Hello everyone – I’m actually not a perfect fit here, as we are not building ourselves; our landlord will be converting the attic above our apartment. But I would really appreciate it if someone could still respond!
About the attic: there are 35 sq m (375 sq ft) of usable floor space (total floor area 55 sq m (592 sq ft)), the sloping ceiling starts directly at the floor level, and the height is relatively high – about 5 m (16 ft).
The situation is that we are expecting a child soon. We already have a small room downstairs of about 10 sq m (108 sq ft) that could be used as a child’s room, and we would actually like a second child. Whether that will work out is uncertain.
Back to the attic: a small bathroom with a bathtub is definitely planned, but unfortunately it won’t be very bright (due to historic preservation restrictions).
I am in favor of two larger rooms (a living room and a child’s room), while my partner also wants a living room plus two small rooms. His only argument is that otherwise the child’s room would be “too large.” I think the sloping ceilings can feel oppressive if the space is divided into too many small rooms; also, 35 sq m (375 sq ft) is simply too little for a bathroom and three rooms.
What do you think? What experiences and tips do you have?
About the attic: there are 35 sq m (375 sq ft) of usable floor space (total floor area 55 sq m (592 sq ft)), the sloping ceiling starts directly at the floor level, and the height is relatively high – about 5 m (16 ft).
The situation is that we are expecting a child soon. We already have a small room downstairs of about 10 sq m (108 sq ft) that could be used as a child’s room, and we would actually like a second child. Whether that will work out is uncertain.
Back to the attic: a small bathroom with a bathtub is definitely planned, but unfortunately it won’t be very bright (due to historic preservation restrictions).
I am in favor of two larger rooms (a living room and a child’s room), while my partner also wants a living room plus two small rooms. His only argument is that otherwise the child’s room would be “too large.” I think the sloping ceilings can feel oppressive if the space is divided into too many small rooms; also, 35 sq m (375 sq ft) is simply too little for a bathroom and three rooms.
What do you think? What experiences and tips do you have?
Hi,
I’ll try to organize everything a bit. Maybe I’m right in some places:
You currently live in an apartment, and an attic space above you is planned to be converted for residential use.
Your current apartment consists of (estimated) 1 living room, 1 bedroom, and 1 child’s room (10cm (4 inches) sqm) plus bathroom and kitchen.
The attic offers 35cm (14 inches) sqm of living space (not counting areas under sloped ceilings), of which part (about 10cm (4 inches) sqm?) will be used for a bathroom with a bathtub. That leaves 25cm (10 inches) sqm, but the staircase will also take up some of that. Two rooms (one used as a living room) will be quite cramped — in my opinion, three rooms would be impossible.
I would divide the entire apartment as follows:
Lower level: the living room becomes the parents’ bedroom, the parents’ bedroom becomes the second child’s room — the first child’s room remains as is
Upper level: the bathroom with a bathtub and a living room (though you might question the usefulness of the bathroom there)
This way, the sleeping areas are on one level, separated from the living area.
Background:
With a small child (newborn), you may need to check on them during the night. Doing so means having to go up or down stairs (half-asleep), which can be dangerous.
Speaking of danger: the staircase should always be secured with safety gates at both the top and bottom ends — otherwise, you can expect the kids to test their flying skills.
Another reason for this layout from personal experience: our older child (3.5 years old) often wanders at night. This usually ends quickly in the parents’ bed. Imagine having a staircase in between (see “flying skills” kid).
Also, if the living area is separated with proper sound insulation, you can enjoy your evening activities without risking waking the children.
With this layout, all rooms (except perhaps the current child’s room) would be a reasonable size.
Downside of this arrangement: Most of the kids’ play happens in the living room, which would then be harder to access.
This is based only on an estimated layout of the current apartment.
I’ll try to organize everything a bit. Maybe I’m right in some places:
You currently live in an apartment, and an attic space above you is planned to be converted for residential use.
Your current apartment consists of (estimated) 1 living room, 1 bedroom, and 1 child’s room (10cm (4 inches) sqm) plus bathroom and kitchen.
The attic offers 35cm (14 inches) sqm of living space (not counting areas under sloped ceilings), of which part (about 10cm (4 inches) sqm?) will be used for a bathroom with a bathtub. That leaves 25cm (10 inches) sqm, but the staircase will also take up some of that. Two rooms (one used as a living room) will be quite cramped — in my opinion, three rooms would be impossible.
