Hello,
I probably have a typical single-person problem. I want to buy a house and already have a specific one in mind. But like most houses, this one is also too large. I would have 3 rooms and 2 bathrooms “left over.” There is also a 40m² (430 sq ft) utility room. On the ground floor, I can imagine taking down a wall to connect the bathroom with the kitchen to create a larger kitchen. However, since the house is listed (heritage protected), that probably won’t be allowed, right?
Otherwise, everything fits well with this house, and since I’m generally only looking in an area with about 20,000 residents and want a large garden plus an outbuilding, it’s very unlikely that I’ll find a smaller house.
So, what do you do with too much space?
Best regards,
Chris
I probably have a typical single-person problem. I want to buy a house and already have a specific one in mind. But like most houses, this one is also too large. I would have 3 rooms and 2 bathrooms “left over.” There is also a 40m² (430 sq ft) utility room. On the ground floor, I can imagine taking down a wall to connect the bathroom with the kitchen to create a larger kitchen. However, since the house is listed (heritage protected), that probably won’t be allowed, right?
Otherwise, everything fits well with this house, and since I’m generally only looking in an area with about 20,000 residents and want a large garden plus an outbuilding, it’s very unlikely that I’ll find a smaller house.
So, what do you do with too much space?
Best regards,
Chris
Sascha aus H schrieb:
Now I’m curious, how did you solve that then, @Elina?We are still in the process. But it will probably be divided into “my room” and “his room,” each with a bed, since my husband snores and I don’t want to sleep on the sofa anymore 😀
There will also be a fitness room, one for computers, and a small TV room with a gaming console, but it only fits a three-seater sofa (11 m² (118 ft²)), so it’s not suitable for large groups of visitors. Everything is arranged more by activity, with secondary activities like watching TV or video streaming—since we don’t have a TV connection—getting less space.
There is no space for a guest room, a dining table for more than two people, or a lounge area. Since we only get visitors twice a year briefly, on birthdays, it doesn’t make sense.
The conservatory extension is completely reserved for the pets. The laundry room extension will be used as a basement space.
The old bathrooms and kitchens will be combined into purely bathrooms, and the kitchen will be moved to a new room.
Suddenly, all the space is gone.
A
AngelusNoctis9 Jun 2016 22:47@Musketier:
Why would anyone want to demolish the outbuilding? That wouldn’t even be possible, since the barn is partially integrated into the house. And preserve it? What exactly would you want to preserve? It’s just a simple barn, built solidly. There’s nothing that needs preserving.
Why would anyone want to demolish the outbuilding? That wouldn’t even be possible, since the barn is partially integrated into the house. And preserve it? What exactly would you want to preserve? It’s just a simple barn, built solidly. There’s nothing that needs preserving.
G
garfunkel9 Jun 2016 23:23Well, I would try to make some money out of the unnecessary space. Renting to students can be interesting since they usually don’t stay forever, are generally very low-maintenance, and can contribute something towards the mortgage.
I’m not a fan of having a separate room for every little thing. A dedicated computer room isn’t necessary for a single person, just like a small TV room with a console. A gym room—well, if you’re into fitness, you probably already have a space planned for it, and if you’re not an athlete, you won’t end up using that room anyway.
Also, I really dislike it when people live together but still separate themselves spatially. If I imagine my girlfriend living with me, and both of us watching TV in separate rooms just because we want to watch different things—that seems pointless. I’d rather be in company.
A friend of mine is single and bought a house as well. I can’t say the exact square meters right now, but it should be around 150m² (1,615 sq ft).
What he has to do around the house… it’s not even about maintaining the structure itself. Garden here, garden there, cleaning takes quite a bit of effort, plus many other tasks. The saying is true: there’s always something to do.
Three rooms in the house have been empty for years—overall, I think the place is just too much for him alone.
Besides the amount of work, I imagine living alone in such a big house can feel somewhat overwhelming; that kind of thing just doesn’t make sense.
With a 1050m² (11,302 sq ft) plot, you definitely have a lot of work to keep it well maintained.
For example, I have a 95m² (1,022 sq ft) apartment where I combined two rooms to create a large living and dining area.
There’s also a bathroom, a large bedroom, and a small storage room.
This setup is ideal for a single person, and you’re more likely to clean and maintain one big room rather than three separate ones, even if the total floor area is the same.
I’m remodeling so that I can later convert it back into three rooms, keeping the options somewhat flexible.
So, if you decide to buy the house, I would recommend planning generous rooms where you actually spend time: bedroom, living and dining room, kitchen plus a storage room or utility room.
All better than several small rooms that don’t serve a real purpose.
If the price seems odd to you, you should definitely have an expert inspect the building and the land. Usually, nothing is given away for free, and if the property has been on the market for a long time, that’s generally a bad sign!
