--- Please hold off on your replies for now, I accidentally clicked publish while writing ---
Hello everyone,
My wife and I signed the purchase agreement for our little house in September last year – a gable-roof bungalow built in 1975. Since the previous owner is still waiting for her condominium to be completed, the handover of the keys is not scheduled until early May.
So, we’re currently on pins and needles, thinking daily about how we want to renovate and furnish the house. On top of that, we are expecting a child at the end of August 2019. This has shuffled our renovation priorities and, of course, means my wife probably won’t be able to help as much as planned during the move and renovation.
Hello everyone,
My wife and I signed the purchase agreement for our little house in September last year – a gable-roof bungalow built in 1975. Since the previous owner is still waiting for her condominium to be completed, the handover of the keys is not scheduled until early May.
So, we’re currently on pins and needles, thinking daily about how we want to renovate and furnish the house. On top of that, we are expecting a child at the end of August 2019. This has shuffled our renovation priorities and, of course, means my wife probably won’t be able to help as much as planned during the move and renovation.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
I’m a fan of cork; I had it in my childhood bedroom.
My “compensation” for not getting parquet would be the continuous installation and wet room suitability with vinyl (if glued down).
However, I just noticed that there is also cork flooring available for gluing, which would offer the same advantages.
The installation seems at first glance more complex than gluing vinyl, and the designs are quite limited.
For example, I really like the WICANDERS KORK WOOD ESSENCE OAK RUSTIC PRIME.
But it appears to be available only for floating installation.
I’ll definitely check with a specialist store again.
Exactly, the lower section can be rotated.
Yes, that’s the wall where the staircase was supposed to be – at least according to the realtor.
Due to the symmetrical layout, both walls are exactly the same length (4.25m (14 feet)).
The wall you suggest is only 3m (10 feet) up to the opening. I find the idea quite appealing right now, but it probably doesn’t fit, does it?
You mention load-bearing walls. According to the construction description, load-bearing walls are made of “8–10 cm (3–4 inches) Termocrete concrete,” non-load-bearing walls of “7 cm (3 inches) Termocrete concrete.” Looking at the floor plan (the original one here, without the conservatory, which at least is properly dimensioned), only the wall to the windbreak and guest bathroom would be non-load-bearing. Could that be correct?
Anyway, your staircase suggestion is sparking some ideas. We plan to create an opening to the kitchen later, as we like open spaces. In our current apartment, only the guest room, bedroom, and bathroom have doors.
This brings the flooring question back in. With floating floors, I could fairly easily remove and reuse the areas. Glued planks would have to be torn out and replaced in the kitchen/hallway area.
Since the extra space would be great for the dining table—and we have the huge conservatory—it would feel like a waste to keep the dining room. If the staircase is inside it (which I actually like for open spaces), I couldn’t separate the room again.
If the staircase were on the other wall, the other half of the room could be used as a study or guest room.
I roughly sketched this out. Orange indicates new walls and the staircase, yellow the walls and cupboards to be removed.
If the staircase ever bothers someone in the living area, one could alternatively reopen the door underneath the stairs, fully close the wall to the living room, and assign the staircase and access to the study to the hallway.
However, I see a difficulty with the attic exit.
Bottom left in white is the current hatch location, blue would be the planned variant on the wall towards the bedroom, orange your suggestion on the wall towards the hallway.
The plan is to build two rooms upstairs. If needed, two children’s rooms; otherwise, one children’s room and one guest or study room. I actually have to position the wall where the orange line is drawn; otherwise the room becomes too small. With the orange staircase exit, I wouldn’t have space left for access. Also, due to the lengthwise placement, a lot of standing height area would be wasted.
The upper wall already exists; the top third is the currently unfinished part.
So, I actually like this option best for the better flexibility on the ground floor, but I don’t think it’s feasible due to the mentioned issues. Maybe I’m just missing something.
The entire neighborhood consists of identical houses of this type. Many have one or more dormers; one even has about 80% of the roof area raised. So yes, this is definitely permitted and planned for a later date.
Our thoughts are similar. We would assign part of it to the bedroom/wardrobe and part to the bathroom.
Since the baby will sleep there first until the attic is finished, the child can manage the stairs, and we’ve saved some money again, this will likely take a few years. So, for now, we’re going with the drywall partition.
I actually have pictures of almost everything. Are you interested in something specific?
Nordlys schrieb:
For flooring, use cork, sealed because of cat vomit. Warm underfoot like underfloor heating and slightly soft to walk on.
