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!
Thank you for your response. We are already living together as a family and obviously know what bothers us about our current living situation (if everything were perfect, we wouldn’t be building and moving) and what we like/need. The sliding door you mentioned was in our old apartment and it was invaluable, even though it was 100 years old and only moderately soundproof, not completely. The dining area could be opened up generously to the living area but also closed off easily when more quiet was needed. It was simply great! Now what bothers us is the tiny entrance area without storage, the missing office and children’s room, the kitchen being completely separate from the dining area, the absence of a small shower bathroom in addition to the full bathroom, and a small utility room on the ground floor. What we clearly don’t need is also well defined: for example, a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, a large master bedroom (12m² (130 sq ft) is enough), a huge main bathroom (10m² (108 sq ft) is perfectly sufficient), floor-to-ceiling windows on the first floor (we once had them and found them unnecessary), the staircase to the first floor from the living room (too disruptive). The children’s rooms should be sufficiently large (all at least 14m² (150 sq ft), preferably bigger) and on the same level as the master bedroom, which is important, as is the basement with both interior and exterior access (we use the workshop as a hobby room almost daily). Having natural daylight in the corridor upstairs would be great.
Because we are “only” extending and it is a semi-detached house, the buildable area is already limited, meaning certain things are fixed (e.g., no windows on one side of the house, the main entrance only makes sense in one place, the terrace at the rear, and the living area has to be planned in front of it, since it should border the terrace).
We have already made considerations and drawings for the floor plan that we are very happy with. I wouldn’t want to make any design changes at this point. Of course, if something has to be changed due to structural reasons or other building technical issues, that’s understandable and the plan must be revised. But I don’t want to change a house design that I really like just because the architect personally prefers a different solution that they find more attractive or practical.
In this sense, we may indeed be difficult clients because we don’t need the architect to create multiple drafts for us or to experiment creatively with the planning/design.
Because we are “only” extending and it is a semi-detached house, the buildable area is already limited, meaning certain things are fixed (e.g., no windows on one side of the house, the main entrance only makes sense in one place, the terrace at the rear, and the living area has to be planned in front of it, since it should border the terrace).
We have already made considerations and drawings for the floor plan that we are very happy with. I wouldn’t want to make any design changes at this point. Of course, if something has to be changed due to structural reasons or other building technical issues, that’s understandable and the plan must be revised. But I don’t want to change a house design that I really like just because the architect personally prefers a different solution that they find more attractive or practical.
In this sense, we may indeed be difficult clients because we don’t need the architect to create multiple drafts for us or to experiment creatively with the planning/design.
G
Gerddieter11 Mar 2024 23:51ruby27 schrieb:
But just because the architect personally finds another solution more attractive or practical, I don’t want to change a design for my house that I really like.
In that sense, maybe we are difficult clients because we don’t need the architect to create multiple designs or to experiment with planning and design ideas.That will work great with your architect
GD
ruby27 schrieb:
We already live together as a family and, of course, know what bothers us about the current living situation … … … So again: for your question, all of this is irrelevant to us. You don’t need to explain how a house or sliding door works; you can explain that to the architect.
ruby27 schrieb:
But just because the architect personally prefers a different solution as nicer or more practical, I don’t want to change a design for my house that I really like. It’s getting boring to read about how great (stubborn?) you all are.
B
Bamboochaa12 Mar 2024 07:18Well, if you clearly don’t need an architect for the design phase, then take your floor plan or preliminary ideas to various general contractors and ask for quotes.
W
WilderSueden12 Mar 2024 07:53ruby27 schrieb:
We had the described sliding door in our old apartment, and it was invaluable—even though it was 100 years old and only somewhat soundproof, not completely. It allowed us to open the dining area generously to the living room but also close it off when more quiet was needed. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t just recreate the old apartment at a different scale. With 190 square meters (2,045 square feet), you can plan differently than in a 100 square meter (1,076 square feet) apartment. If you currently have large children’s rooms and a separate office, then no one has to work from the living room for their home office (which is also very bad for the back) or do homework there. Apart from that, for privacy reasons, a separate office with a lockable door is usually required. If the living/dining/kitchen area is used only for those purposes, it can be more open—unless someone prefers not to watch their partner while cooking.
Bamboochaa schrieb:
Well, if you obviously don’t need the architect for the design phase, then just take your floor plan or initial ideas to various general contractors and ask them for quotes. Good heavens, definitely not! You don’t approach a general contractor directly; instead, you include them as participants in the tender process. This is especially true in cases where an existing building—here even an old building—is involved. Without detailed planning and tender documents, you’ll constantly end up opening big money bags.
WilderSueden schrieb:
Unless you don’t like watching your wife cook According to the new penalty schedule, that’s already a 55 Euro fine for the chauvinist fund.
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