Good evening!
I’m hoping for some collective advice. We want to expand a two-family house – the options we considered at the time were either an extension or creating a usable attic by slightly raising the knee wall. I had major reservations about the first option because I’ve hardly ever seen an attractive extension. Then the architect sent me a design that I quite liked. However, it later turned out that structurally it only works with so many compromises that it’s unusable again. For several days now, I’ve been looking at this view and it only looks worse. It resembles a garage. But that’s not all – what was supposed to be a shaded area is unfortunately only 1.7m (5.6 ft) high. Yet that matches the balcony, as it was trimmed to the same width.
All parties involved, meaning us and the architect, generally get along well but are currently a bit stressed with each other. How does one handle a situation like this? By the way, we’re still puzzled about how the chaotic arrangement of windows on the garden side came about.
I’m hoping for some collective advice. We want to expand a two-family house – the options we considered at the time were either an extension or creating a usable attic by slightly raising the knee wall. I had major reservations about the first option because I’ve hardly ever seen an attractive extension. Then the architect sent me a design that I quite liked. However, it later turned out that structurally it only works with so many compromises that it’s unusable again. For several days now, I’ve been looking at this view and it only looks worse. It resembles a garage. But that’s not all – what was supposed to be a shaded area is unfortunately only 1.7m (5.6 ft) high. Yet that matches the balcony, as it was trimmed to the same width.
All parties involved, meaning us and the architect, generally get along well but are currently a bit stressed with each other. How does one handle a situation like this? By the way, we’re still puzzled about how the chaotic arrangement of windows on the garden side came about.
Thank you so far. And of course, thanks for the laughs 😉 We have carefully considered having a second dwelling unit. We have three children in total and almost all parents still alive, some of whom live in oversized units with various health issues. However, when those almost inevitable situations arise, there are hardly any rental apartments available in the area. Later on, there is also the possibility to swap units with the children. If my husband were to fall off the ladder or run off with the neighbor, I wouldn’t want to live alone in a detached 170 m² (1,830 sq ft) house right across from a forest.
Tassimat schrieb:
Wow, the architect really got to be creative there 😉 I would have asked about the structural engineering first. Or I probably would have been shocked by the costs from the start. But that’s not the topic here for now. OK – obviously clear in hindsight. But if you’ve set a budget, do you then have to think about the feasibility within that budget yourself?
11ant schrieb:
I’m not sure which conference hall mezzanine inspired the architects here. Or was it the terrace of an ice cream café, cantilevered over the Alster waterfront? OMG – you made my day 🙂
nordanney schrieb:
It’s like trying to add a Guggenheim Museum extension to an 80s concrete government office building How cool!
What brief did you give the architect for the design? Or how did you envision the result? Are there any references?
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My basic idea was to create a usable attic by increasing the knee wall height. I had several ideas for this and still believe that a narrow, tall house can be designed beautifully. The architect, however, pretty strongly rejected that and preferred an extension solution. To be honest, I had no ideas for this option at all, because there are really very few references for extensions on a slope and in this situation, most of which I find rather unattractive.
Schelli schrieb:
OK – from today’s perspective, of course. But when you have set a budget, do you then have to consider the feasibility within that budget yourself? Yes!! Because you have to pay the invoices that the architect generates. The architect is not spending their own money.
Of course, there are different types of architects. Maybe yours is very good and has prepared the costs transparently, so that works out. But I would never rely on that with these amounts. A common question is also whether the architectural fees are already included in the budget or not.
The more extravagant a design is, the more difficult cost planning becomes, because the tendering of the trades happens much later, and beforehand the figures are only roughly estimated. If the architect miscalculates, it may be too late to cancel everything. Currently, prices are rising extremely quickly.
Just take a look at which retaining walls inside the house need to stay and then rebuild the walls completely. This might mean you can avoid building an extension. If the roof needs to be replaced anyway, raising the knee wall would definitely be a good idea. That way, your daughter could have a nice duplex apartment (I really love those).
And if you’re thinking about childcare for when the kids get older: don’t count on them living with you. I now live 500 km (about 310 miles) away, and my parents will have to move in with me. There’s no way I’m going to rebuild everything there again with kids and all.
Build the house as accessible as possible for yourselves. If you get to the point where you need care, the house will be too much anyway, and you can comfortably look for assisted living close to your children.
If the family does want to move in with you, you can always renovate the house later to really suit the current needs.
To avoid leaving your daughter out in the cold, you could, as already suggested, give her start-up capital for buying a condo, or she will probably rent, like her siblings likely will.
And if you’re thinking about childcare for when the kids get older: don’t count on them living with you. I now live 500 km (about 310 miles) away, and my parents will have to move in with me. There’s no way I’m going to rebuild everything there again with kids and all.
Build the house as accessible as possible for yourselves. If you get to the point where you need care, the house will be too much anyway, and you can comfortably look for assisted living close to your children.
If the family does want to move in with you, you can always renovate the house later to really suit the current needs.
To avoid leaving your daughter out in the cold, you could, as already suggested, give her start-up capital for buying a condo, or she will probably rent, like her siblings likely will.
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