Hello everyone,
after quietly reading for some time, I am now hoping for your help.
Almost three years ago, we bought and renovated a bungalow from the 1970s (not an energy-efficient renovation). Since the ground floor now meets our needs, it is time to focus on the attic.
And this is where you come in.
The attic is basically already developed, but not in the way we imagine it.
We want one bathroom with a shower, one master bedroom, and one or two children’s rooms.
Unfortunately, I don’t have dimensioned plans; the exterior measurements were taken from the ground floor plan. The other data were measured by myself and therefore are probably not 100% accurate.
I am mainly looking for creative input and ideas for the room layout. I have attached my first draft/idea.
Important details:
- Concrete ceiling
- Roof pitch 35 degrees
- Two wooden beams and the chimney/vent are fixed and cannot be moved (marked in white)
- Windows as they are
- Wastewater outlet located to the left of the stairs in the exterior wall
- The white lines outside are meant to mark the 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) line, which will become the new knee wall
- The roof shape surprised us somewhat because where the white line for the knee wall is drawn, the large roof is actually recessed into the smaller roof on the inside, which in my opinion makes the smaller roof less usable
What do you think of my idea? Is it feasible or not? Will the rooms/functionality work out well?
Do you have suggestions for improvements or maybe a completely different idea?
after quietly reading for some time, I am now hoping for your help.
Almost three years ago, we bought and renovated a bungalow from the 1970s (not an energy-efficient renovation). Since the ground floor now meets our needs, it is time to focus on the attic.
And this is where you come in.
The attic is basically already developed, but not in the way we imagine it.
We want one bathroom with a shower, one master bedroom, and one or two children’s rooms.
Unfortunately, I don’t have dimensioned plans; the exterior measurements were taken from the ground floor plan. The other data were measured by myself and therefore are probably not 100% accurate.
I am mainly looking for creative input and ideas for the room layout. I have attached my first draft/idea.
Important details:
- Concrete ceiling
- Roof pitch 35 degrees
- Two wooden beams and the chimney/vent are fixed and cannot be moved (marked in white)
- Windows as they are
- Wastewater outlet located to the left of the stairs in the exterior wall
- The white lines outside are meant to mark the 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) line, which will become the new knee wall
- The roof shape surprised us somewhat because where the white line for the knee wall is drawn, the large roof is actually recessed into the smaller roof on the inside, which in my opinion makes the smaller roof less usable
What do you think of my idea? Is it feasible or not? Will the rooms/functionality work out well?
Do you have suggestions for improvements or maybe a completely different idea?
If your family planning is not yet finalized, I would suggest designing three relatively equal-sized rooms. This way, you remain more flexible. Two rooms can always be combined later. I find buildings from the 1980s and 1990s sometimes feel a bit dark. You get used to light. Take a look at knee wall cupboards. I think they are a great way to utilize the space under the sloped roof, especially when the children are still small.
haydee schrieb:
I find some houses from the 80s and 90s quite dark. You get used to light.Yes, I agree. They are darker. Besides, having a view of the garden on the ground floor is a wonderful thing.Erlkönig schrieb:
In an emergency, there is still the option to put both children in one room at first and later use the attic only for the children while the parents return downstairs.I don’t quite understand: you have space and rooms downstairs, so why not use that level fully and keep the parents’ area downstairs? Let the kids have the attic; that way, there won’t be small, dark rooms full of compromises.Erlkönig schrieb:
But don’t get me wrong,No, it’s not about preferences, but about human needs, some of which are even reflected in legal requirements.Has the existing sketch already been completed like this?
There is hardly any way to make meaningful changes.
Is there a wooden beam ceiling on the ground floor?
Yesterday, I sketched something similar to ypg’s plan. Unfortunately, I only have access to the scanner today.
Of course, the hallway has no natural light. That is unavoidable.
Whether the bathrooms will work as planned still needs to be checked.
A professional renovation requires a design from an architect.
For the renovation, a building permit / planning permission will be needed anyway. Phases 1-4 of the architectural service are the minimum required.
There is hardly any way to make meaningful changes.
Is there a wooden beam ceiling on the ground floor?
Yesterday, I sketched something similar to ypg’s plan. Unfortunately, I only have access to the scanner today.
Of course, the hallway has no natural light. That is unavoidable.
Whether the bathrooms will work as planned still needs to be checked.
A professional renovation requires a design from an architect.
For the renovation, a building permit / planning permission will be needed anyway. Phases 1-4 of the architectural service are the minimum required.
ypg schrieb:
I don’t quite understand: you have the space and rooms downstairs—so why not just enjoy that level and keep the parents’ area there? Let the kids have the attic; that way, there won’t be any rooms that are too small, dark, or full of compromises.
That’s a brilliant idea. It significantly reduces costs.
haydee schrieb:
If your family planning isn’t finished yet, I would suggest designing three rooms of roughly equal size. That way you stay flexible. Two rooms can always be combined later. I find houses built in the 80s and 90s sometimes feel dark, but you get used to the light. Take a look at knee wall cupboards—they’re a great way to make good use of space under sloped ceilings, especially when the kids are still small. That was basically my original idea, but planning fails because something is always in the way—stairs, beams, drainage, chimney. That’s why I’m here, in case someone else is more creative.
ypg schrieb:
Yes, I agree. They are darker. Also, having the view of the garden from the ground floor is a wonderful feature.
I don’t quite understand: you do have space and rooms downstairs—so why not plan to enjoy that level and keep the parents’ area there? Let the kids have the attic, so you avoid small, dark rooms full of compromises.
No, but it’s not about preferences; it’s about human needs, some of which are even regulated by law. In my opinion, having the parents basically downstairs is rather impractical and unnecessary with small children if it’s just one child.
Regarding windows again: if I were building new (ideally with an unlimited budget), I would plan differently. But with existing buildings, you usually have to make compromises (hence my comment about the bathroom or bedroom). Even though I think our ground floor doesn’t have small windows, it would probably be far too dark for both of you (since it’s a bungalow, and quite overgrown).
icandoit schrieb:
Maybe it would help to update the ground floor layout.
I imagine the kitchen might be in a different place than on the plan. Could the area shown as the kitchen actually be the bathroom? The ground floor layout matches my drawing (page 1, post 6). So no, the kitchen is where it is marked on the plan.
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