ᐅ Floor Plan Conversion: Part of a Barn into a Single-Family Home with the Option to Convert into a Two-Family Home
Created on: 8 Jun 2021 21:40
S
Scheune20
Hello everyone,
Thank you to all who are active in this informative forum!
Now I’d like to give it a try as well. Just a brief introduction: My partner and I would like to convert part of the barn on his parents’ farm into a residential home. This means we are not as free in terms of dimensions, style, design, etc. as with a new build and have to work with the existing conditions. The goal is to convert the barn section into a single-family house for a family with presumably three children. However, the house should later, if needed, also be rentable as two separate apartments. The reason is that the existing farmhouse, where my partner’s parents currently live, is not very suitable for rental, so a move there in the future is not excluded. The potential for later rental, along with the constraints of the existing building, imposes further limitations.
We are therefore looking for the best and most practical compromise. Our first ideas are shown in the attached floor plans. Please excuse the hand-drawn nature and the partly missing dimensions, etc. Our main focus is on the general layout of the rooms! We welcome criticism and suggestions that maybe we haven’t thought of yet. Thank you very much!
Questionnaire Regarding Your Floor Plan
Building plan / restrictions
Plot size: /
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: Not applicable
Floor area ratio: Not applicable
Building envelope, building line, and boundaries: Existing
Adjacent building: None
Number of parking spaces: Sufficient space available on the farm
Number of stories: Oriented to existing building (2 full floors plus attic)
Roof type: Gable roof
Style: Oriented to existing building
Orientation: Defined by existing building
Maximum height/limits: Existing ridge height 9.2m (30 ft), eaves height 4.5m (15 ft)
Additional requirements:
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: dictated by existing structure
Stories: Ground floor (GF), first floor (FF), attic
Number of occupants, ages 28, 25, desired: approximately 3 children
Room requirements:
GF: Living room, kitchen + dining, pantry (utility room if rented), office / guest room (bedroom if rented), bathroom
FF: Bedroom (dressing room if possible), family bathroom with separate toilet, 2 children’s rooms (dining and living if rented), laundry room (kitchen if rented)
Attic: small storage room, children’s room, hobby room
→ Rooms can also be arranged differently if a better proposal arises (e.g., additional child’s room in attic, hobby room on FF, utility room on GF, etc.)
Office: partial home office for both
Guest sleepers per year: 5
Open or closed architecture: rather closed
Traditional or modern construction: preferably as modern as possible but with traditional elements due to the existing building and closed floor plan
Open kitchen, kitchen island: island preferred, probably setup as a cleaning/prep island
Number of dining seats: 8 expandable to at least 10 (preferably more, large families on both sides)
Fireplace: yes
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony planned on FF
Garage, carport: no
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why some things should or should not be:
- Direct access to the rest of the barn is strongly desired (both of us are used to this at home; it is the main entrance we use there, where lots of work clothes, a mudroom, etc. are stored – extremely valuable on the farm)
- Open-plan living area is not desired (a door between dining and living room) but visual connection wanted (double door)
- Heating and other technical installations will be centralized in another barn for both houses, so no need to house them in the building itself (only necessary utility boxes etc., also for future rental)
House Design
Who designed it:
- Do-it-yourself
What do you like most? Why?
- All elements included, large kitchen/dining/living area
- Tunnel fireplace
- Large children’s rooms
- All rooms with windows (challenge due to fire wall)
What do you dislike? Why?
- Narrow entrance?
- Wardrobe only possible under the stairs
- Staircase start unfortunately right at the entrance due to future rental considerations
- Slanted wall as kitchen entrance may not be very contemporary?
- Bathroom and guest room (later bedroom) on the ground floor not next to each other
- Dressing room not always available (two variants on FF)
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: /
Personal upper budget limit for house including fittings: /
Preferred heating technology: /
If you had to give up, which features/rooms could you live without?
- Could do without: dressing room, hobby room
- Cannot do without: minimum 3 children’s rooms + 1 office
Why is the design as it is now?
For example:
We have planned the design ourselves so far, based on the many existing conditions and our wishes, trying to find the best possible compromise.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Less direct questions but rather a wish for independent feedback. We feel the space could be used more effectively/better or that more creative/modern solutions exist despite our constraints.
Thank you to all who are active in this informative forum!
Now I’d like to give it a try as well. Just a brief introduction: My partner and I would like to convert part of the barn on his parents’ farm into a residential home. This means we are not as free in terms of dimensions, style, design, etc. as with a new build and have to work with the existing conditions. The goal is to convert the barn section into a single-family house for a family with presumably three children. However, the house should later, if needed, also be rentable as two separate apartments. The reason is that the existing farmhouse, where my partner’s parents currently live, is not very suitable for rental, so a move there in the future is not excluded. The potential for later rental, along with the constraints of the existing building, imposes further limitations.
