ᐅ Extension or knee wall height increase?

Selcukxx schrieb:

An extension to the living room is expensive, but once the foundation is in place, adding another floor is no big deal according to the company, so you can achieve that with a bit more effort. Then, of course, I would also directly expand the bedrooms on the upper floor.

A conservatory would of course be the cheapest and most logical solution, but is something like that possible? It’s supposed to be integrated into the living room, so part of the exterior load-bearing wall would need to be removed.

I’ve now asked for some quotes—if the extension costs me around €80,000 (about $87,000) and the conservatory plus knee wall is only €30,000 (about $33,000), then naturally I would prefer the cheaper option.

My parents received quotes of around 40k just for a conservatory extension without raising the knee wall, but prices seem to vary elsewhere in Germany.

In our neighborhood, someone is currently building a two-story extension, and they have planned for 100k with a lot of personal labor included.

Selcukxx schrieb:

Conservatory + knee wall only 30,000€ then of course I would prefer the cheaper option.

Please separate the two parts. I quickly looked it up, and a heated conservatory (as part of the living room) typically costs around 1,500–2,000€ per square meter (approximately 140–185 USD per square foot). So for your case, that would be 15,000–20,000€ without the complications of a load-bearing exterior wall.

I doubt anyone would increase the knee wall height from 80cm to 200cm (a difference of 120cm (47 inches)) for just 10,000€. Looking at my own quotes, for example, the same house once with a half-story upstairs and a knee wall of about 1.50m (5 feet) and once with a full story, there is a difference of around 15,000€. This is easier with new construction because it doesn’t matter to the roofer if they work one meter higher or lower.

In your case, however, you would have to remove the roof, raise the wall, install windows (or do you want 2m (6.5 feet) high walls without windows?), add a new ceiling for the attic, and redo the roof. That will definitely be significantly more expensive.

Selcukxx schrieb:

I’ve now requested a few quotes where the extension costs about €80,000
and
the conservatory plus knee wall is only €30,000, so of course I would prefer the cheaper option.

I strongly doubt those prices on two counts: firstly the amount itself, and secondly that the roof lift would be the cheaper option. N.E.V.E.R!!!
Who exactly have you requested a "few quotes" from?
The names don’t come to mind right now because steel prefabricated houses are a very niche market — but as far as I know, there are only half a dozen providers across e-u-r-o-p-e (!); and as I mentioned before: you can only take the original manufacturer from them, because each has their own “system” and I firmly expect that none of them would want to modify a competitor’s structure — even if you have all the construction plans, no chance.

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

The thread title also fits our current situation: A single-family house from 1960 can be purchased at a low price, with a living area of 106 sqm (1,141 sq ft). "Issues":
- Bathroom on the first floor is too small, has only a bathtub, no shower.
- Upstairs there are only two (large!) bedrooms, which could be divided into three smaller rooms.
- Knee wall on the first floor is basically 0 cm, but has been artificially raised to 80 cm (31.5 inches) using built-in drywall panels (this is basically storage space between the knee wall and the roof!).
- Poor or no insulation of the roof in the area of the current knee wall (i.e., behind the drywall panels/in the storage space).
--> Therefore, the roof should be stripped and re-insulated anyway, possibly combined with a "living space extension."

Has anyone done this? Stripped the roof covering, dismantled the roof frame, built up the walls by 1 meter (3.3 feet), and installed a new roof with appropriate insulation?
What kind of cost range could be expected? The roof ridge should remain at the same height; simply raising the roof is not an option due to the lack of insulation.

Schallinger schrieb:

The title of the thread also fits our current situation:

No, it doesn’t, and I’m not convinced that the option you have is as you think it is either. It’s best if you post your renovation request as a separate thread.
This thread is about a knee wall, but you have a dwarf wall. Despite the linguistic confusion, these are by no means the same thing, only somewhat similar but quite different ;-) and by the way, “11ant dwarf wall” / “11ant knee wall” should provide some clarification. This is already a classic topic I’ve dealt with several times.
In your gable view, I think I can see dormers. That’s a strong indication of a roof structure that will likely require you to make significant adjustments to your plans.
But more on that in your thread on this rather different topic.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:

No, it doesn’t, and I also don’t see the possibility working out as you imagined. It’s best if you create a separate post for your renovation request.
This thread is about a knee wall, whereas you have a different wall type, often called a dwarf wall. Despite the confusing terminology, these are definitely not the same thing—just somewhat similar but fundamentally different ;-) For more clarity, you might want to check “11ant dwarf wall” / “11ant knee wall.” This topic comes up regularly in my discussions.
In your gable view, I believe I can spot roof extensions. That’s a strong sign that your roof structure will require significant adjustments to your plans.
But it’s better to continue discussing that in your thread on the quite different topic.

Ok, thank you very much, I will do that, thanks for the advice.