We are in the process of purchasing a semi-detached house in need of full renovation, which we plan to completely refurbish and extend. Key details are as follows:
Existing semi-detached house, 1.5 stories with a pitched roof, 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft), built around 1930 – everything will be gutted and rebuilt. A new extension of 90 sqm (969 sq ft) will be added, two stories in a cubical design, with a basement of about 40 sqm (431 sq ft).
We have agreed on a purchase price, financing is secured, and we estimate total costs of 900,000 euros. We decided to finance 500,000 euros and contribute 400,000 euros in equity.
Now for the question: We tend to want to carry out the entire project (renovation to KFW70EE standard plus extension with basement) with the help of an architect. I have time and enjoy planning, which is important when choosing the option without a general contractor and working with an architect.
I am interested in your experiences regarding collaboration with an architect. What should we look out for when choosing one? How does the ideal collaboration process work? Any other tips? Would you build this way again?
What we definitely do not need is someone who just wants to impose their ideas without considering our wishes. We already know exactly what we need and want in terms of size and floor plan, we are familiar with the zoning plan, the building envelope, etc., and do not need advice on where to place the home office or whether we need one at all. These are fundamental decisions we have already made. Our focus is therefore less on design help and more on submitting applications, managing the construction process, and achieving better cost control and transparency.
I look forward to your experiences and advice on this!
Existing semi-detached house, 1.5 stories with a pitched roof, 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft), built around 1930 – everything will be gutted and rebuilt. A new extension of 90 sqm (969 sq ft) will be added, two stories in a cubical design, with a basement of about 40 sqm (431 sq ft).
We have agreed on a purchase price, financing is secured, and we estimate total costs of 900,000 euros. We decided to finance 500,000 euros and contribute 400,000 euros in equity.
Now for the question: We tend to want to carry out the entire project (renovation to KFW70EE standard plus extension with basement) with the help of an architect. I have time and enjoy planning, which is important when choosing the option without a general contractor and working with an architect.
I am interested in your experiences regarding collaboration with an architect. What should we look out for when choosing one? How does the ideal collaboration process work? Any other tips? Would you build this way again?
What we definitely do not need is someone who just wants to impose their ideas without considering our wishes. We already know exactly what we need and want in terms of size and floor plan, we are familiar with the zoning plan, the building envelope, etc., and do not need advice on where to place the home office or whether we need one at all. These are fundamental decisions we have already made. Our focus is therefore less on design help and more on submitting applications, managing the construction process, and achieving better cost control and transparency.
I look forward to your experiences and advice on this!
ruby27 schrieb:
What we absolutely do not want is someone who just wants to impose their ideas on us without considering our wishes. *LOL*, I get the feeling someone already managed that, namely the architecture firm Pinterest:
ruby27 schrieb:
Existing semi-detached house, 1.5 stories with a gable roof, 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft), built around 1930 – everything out and completely new. A new two-story cube-shaped extension of 90 sqm (969 sq ft) with a basement is to be added, ruby27 schrieb:
We already know exactly what we need/want regarding size and layout, we are familiar with the development plan, the building envelope, etc., and don’t need advice on where the home office should be or even if we need one at all. These are fundamental things, we know what we want. So, it’s less about help with design and more about submitting applications, construction supervision, and better cost control and transparency. Cost control starts with planning. And fighting against fixed client ideas is the tightest building gap of all, as well as similarly costly as challenges with the plot itself.
ruby27 schrieb:
We are inclined to carry out the entire project (renovation to KFW70EE standard plus extension with a basement) with an architect. The basement under the extension would be my first point to investigate. It is important to choose an architect experienced with older buildings (and not someone aiming for a before-and-after photo story in a lifestyle magazine). Primarily, someone who understands that the design phase 1 for integrating an existing building is not half the work compared to a vacant lot, but twice as much. Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone like that in my regional contacts. From my own experience, here’s a tip: do NOT create breaks in the building structure at the junction between the existing building and the extension! (The same applies for any requests for multiple ceiling heights).
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https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Thank you for your reply. By wishes and needs, I meant things like: we need three children's bedrooms and a home office. And a living area that is as soundproof as possible from the kitchen/dining area (sliding door). A small guest bathroom and a full bathroom are also essential. There are no compromises on that. With a planned living area of about 190 sqm (2,045 sq ft) and a budget of 900,000 to a maximum of 1 million, I think this should be possible.
We have three children and work a lot from home. An architect who tries to impose their idea that "a work corner in the living room is enough, two children can share a bedroom, and a completely open living/kitchen/dining area is much nicer" is of no use to me.
We currently have an "open everything" layout, and it is extremely frustrating (one child has to do homework under supervision at the dining table, another is sick on the sofa watching TV, a third has friends over and runs around the room, one adult has to be on the phone, the other unloads the dishwasher – everyone ends up getting on each other’s nerves in the open living/kitchen/dining area). So, I would really be bothered if these wishes are not respected. A basement is absolutely desirable. We have one now and do not want to give it up (for storage and a workshop, not as a living basement).