We are therefore looking for the best and most practical compromise. Our first ideas are shown in the attached floor plans. Please excuse the hand-drawn nature and the partly missing dimensions, etc. Our main focus is on the general layout of the rooms! We welcome criticism and suggestions that maybe we haven’t thought of yet. Thank you very much!
Questionnaire Regarding Your Floor Plan
Building plan / restrictions
Plot size: /
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: Not applicable
Floor area ratio: Not applicable
Building envelope, building line, and boundaries: Existing
Adjacent building: None
Number of parking spaces: Sufficient space available on the farm
Number of stories: Oriented to existing building (2 full floors plus attic)
Roof type: Gable roof
Style: Oriented to existing building
Orientation: Defined by existing building
Maximum height/limits: Existing ridge height 9.2m (30 ft), eaves height 4.5m (15 ft)
Additional requirements:
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: dictated by existing structure
Stories: Ground floor (GF), first floor (FF), attic
Number of occupants, ages 28, 25, desired: approximately 3 children
Room requirements:
GF: Living room, kitchen + dining, pantry (utility room if rented), office / guest room (bedroom if rented), bathroom
FF: Bedroom (dressing room if possible), family bathroom with separate toilet, 2 children’s rooms (dining and living if rented), laundry room (kitchen if rented)
Attic: small storage room, children’s room, hobby room
→ Rooms can also be arranged differently if a better proposal arises (e.g., additional child’s room in attic, hobby room on FF, utility room on GF, etc.)
Office: partial home office for both
Guest sleepers per year: 5
Open or closed architecture: rather closed
Traditional or modern construction: preferably as modern as possible but with traditional elements due to the existing building and closed floor plan
Open kitchen, kitchen island: island preferred, probably setup as a cleaning/prep island
Number of dining seats: 8 expandable to at least 10 (preferably more, large families on both sides)
Fireplace: yes
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony planned on FF
Garage, carport: no
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why some things should or should not be:
- Direct access to the rest of the barn is strongly desired (both of us are used to this at home; it is the main entrance we use there, where lots of work clothes, a mudroom, etc. are stored – extremely valuable on the farm)
- Open-plan living area is not desired (a door between dining and living room) but visual connection wanted (double door)
- Heating and other technical installations will be centralized in another barn for both houses, so no need to house them in the building itself (only necessary utility boxes etc., also for future rental)
House Design
Who designed it:
- Do-it-yourself
What do you like most? Why?
- All elements included, large kitchen/dining/living area
- Tunnel fireplace
- Large children’s rooms
- All rooms with windows (challenge due to fire wall)
What do you dislike? Why?
- Narrow entrance?
- Wardrobe only possible under the stairs
- Staircase start unfortunately right at the entrance due to future rental considerations
- Slanted wall as kitchen entrance may not be very contemporary?
- Bathroom and guest room (later bedroom) on the ground floor not next to each other
- Dressing room not always available (two variants on FF)
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: /
Personal upper budget limit for house including fittings: /
Preferred heating technology: /
If you had to give up, which features/rooms could you live without?
- Could do without: dressing room, hobby room
- Cannot do without: minimum 3 children’s rooms + 1 office
Why is the design as it is now?
For example:
We have planned the design ourselves so far, based on the many existing conditions and our wishes, trying to find the best possible compromise.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Less direct questions but rather a wish for independent feedback. We feel the space could be used more effectively/better or that more creative/modern solutions exist despite our constraints.
M
Myrna_Loy9 Jun 2021 15:36As initial rough sketches, these are great—you can then check on the building whether the concept actually works and how much effort is involved in making it work. For example, we had real difficulties with the underground sewer connections because of their location on the plot. The heating system was also tricky and forced us to revise part of the planning.
You also need to decide whether you want to insulate on the inside or the outside. Energetically upgrading barns is not simple, especially barns with timber framing.
We have now been working on our build for almost three years, and we still enjoy it, even though many things are not as easy—or quick!—as expected. 🙂
You also need to decide whether you want to insulate on the inside or the outside. Energetically upgrading barns is not simple, especially barns with timber framing.
