Hello everyone,
My wife and I (both 29 years old) are facing the decision of purchasing a property built in 1967. We have been considering for some time whether buying and completely renovating the house would be worthwhile and how to best make use of the existing potential. Since neither of us has experience in the construction industry, we have developed some ideas but are often uncertain about feasibility and costs. Therefore, we would greatly appreciate your expert feedback! At the same time, we hope you can inspire us with new suggestions we might not have considered. Here are some key facts about the house:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Location: Southern Baden (near Freiburg)
Year built: 1967
Construction type: Solid masonry (30 cm (12 inches) thick exterior brick walls)
Basement ceiling: known here as "Kochdecken" (hollow-core slab)
Living area: 130 m² (1400 sq ft approx.)
Usable floor space: 133 m² (1432 sq ft approx.)
Plot size: 633 m² (0.16 acres approx.)
Slope: none
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: no development plan available
Property bordering: as above
Floors: no screed
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of floors: 1.5
Roof style: gable roof
Architectural style: ---
Orientation: southwest
Maximum height restrictions / limits: no development plan available
Homeowner Requirements
Architectural style, roof design, building type: ---
Basement, floors: ground floor, upper floor
CURRENT rooms on ground floor: 1 cloakroom, 1 guest toilet, 1 kitchen, 1 pantry, 1 dining room, 1 living room
DESIRED rooms on ground floor: open-plan living-dining area, guest WC with shower, cloakroom
CURRENT rooms on upper floor: 1 bathroom, 3 bedrooms
DESIRED rooms on upper floor: 1 bathroom (much larger), 1 master bedroom, 1 child’s bedroom, 1 office
Additional requirements: 2 children’s bedrooms
Expansion potential: attic, garage attic (adjacent to main house)
Number of people, ages: 2 adults (29 years old), 1 child (1 year), 2 more children planned
Office: home office
Annual overnight guests: 5
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction style: mixed
Open kitchen, cooking island: open with island and breakfast bar
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony
Garage, carport: garage present
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
House Design
Personal budget limit for full renovation and extensions including fittings: 450,000 EUR
Preferred heating system: underfloor heating with heat pump
We currently do not have structural engineering plans, so we can only estimate load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls based on wall thickness.
Our ideas for expanding living space
The main issue with the property is insufficient living space. We are considering converting the garage attic. However, since the garage floor is about 1 meter (3.3 feet) lower than the house floor, a "simple" opening from the upper floor into the garage attic would not be straightforward (due to roof structure). Our idea is to remove the garage roof and increase the height of the attic level so that an opening with a staircase into the garage attic becomes possible. What are your thoughts and ideas on this?
Another idea is to convert the house attic. Since the roof will be completely re-roofed and insulated during renovation, this seems like a logical step to us. Currently, there is only a fold-down ladder in the upper floor hallway that leads to the attic. A fixed staircase would need to be installed here, but we have no idea where it could go without reducing living space. One idea was to enlarge the stairwell, but we are not sure if this is possible with the roof orientation. What do you think?
Another topic is heating. Since we want underfloor heating throughout the house, we wonder how this could be implemented in the attic space. Do you have any ideas?
Our ideas for improving the living space
Ground floor
Currently, a cabinet acts as a partition between the dining room and kitchen. Instead of this "open separation," we could imagine an L-shaped kitchen island with a breakfast bar.
Although we like pantries, we would give up the partition wall in favor of a larger kitchen. For storage, we imagine 3-4 tall cabinets (the pantry windows are probably not ideally placed). Possibly, an additional storage room could be created between the house and garage (for vacuum cleaner, etc.).
The dining room currently has no west-facing windows. We would like to install floor-to-ceiling windows here — or even corner windows facing the terrace (south-facing).
Another idea would be to integrate a corner bench in the dining room to use the space more efficiently. In that case, floor-to-ceiling windows would not be suitable.
In the living room, arranging the sofa is difficult. There are already windows and a door facing south. To keep the space between the living and dining areas as open and spacious as possible, we would place the sofa in the corner in front of windows looking north. This is not ideal but gives us free space for the children to play.
We would like to place a Swedish stove at the fireplace. Is there enough space? Could a tiled stove with seating be installed here?
