might take. The reason involving the baby will probably please them as well. In my experience, people are always very understanding and helpful in such cases 🙂
It’s better to have it done properly now than to have a botched job later. I’m not a fan of the idea with the underfloor heating. You still have the chance to install the underfloor heating correctly upstairs now.
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