I’m not a fan of having a separate room for every little thing. A dedicated computer room isn’t necessary for a single person, just like a small TV room with a console. A gym room—well, if you’re into fitness, you probably already have a space planned for it, and if you’re not an athlete, you won’t end up using that room anyway.
Also, I really dislike it when people live together but still separate themselves spatially. If I imagine my girlfriend living with me, and both of us watching TV in separate rooms just because we want to watch different things—that seems pointless. I’d rather be in company.
A friend of mine is single and bought a house as well. I can’t say the exact square meters right now, but it should be around 150m² (1,615 sq ft).
What he has to do around the house… it’s not even about maintaining the structure itself. Garden here, garden there, cleaning takes quite a bit of effort, plus many other tasks. The saying is true: there’s always something to do.
Three rooms in the house have been empty for years—overall, I think the place is just too much for him alone.
Besides the amount of work, I imagine living alone in such a big house can feel somewhat overwhelming; that kind of thing just doesn’t make sense.
With a 1050m² (11,302 sq ft) plot, you definitely have a lot of work to keep it well maintained.
For example, I have a 95m² (1,022 sq ft) apartment where I combined two rooms to create a large living and dining area.
There’s also a bathroom, a large bedroom, and a small storage room.
This setup is ideal for a single person, and you’re more likely to clean and maintain one big room rather than three separate ones, even if the total floor area is the same.
I’m remodeling so that I can later convert it back into three rooms, keeping the options somewhat flexible.
So, if you decide to buy the house, I would recommend planning generous rooms where you actually spend time: bedroom, living and dining room, kitchen plus a storage room or utility room.
All better than several small rooms that don’t serve a real purpose.
If the price seems odd to you, you should definitely have an expert inspect the building and the land. Usually, nothing is given away for free, and if the property has been on the market for a long time, that’s generally a bad sign!
AngelusNoctis schrieb:
@Musketier:
Why would anyone want to demolish the outbuilding? That’s not even possible because the stable is partially integrated into the main house. And preserve it? What exactly would you want to preserve? It’s a simple stable, built solidly. There’s nothing that needs preserving.You asked for opinions. And even if the buildings are currently in good condition, every building requires maintenance over time to keep it that way. You might not want to see it now, but these costs add up over the years. Just compare the roof area to that of a typical single-family house.
How does it perform energetically when the stable is built into the main building?
We lived in an apartment within a building complex owned by the family until construction (residential building plus former factory and later pub building plus sanitary wing, with an estimated 1500–2000 m² (16,000–21,500 sq ft) of living and usable space and about 10,000 m² (108,000 sq ft) of land). It was a never-ending challenge both in terms of maintenance and energy efficiency.
I can only agree with Musketier on this. Since you are looking for a large property with outbuildings, I assume you either want to do something with animals or have large equipment (cars, motorcycles, agricultural machinery, etc.). That means, to me, that you expect to do a lot of work there. Still, in the initial excitement, people often forget about all the ongoing work around the property. There are two of us, and even our very low-maintenance 1000m2 (approximately 10,764 sq ft) lot requires a lot of work. On top of that, we have nearly 200m2 (about 2,153 sq ft) of living space. There is always something to do. I wouldn’t worry too much about the rooms inside the house. Instead, I would focus much more on the ongoing costs and the work involved around the house.
Also, it really seems very cheap. It may be true that you live in a very remote area, but even there, the price per square meter is usually around 40€ (about $44). If you then add the cost of three new bathrooms, the remaining value of the house would practically be close to zero. There are usually reasons for that.
Also, it really seems very cheap. It may be true that you live in a very remote area, but even there, the price per square meter is usually around 40€ (about $44). If you then add the cost of three new bathrooms, the remaining value of the house would practically be close to zero. There are usually reasons for that.
A
AngelusNoctis10 Jun 2016 16:59@garfunkel:
I know your previous experiences are with students, but when I was a student, I certainly wasn’t so flexible that I would have driven 30km (19 miles) to the university just to fight over a parking space.
What exactly am I supposed to pay off?
The rooms can’t be altered due to heritage conservation.
@Musketier:
The house is heated with electricity. Almost every room has underfloor heating, and the other rooms have standard radiators. The entire heating system, including all radiators and underfloor heating, dates from 2015. I’m planning to install solar panels on the roof in a few years.
I know your previous experiences are with students, but when I was a student, I certainly wasn’t so flexible that I would have driven 30km (19 miles) to the university just to fight over a parking space.
What exactly am I supposed to pay off?
The rooms can’t be altered due to heritage conservation.
@Musketier:
The house is heated with electricity. Almost every room has underfloor heating, and the other rooms have standard radiators. The entire heating system, including all radiators and underfloor heating, dates from 2015. I’m planning to install solar panels on the roof in a few years.
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