We are uncertain about the doors to the hallway in the kitchen and living room. On the one hand, open-plan living is nice, but on the other hand, it might be beneficial to separate the floors from noise. Perhaps remove the kitchen door and install a sliding door in the living room?
The cloakroom is practical and necessary, but we would also like to have a small shower in the WC. We are unsure how a floor plan could look here.
Upper floor
We definitely want to enlarge the bathroom and would give up the third bedroom for this. From the remaining area, a corridor could lead to the opening toward the garage.
There is a small shed dormer in the stairwell for lighting. We would like to enlarge this to give both rooms on the left and right an additional window.
In the master bedroom (southwest), we want to add another window. This could be done by enlarging the dormer above the bathroom. Another idea is to install a large roof window above the bed.
Also, we would need space for the fixed staircase to the attic if we convert it to living space.
All plans are attached. Our ideas are summarized in the file "IDEEN_EG_DG."
We look forward to your feedback and any suggestions for what could be done with this property.
Thank you very much in advance!
Family Lischli
My wife and I (both 29 years old) are facing the decision of purchasing a property built in 1967. We have been considering for some time whether buying and completely renovating the house would be worthwhile and how to best make use of the existing potential. Since neither of us has experience in the construction industry, we have developed some ideas but are often uncertain about feasibility and costs. Therefore, we would greatly appreciate your expert feedback! At the same time, we hope you can inspire us with new suggestions we might not have considered. Here are some key facts about the house:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Location: Southern Baden (near Freiburg)
Year built: 1967
Construction type: Solid masonry (30 cm (12 inches) thick exterior brick walls)
Basement ceiling: known here as "Kochdecken" (hollow-core slab)
Living area: 130 m² (1400 sq ft approx.)
Usable floor space: 133 m² (1432 sq ft approx.)
Plot size: 633 m² (0.16 acres approx.)
Slope: none
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: no development plan available
Property bordering: as above
Floors: no screed
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of floors: 1.5
Roof style: gable roof
Architectural style: ---
Orientation: southwest
Maximum height restrictions / limits: no development plan available
Homeowner Requirements
Architectural style, roof design, building type: ---
Basement, floors: ground floor, upper floor
CURRENT rooms on ground floor: 1 cloakroom, 1 guest toilet, 1 kitchen, 1 pantry, 1 dining room, 1 living room
DESIRED rooms on ground floor: open-plan living-dining area, guest WC with shower, cloakroom
CURRENT rooms on upper floor: 1 bathroom, 3 bedrooms
DESIRED rooms on upper floor: 1 bathroom (much larger), 1 master bedroom, 1 child’s bedroom, 1 office
Additional requirements: 2 children’s bedrooms
Expansion potential: attic, garage attic (adjacent to main house)
Number of people, ages: 2 adults (29 years old), 1 child (1 year), 2 more children planned
Office: home office
Annual overnight guests: 5
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction style: mixed
Open kitchen, cooking island: open with island and breakfast bar
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony
Garage, carport: garage present
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
House Design
Personal budget limit for full renovation and extensions including fittings: 450,000 EUR
Preferred heating system: underfloor heating with heat pump
We currently do not have structural engineering plans, so we can only estimate load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls based on wall thickness.
Our ideas for expanding living space
The main issue with the property is insufficient living space. We are considering converting the garage attic. However, since the garage floor is about 1 meter (3.3 feet) lower than the house floor, a "simple" opening from the upper floor into the garage attic would not be straightforward (due to roof structure). Our idea is to remove the garage roof and increase the height of the attic level so that an opening with a staircase into the garage attic becomes possible. What are your thoughts and ideas on this?
Another idea is to convert the house attic. Since the roof will be completely re-roofed and insulated during renovation, this seems like a logical step to us. Currently, there is only a fold-down ladder in the upper floor hallway that leads to the attic. A fixed staircase would need to be installed here, but we have no idea where it could go without reducing living space. One idea was to enlarge the stairwell, but we are not sure if this is possible with the roof orientation. What do you think?
Another topic is heating. Since we want underfloor heating throughout the house, we wonder how this could be implemented in the attic space. Do you have any ideas?