We have now been working on our build for almost three years, and we still enjoy it, even though many things are not as easy—or quick!—as expected. 🙂
S
Scheune209 Jun 2021 15:44It’s great to come across experience reports like this! This is exactly what I was hoping for. We also don’t expect to complete the renovation project quickly. On the contrary, we want to take it step by step and see where the journey takes us. Fortunately, we don’t have any time constraints (such as a rental period) that we need to consider. But as I said, the first step is to consult the architect, and then we’ll see how things develop. In the meantime, thank you very much!
11ant schrieb:
The reason I’m posting now without the usual link to a similar recent case is simply the current time. But you would only have to look back less than a year.I just checked and haven’t quite found what I meant yet, but as a consolation here are some related search results:https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/bauantrag-verpachteter-landwirtschaftlicher-betrieb.36127/
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/Grundriss-eines-pferdestallumbaus.36168/
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/neuerrichtung-eines-gleichartigen-gebaeudes-im-Außenbereich.37740/
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
S
Scheune2012 Aug 2021 09:54Hello everyone,
I’m reaching out after having another discussion with our architect about the most practical approach. At this point, submitting a preliminary building inquiry is still not the best option due to the current structural condition of the barn. It is currently not "in a condition worth preserving" and therefore would not qualify for a conversion. Our architect’s advice is to "not wake any sleeping dogs at the building authority before bringing the barn into a suitable condition." So the plan remains to renovate the barn (without needing a permit) to achieve a condition worth preserving, and only then submit a preliminary building inquiry or full building application. Based on her experience with similar projects at the local building authority, she is quite confident that the building application will be approved once this condition is met.
Therefore, we are currently planning the renovation of the barn while naturally trying to keep any future change of use and refurbishment as straightforward as possible. For this reason, we have further developed our floor plan and would like to share it here for discussion. The floor plan largely follows the existing structure of the barn regarding windows, openings, walls, etc., on the ground floor. The upper floor so far has none of these constraints and was planned relatively freely. Details such as the size of dormers on the upper floor are still open and would need to be discussed with the building authority. According to our architect, dormers should generally be possible, and if necessary, we would reduce their size accordingly.
We are aware that this approach carries certain risks and will likely require compromises during construction. However, considering the initial situation and consulting with the expert architect, this is the best way forward. Therefore, I kindly ask you to focus on the floor plan itself rather than building permission aspects.
Unfortunately, I cannot provide photos of the current situation, as my partner prefers not to share them online for privacy reasons, especially regarding the renovation with the "secret" intention of a later change of use. Apologies for that.
Enough talk — here is the current floor plan, and I look forward to any tips, suggestions, and feedback you may have!
I’m reaching out after having another discussion with our architect about the most practical approach. At this point, submitting a preliminary building inquiry is still not the best option due to the current structural condition of the barn. It is currently not "in a condition worth preserving" and therefore would not qualify for a conversion. Our architect’s advice is to "not wake any sleeping dogs at the building authority before bringing the barn into a suitable condition." So the plan remains to renovate the barn (without needing a permit) to achieve a condition worth preserving, and only then submit a preliminary building inquiry or full building application. Based on her experience with similar projects at the local building authority, she is quite confident that the building application will be approved once this condition is met.
Therefore, we are currently planning the renovation of the barn while naturally trying to keep any future change of use and refurbishment as straightforward as possible. For this reason, we have further developed our floor plan and would like to share it here for discussion. The floor plan largely follows the existing structure of the barn regarding windows, openings, walls, etc., on the ground floor. The upper floor so far has none of these constraints and was planned relatively freely. Details such as the size of dormers on the upper floor are still open and would need to be discussed with the building authority. According to our architect, dormers should generally be possible, and if necessary, we would reduce their size accordingly.
We are aware that this approach carries certain risks and will likely require compromises during construction. However, considering the initial situation and consulting with the expert architect, this is the best way forward. Therefore, I kindly ask you to focus on the floor plan itself rather than building permission aspects.
Unfortunately, I cannot provide photos of the current situation, as my partner prefers not to share them online for privacy reasons, especially regarding the renovation with the "secret" intention of a later change of use. Apologies for that.
Enough talk — here is the current floor plan, and I look forward to any tips, suggestions, and feedback you may have!
H
hanghaus200012 Aug 2021 11:35This already looks quite good.
Is there also a 2 m (6.6 ft) line on the upper floor?
Roof pitch? Or a cross-section?
Is there also a 2 m (6.6 ft) line on the upper floor?
Roof pitch? Or a cross-section?
S
Scheune2012 Aug 2021 12:20The 2 m (6 ft 7 in) line on the upper floor roughly corresponds to the blue line. We have a knee wall height of 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) and a roof pitch of almost exactly 40 degrees. I will provide a cross-section later.
Similar topics