ᐅ Renovation: No Direct Access from the Apartment to the Basement?

Hello everyone, we are currently planning the renovation of our attic apartment. Today, our architect came by with the first draft plans. We live with my parents in a two-family house from the 1960s. My parents have about 80 sqm (860 sq ft) on the ground floor, and we have around 55 sqm (590 sq ft), including sloped ceilings, in the attic.

Since we only have very limited expansion options (an attic space plus a small extension), our architect suggested completely removing the stairwell inside the house to use that space as living area. Since we want to have a separate entrance anyway, accessing the apartment wouldn’t be a problem. However, our washing machine and dryer are in the basement, so I would have to go out of our apartment every time to do laundry, walk a few meters (yards) across the courtyard, and then back into the old front door. My husband doesn’t mind—as long as he gets a bigger bathroom (though he doesn’t do the laundry :rolleyes 🙂. Putting the machines inside the apartment isn’t really an option for me, but do I really want to go outside every single time?

Has anyone had experience with this and can share their thoughts? It would be great to hear some neutral opinions. Best regards, maike321

maike321 schrieb:
Does anyone have experience with this and can share their insights? It would be really great to hear neutral opinions. Best regards, Maike

Good morning!

Based on my own experience and that of people I know, someone living under the same roof with their (in-law) parents will eventually face the following issue: living with (in-law) parents under one roof!

Sounds funny – but it isn’t:p. Everything else is at worst just an inconvenience.

Best regards,
TomTom

What do you want to hear? I wouldn’t do it that way. But I also wouldn’t want to live in the attic, stay with my in-laws, or make effective use of an attic space. 55 sqm (590 sq ft) is too small for me, and it would bother me to have to go from the attic down to the basement just to get to the washing machine.

That’s really something you have to decide for yourself. Please send photos of how you carry the laundry basket with flip-flops through deep, slushy snow.

My question was neither about whether you want to live in a house with your parents/in-laws, nor whether the living space would be sufficient for you. We have already carefully considered all of this ourselves and decided that it is the best solution for us. And now we also have to go to the basement for laundry, so that wouldn’t be anything new, and I don’t find that a problem.
The main issue is whether the staircase inside the house should remain, or if we should have an open stairway to the basement.
In our minds, the opinions are already fixed, which is why I thought some external suggestions might be quite helpful!

Understood. The additional examples were just meant to illustrate how impossible it is to answer the question meaningfully. Preferences are subjective and can’t be reasonably categorized.
If five people say, "No, I wouldn’t do that," does that mean you won’t do it? Be prepared for the average homeowner not to like your living situation. This also applies to the stair question.

Would a spiral staircase maybe be an option for you? With a partition wall, it only takes up a few square meters (square yards).

Hi,

how about a small elevator to the basement? That way, you can at least avoid carrying heavy loads 😉

Regards