ᐅ Architect’s Design – Planning Crisis!

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.

Wow, the architect really got creative here 😉 I would have first asked about the structural engineering. Or I probably would have been shocked by the costs beforehand. But that’s not the main topic here.

Schelli schrieb:

are just a bit stressed with each other right now. How do you handle a situation like this?

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Maybe take a few days off to get some distance.

Schelli schrieb:

As it turned out, the structure only works with so many compromises that it’s no good again.
[..] getting worse and worse. It looks like a garage.
[..] what was supposed to be a shaded area is unfortunately only 1.7 m high (5.6 ft).
[..] Wild growth of windows on the garden-facing side.

I think you need to fundamentally consider whether you can save the current design or live with all the compromises. If the answer is no, then you’ll likely have to start over. It’s just unfortunate that the architect produced a preliminary draft that isn’t feasible. Definitely don’t start blaming anyone, but focus on finding constructive solutions for how to move forward or how to plan anew.

Schelli schrieb:

I’m just hoping for some collective advice. We want to extend a two-family house – at the time, our options were either an extension or creating a usable attic by slightly increasing the knee wall height.

Make it easier for the community to help by showing the house as it is and the renovation plans in the usual format (federal flag). It’s hard to provide constructive feedback about the cornice “UFO,” but the problem itself shouldn’t be too difficult to solve systematically.

What’s the situation: current = two families with two children each / target = two families with two to three children each, or what are the motivation and goals for the renovation?
You need to provide us with proper working materials.

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Schelli schrieb:

I'm just hoping for some crowd support.

What exactly are you expecting from the forum now?
Advice on how to handle reference points?
Comments on the exterior elevations?
Input on the structural engineering?
Feedback on the facade?
Something about the “shadow casting”?
And why an extension at all?

I think it's cool

For me personally, the whole thing would be far too complex. Success almost always lies in simplicity. My recommendation is therefore to restart and go back to the drawing board completely.