ᐅ Floor Plan Optimization for Renovation: Converting a Two-Family House into a Single-Family Home, Built in 1957

Dear forum members,

I have been reading various sections for a while and have already gained a lot of very helpful information – thank you for that!!

We have purchased a two-family house built in 1957, which we plan to completely renovate (energy-efficient refurbishment + interior finishing) and use as a single-family home.

We are very happy to receive help and constructive feedback on the floor plans!

Here is the slightly modified questionnaire:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 454 sqm (4,886 sq ft)
Slope: yes
Adjacent buildings: no
Number of parking spaces: 1 garage
Roof type: gable

Owners’ Requirements
Basement, floors: basement + 2 full floors + attic to be partially converted
Number of occupants, ages: 3 people, aged 32, 38 and 10 months
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor – living room, dining area, kitchen, guest toilet
Upper floor – 3 bedrooms + bathroom
Office: office for 2 people needed, partially home office planned in attic
Guest stays per year: 3 times per year
Open or closed architecture: rather closed, based on existing conditions
Open kitchen, kitchen island: closed kitchen also acceptable
Number of dining seats: 4–6
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: yes
Garage, carport: garage available, additional parking space to be created

House Design
Who created the design: do-it-yourself
What is particularly liked? Why?
The upper floor has evenly sized rooms and a sufficiently large bathroom; orientation of living and dining areas toward the south side facing the garden with large window fronts
What is disliked? Why?
Layout of hallway, guest bathroom, kitchen including doors and access on the ground floor is “complicated”; kitchen may be open or closed, should not be a constant thoroughfare; is loss of two-family house character acceptable?
Cost estimate from architect/designer:
400,000–500,000
Personal maximum budget for renovation including fittings: 500,000
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump with photovoltaic system

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Does the two-family house character get lost by opening the staircase area on the ground floor with a glass door/front? How can the hallway, guest toilet, and kitchen area on the ground floor be optimally designed?

Attached are the original construction plans showing the current condition and the plans/ideas we have created so far.

Many thanks and best regards
letosaspe

I just don’t understand ... if you want answers, why can’t all the floor plans at least be oriented consistently?

kbt09 schrieb:

I just don’t understand ... if you want answers, why can’t all the floor plans at least be aligned consistently?

Because it would be difficult to read otherwise. Unfortunately, it’s barely possible anyway.

@letosaspe I don’t see the entrance. Is it supposed to be relocated?

Thank you for the quick responses.

Sorry, this is my first post here. Should I upload all images in better quality? What is difficult to read – the original plans or our design?

The house entrance is located at landing level between the basement and ground floor, so it is not shown in the drawings. Thanks for pointing that out. We had not planned any relocation.

In my opinion, this is not a renovation costing 500k.

Ground floor: A structural engineer should definitely propose a solution for how the wall between the living room and bedroom can be removed. The same applies to the kitchen wall. The stairwell is designed as an entrance vestibule, so I wouldn’t remove the door. The entrance will probably remain about half-height.

Attic floor: I wouldn’t change the bathroom much, just replace the bathtub with a shower. Having the toilet separate is a good solution. The wall between the former kitchen and the bedroom should not be much of a problem in my opinion. Your structural engineer will tell you how to handle it.

If you are already so experienced with the planning, then do it properly. Mark the changes in the plan: demolition in yellow and new construction in red.

There’s no need to rotate all your plans. Please make clear screenshots so the details are readable.

Nowadays, every single-family house looks quite similar anyway. There is a lot you can improve with the facade design.

Thank you for taking the time to review everything despite the circumstances!

A structural engineer will be coming in about two weeks. We have tentatively planned that the 11.5 cm (5 inch) walls can be removed, if necessary with a beam, while the 17.5 cm (7 inch) wall is more complicated to open and any openings there should preferably be kept narrow.

The idea for the entrance to the ground floor was to widen the passage and possibly close it off with a glass door or glass panel. This would serve both to provide thermal separation and, above all, to visually soften the character of the two-family house by using the glass element.
We are mainly unsure how to arrange the wardrobe, restroom, and kitchen in a practical way, and where to create accesses, openings, or doors.

I will explore the tool to see how I can color the walls red and yellow, then I will try to create an optimized all-in-one plan.

Regarding the financial planning, we consulted three architects: two estimated a minimum of 500,000 (currency not specified) and one estimated around 600,000 as a first approximation. A construction manager (authorized signatory at a building developer) estimated 400,000. The house is largely in its original condition from the year it was built.