I would divide the entire apartment as follows:
Lower level: the living room becomes the parents’ bedroom, the parents’ bedroom becomes the second child’s room — the first child’s room remains as is
Upper level: the bathroom with a bathtub and a living room (though you might question the usefulness of the bathroom there)
This way, the sleeping areas are on one level, separated from the living area.
Background:
With a small child (newborn), you may need to check on them during the night. Doing so means having to go up or down stairs (half-asleep), which can be dangerous.
Speaking of danger: the staircase should always be secured with safety gates at both the top and bottom ends — otherwise, you can expect the kids to test their flying skills.
Another reason for this layout from personal experience: our older child (3.5 years old) often wanders at night. This usually ends quickly in the parents’ bed. Imagine having a staircase in between (see “flying skills” kid).
Also, if the living area is separated with proper sound insulation, you can enjoy your evening activities without risking waking the children.
With this layout, all rooms (except perhaps the current child’s room) would be a reasonable size.
Downside of this arrangement: Most of the kids’ play happens in the living room, which would then be harder to access.
This is based only on an estimated layout of the current apartment.
First of all, thank you very much!
@ Bolzen: As far as I know, the building permit / planning permission has been applied for and will probably be granted routinely – this is a larger listed housing estate, and in the identical houses around here, about one-third of the attics have been converted. I also trust our landlord on this; he is on the board of the owners’ association and will (hopefully) avoid causing any trouble.
@ f-pNo: Yes, you guessed correctly! The size of the bathtub bathroom upstairs isn’t quite clear yet. (And yes, it has to be included—my husband has really been missing his bathtub for three years). Our books, folders, desks, etc. are currently in the “children’s room” downstairs, because there is no space for them elsewhere. I really didn’t express myself very clearly. One more piece of information that may be missing: We only have sloping ceilings on the east and west sides; the attics of the neighboring houses are directly to the right and left. And what you say all makes sense; of course, we have already thought about stair safety gates. For now, the child will sleep with us in the bedroom anyway—if the child stays with one of us (off-topic: this time it only worked with medical help and a lot of luck), they would then have, luxuriously, a bedroom downstairs and a playroom upstairs. If the second child works out, your layout would certainly make sense. To be honest, my main goal right now is to convince my husband that having a bathroom plus three rooms upstairs simply won’t work or would feel like a rabbit hutch – maybe he’ll trust “professionals” more than me.
@ Bolzen: As far as I know, the building permit / planning permission has been applied for and will probably be granted routinely – this is a larger listed housing estate, and in the identical houses around here, about one-third of the attics have been converted. I also trust our landlord on this; he is on the board of the owners’ association and will (hopefully) avoid causing any trouble.
@ f-pNo: Yes, you guessed correctly! The size of the bathtub bathroom upstairs isn’t quite clear yet. (And yes, it has to be included—my husband has really been missing his bathtub for three years). Our books, folders, desks, etc. are currently in the “children’s room” downstairs, because there is no space for them elsewhere. I really didn’t express myself very clearly. One more piece of information that may be missing: We only have sloping ceilings on the east and west sides; the attics of the neighboring houses are directly to the right and left. And what you say all makes sense; of course, we have already thought about stair safety gates. For now, the child will sleep with us in the bedroom anyway—if the child stays with one of us (off-topic: this time it only worked with medical help and a lot of luck), they would then have, luxuriously, a bedroom downstairs and a playroom upstairs. If the second child works out, your layout would certainly make sense. To be honest, my main goal right now is to convince my husband that having a bathroom plus three rooms upstairs simply won’t work or would feel like a rabbit hutch – maybe he’ll trust “professionals” more than me.
Schrippe schrieb:
To be honest, my main concern right now is to make my husband understand that having a bathroom plus three rooms upstairs is really not feasible and would just feel like a rabbit hutch – maybe he trusts the "professionals" more than me. .Thank you for the compliment, but I’m not a professional in this matter. Maybe you should just show him the calculations with the square meters. I mean – whether the bathroom is 10 or only 7 square meters (75 or 75 square feet), in the end, you’re left with between 25 and 28 square meters (270 to 300 square feet). That’s enough for a decent living room, but never for a living room plus two small rooms (you’d also have to account for the stairs and a small hallway). In my opinion, “rabbit hutch” is actually the right term for that.
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