Apart from that, I’m not a structural engineer. If the architect says that a basement is technically not feasible for certain reasons or that construction costs would completely exceed our budget, then there simply will be no basement. That would be a pity, but there’s nothing to be done about it.
If the architect says, "Why do you need a basement? Nobody needs a basement! We can plan an 8 sqm (86 sq ft) storage room on the upper floor instead" – then the basement should still be realized, please. After all, we want to live in the house later, not the architect.
We have three children and work a lot from home. An architect who tries to impose their idea that "a work corner in the living room is enough, two children can share a bedroom, and a completely open living/kitchen/dining area is much nicer" is of no use to me.
We currently have an "open everything" layout, and it is extremely frustrating (one child has to do homework under supervision at the dining table, another is sick on the sofa watching TV, a third has friends over and runs around the room, one adult has to be on the phone, the other unloads the dishwasher – everyone ends up getting on each other’s nerves in the open living/kitchen/dining area). So, I would really be bothered if these wishes are not respected. A basement is absolutely desirable. We have one now and do not want to give it up (for storage and a workshop, not as a living basement).
Apart from that, I’m not a structural engineer. If the architect says that a basement is technically not feasible for certain reasons or that construction costs would completely exceed our budget, then there simply will be no basement. That would be a pity, but there’s nothing to be done about it.
If the architect says, "Why do you need a basement? Nobody needs a basement! We can plan an 8 sqm (86 sq ft) storage room on the upper floor instead" – then the basement should still be realized, please. After all, we want to live in the house later, not the architect.
W
WilderSueden11 Mar 2024 16:10ruby27 schrieb:
When the architect says, "Why do you need a basement? Nobody needs a basement! We can just plan an 8sqm (86 sq ft) storage room on the upper floor instead" – then please make sure the basement is actually built. After all, we will be living in the house later, not the architect. A good architect wouldn’t say that. However, they might show you an alternative floor plan without a basement that costs several thousand euros less. Excavating right next to an existing building is a delicate and expensive task. This doesn’t get any easier with older houses, especially if there is no continuous concrete slab foundation.
Alternatively, a good architect might suggest an extension with roof attic storage that doesn’t look out of place when attached to the existing house.
ruby27 schrieb:
Well, it would simply bother me if those wishes were completely ignored. [...] After all, we want to live in the house later, not the architect.As someone who helps find architects, I definitely do not get the impression that they are fundamentally (or even mostly) pathological know-it-alls.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
ruby27 schrieb:
Completely remove everything and start fresh. A new extension of 90sqm (970 sqft) is planned, That basically sounds like a very interesting and exciting project. With the budget you have, quite a lot can certainly be achieved.
ruby27 schrieb:
We have three children and both work a lot from home. So an architect who tries to impose their idea that “a small workspace in the living room is enough, two kids can share a room, and a completely open living/kitchen/dining area is much nicer” is no use to me. An architect, like other service providers, depends on satisfied clients and their recommendations, not on unhappy ones.
ruby27 schrieb:
What is the ideal way to collaborate? Any other tips? Ideally, the collaboration is on equal footing. Optimally, you choose “your” architect because they are skilled, even if here that mainly means expertise in renovating older buildings or combining old and new structures. But those specialists are not very common in the area.
You can simply ask at completed building projects which architect handled them. It doesn’t even have to be about similar looks — you can see if old and new were harmoniously integrated. Then you can ask a lot of questions during a conversation.
ruby27 schrieb:
Enjoying the planning process is supposed to be important if you choose to work with an architect without a general contractor. Actually, it’s quite the opposite, because a general contractor architect does not provide what an independent architect delivers.
Planning is the architect’s core service. As a professional, they know what is feasible and how it must be implemented. You cannot just do a bit of this and that — not everything is possible, and many things must be carefully considered due to structural requirements. Often, you have to use option C, even if you initially mentioned only A and B.
You have preliminary discussions. You explain how you work, what is currently problematic in your living situation, and what you want in the new home — exactly what you wrote here. The difference: we don’t care because we’re not implementing anything for you — the architect needs to know because he or she will be responsible for carrying it out.
A potential problem could be that you don’t give the architect any room to maneuver at all. Right now, they already seem to be frustrated with you (analogous to “disheartened” or “disengaged”).
ruby27 schrieb:
Besides, I’m not a structural engineer. That’s quite a statement. Accordingly, I encourage you to consider whether you really know everything you want. Because…
ruby27 schrieb:
And a living area that is as soundproofed as possible from the kitchen/dining area (sliding door). … a sliding door is not and will never be soundproof. Rather the opposite.
A good piece of advice: skilled architects are rare — they tend to select their clients. Of course, you normally won’t be turned down, but as a paying client, you might not always receive special treatment if you insist you know better than they do. However, cooperation and teamwork are encouraged.
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