Our ideas for improving the living space
Ground floor
Currently, a cabinet acts as a partition between the dining room and kitchen. Instead of this "open separation," we could imagine an L-shaped kitchen island with a breakfast bar.
Although we like pantries, we would give up the partition wall in favor of a larger kitchen. For storage, we imagine 3-4 tall cabinets (the pantry windows are probably not ideally placed). Possibly, an additional storage room could be created between the house and garage (for vacuum cleaner, etc.).
The dining room currently has no west-facing windows. We would like to install floor-to-ceiling windows here — or even corner windows facing the terrace (south-facing).
Another idea would be to integrate a corner bench in the dining room to use the space more efficiently. In that case, floor-to-ceiling windows would not be suitable.
In the living room, arranging the sofa is difficult. There are already windows and a door facing south. To keep the space between the living and dining areas as open and spacious as possible, we would place the sofa in the corner in front of windows looking north. This is not ideal but gives us free space for the children to play.
We would like to place a Swedish stove at the fireplace. Is there enough space? Could a tiled stove with seating be installed here?
We are uncertain about the doors to the hallway in the kitchen and living room. On the one hand, open-plan living is nice, but on the other hand, it might be beneficial to separate the floors from noise. Perhaps remove the kitchen door and install a sliding door in the living room?
The cloakroom is practical and necessary, but we would also like to have a small shower in the WC. We are unsure how a floor plan could look here.
Upper floor
We definitely want to enlarge the bathroom and would give up the third bedroom for this. From the remaining area, a corridor could lead to the opening toward the garage.
There is a small shed dormer in the stairwell for lighting. We would like to enlarge this to give both rooms on the left and right an additional window.
In the master bedroom (southwest), we want to add another window. This could be done by enlarging the dormer above the bathroom. Another idea is to install a large roof window above the bed.
Also, we would need space for the fixed staircase to the attic if we convert it to living space.
All plans are attached. Our ideas are summarized in the file "IDEEN_EG_DG."
We look forward to your feedback and any suggestions for what could be done with this property.
Thank you very much in advance!
Family Lischli
Interesting project you’re planning!
I think you can get that approved from a building regulation standpoint. It would be subordinate to the house or the façade and is doable. Whether you need it in the bedroom, I doubt. I would install roof windows on the side rather than above the bed.
I don’t see any significant usable area in the attic that would be suitable for living space.
What kind of noise are you expecting?
I like that, but the room has to be large enough to accommodate it, which seems to be the case here.
I don’t quite understand the staircases in the garage. Do you need additional rooms? What is the condition of the basement?
Lischli schrieb:
Shed dormer
I think you can get that approved from a building regulation standpoint. It would be subordinate to the house or the façade and is doable. Whether you need it in the bedroom, I doubt. I would install roof windows on the side rather than above the bed.
Lischli schrieb:
We would also need to accommodate the staircase to the attic if we convert it into living space.
I don’t see any significant usable area in the attic that would be suitable for living space.
Lischli schrieb:
On the other hand, it can certainly be an advantage to separate the floors to reduce noise.
What kind of noise are you expecting?
Lischli schrieb:
It’s not ideal, but it gives us free space for the children to play.
I like that, but the room has to be large enough to accommodate it, which seems to be the case here.
I don’t quite understand the staircases in the garage. Do you need additional rooms? What is the condition of the basement?
Thank you for your reply, ypg!
Since we are planning for two more children, we need a total of three children's bedrooms in addition to the master bedroom. This is not possible with the current living area (especially since I need an office for working from home). That’s why we have these two ideas for expanding the living space, and we would appreciate your feedback.
ypg schrieb:
I don’t quite understand the stairs in the garage. Do you need additional rooms? What is the basement like?
Since we are planning for two more children, we need a total of three children's bedrooms in addition to the master bedroom. This is not possible with the current living area (especially since I need an office for working from home). That’s why we have these two ideas for expanding the living space, and we would appreciate your feedback.
Summary: The house is worthwhile, but more so for other people whose current state and desired outcome align better. The ideas for modifications will hardly be feasible here. I do not see this house being renovated to look younger than the style of 1995/2000, and that only at a cost noticeably higher than new construction.
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