I’m a fan of cork; I had it in my childhood bedroom.
My “compensation” for not getting parquet would be the continuous installation and wet room suitability with vinyl (if glued down).
However, I just noticed that there is also cork flooring available for gluing, which would offer the same advantages.
The installation seems at first glance more complex than gluing vinyl, and the designs are quite limited.
For example, I really like the WICANDERS KORK WOOD ESSENCE OAK RUSTIC PRIME.
But it appears to be available only for floating installation.
I’ll definitely check with a specialist store again.
ypg schrieb:
The staircase spiral is on the other side. But probably the lower section can be adjusted, right?
Exactly, the lower section can be rotated.
ypg schrieb:
Are you sure it was there and not along the load-bearing wall, meaning the center of the house?
I think it would fit better there since it wouldn’t block a window and is close to the room door.
You would also have a room divider to the living room/sofa for more privacy later when the kids are older.
Yes, that’s the wall where the staircase was supposed to be – at least according to the realtor.
Due to the symmetrical layout, both walls are exactly the same length (4.25m (14 feet)).
The wall you suggest is only 3m (10 feet) up to the opening. I find the idea quite appealing right now, but it probably doesn’t fit, does it?
You mention load-bearing walls. According to the construction description, load-bearing walls are made of “8–10 cm (3–4 inches) Termocrete concrete,” non-load-bearing walls of “7 cm (3 inches) Termocrete concrete.” Looking at the floor plan (the original one here, without the conservatory, which at least is properly dimensioned), only the wall to the windbreak and guest bathroom would be non-load-bearing. Could that be correct?
Anyway, your staircase suggestion is sparking some ideas. We plan to create an opening to the kitchen later, as we like open spaces. In our current apartment, only the guest room, bedroom, and bathroom have doors.
This brings the flooring question back in. With floating floors, I could fairly easily remove and reuse the areas. Glued planks would have to be torn out and replaced in the kitchen/hallway area.
Since the extra space would be great for the dining table—and we have the huge conservatory—it would feel like a waste to keep the dining room. If the staircase is inside it (which I actually like for open spaces), I couldn’t separate the room again.
If the staircase were on the other wall, the other half of the room could be used as a study or guest room.
I roughly sketched this out. Orange indicates new walls and the staircase, yellow the walls and cupboards to be removed.
If the staircase ever bothers someone in the living area, one could alternatively reopen the door underneath the stairs, fully close the wall to the living room, and assign the staircase and access to the study to the hallway.
However, I see a difficulty with the attic exit.
Bottom left in white is the current hatch location, blue would be the planned variant on the wall towards the bedroom, orange your suggestion on the wall towards the hallway.
The plan is to build two rooms upstairs. If needed, two children’s rooms; otherwise, one children’s room and one guest or study room. I actually have to position the wall where the orange line is drawn; otherwise the room becomes too small. With the orange staircase exit, I wouldn’t have space left for access. Also, due to the lengthwise placement, a lot of standing height area would be wasted.
The upper wall already exists; the top third is the currently unfinished part.
So, I actually like this option best for the better flexibility on the ground floor, but I don’t think it’s feasible due to the mentioned issues. Maybe I’m just missing something.
ypg schrieb:
About the first floor: it looks very bright up there. For decent ceiling height, dormer windows could be added later if the budget allows?! What does the building permit/planning permission say? Or can you see from the surrounding buildings if this is permitted?
The entire neighborhood consists of identical houses of this type. Many have one or more dormers; one even has about 80% of the roof area raised. So yes, this is definitely permitted and planned for a later date.
ypg schrieb:
I would skip a walk-in closet and include it in the current staircase room. There would be plenty of room for movement plus enough space for wardrobes and such.
Our thoughts are similar. We would assign part of it to the bedroom/wardrobe and part to the bathroom.
Since the baby will sleep there first until the attic is finished, the child can manage the stairs, and we’ve saved some money again, this will likely take a few years. So, for now, we’re going with the drywall partition.
ypg schrieb:
Do you have photos of the exterior?
I actually have pictures of almost everything. Are you interested in something specific?
toimabo schrieb:
I actually have a picture of almost everything; are you looking for something specific?No, but I like projects like this 🙂
Nice!
If I were you, I would consider making the opening right away.
Dealing with the construction debris and dust later on will only cause problems – everything suffers, it gets everywhere, and you'll never get it 100% clean again.
For the opening: please consult a structural engineer beforehand.
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