Hello everyone,
We have purchased a small cottage from the 1930s, which we are now renovating and planning to extend with an addition. Here is the initial version of our preliminary planning:
The existing house (yellow) will largely be preserved in its original condition and upgraded for energy efficiency. On the ground floor, a non-load-bearing wall will be moved and a load-bearing wall removed (existing condition supplement). The upper floor is currently one large room; this will be divided into two rooms. The rooms in the existing house will serve as children’s rooms, guest rooms, and a study – and a small guest bathroom will be added. The staircase will be rebuilt in the same location as a closed staircase (built-in closets/wardrobe under the stairs).
The extension will include a living area, kitchen, and utility/housekeeping room on the ground floor. The upper floor will contain a bathroom and bedroom.
Baseline:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size approximately 650 m² (7000 sq ft)
No slope
Number of floors: existing house one full story, roof without knee walls
Roof style: gable roof / flat roof on a single-story extension
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: modern, gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement (groundwater at 1.0 m (3.3 ft))
Number of occupants, ages (2 adults, 2 children)
Space needs on ground and upper floors (large living room, small quiet retreat for reading/resting)
Office: family use
Open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace
Garage available
House design
(What we don’t like or are unsure about)
The window arrangement on the north side looks somewhat irregular.
The hallways are quite large, nearly 18 m² (190 sq ft).
The hallway on the upper floor may be quite dark?
Are the children’s rooms perhaps too small? (despite the floor area of about 18 m² (190 sq ft))
Is the kitchen too small? (storage space)
The fireplace would look nicer in the middle of the living room, but then the chimney becomes problematic.
The bathroom windows are 2.8 m (9 ft) high and face north, which might prevent the bathroom from warming up properly.
The windows in the ground-floor living room and the front door are 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) high (rough opening), as oriented to the original house – maybe too low?
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump / ground-source heat pump / controlled ventilation with heat recovery.
If you had to give up certain details/features, which ones:
- Could give up: everything slightly smaller if necessary.
- Cannot give up: A basement would be nice but isn’t financially feasible.
A dormer instead of roof windows in the bathroom would also be nice, but it is unclear whether the authorities will approve it.
Criticism and suggestions are welcome, perhaps some aspects have been overlooked or will prove impractical.
Maybe the layout could be improved by rearranging some walls?
Best regards
We have purchased a small cottage from the 1930s, which we are now renovating and planning to extend with an addition. Here is the initial version of our preliminary planning:
The existing house (yellow) will largely be preserved in its original condition and upgraded for energy efficiency. On the ground floor, a non-load-bearing wall will be moved and a load-bearing wall removed (existing condition supplement). The upper floor is currently one large room; this will be divided into two rooms. The rooms in the existing house will serve as children’s rooms, guest rooms, and a study – and a small guest bathroom will be added. The staircase will be rebuilt in the same location as a closed staircase (built-in closets/wardrobe under the stairs).
The extension will include a living area, kitchen, and utility/housekeeping room on the ground floor. The upper floor will contain a bathroom and bedroom.
Baseline:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size approximately 650 m² (7000 sq ft)
No slope
Number of floors: existing house one full story, roof without knee walls
Roof style: gable roof / flat roof on a single-story extension
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: modern, gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement (groundwater at 1.0 m (3.3 ft))
Number of occupants, ages (2 adults, 2 children)
Space needs on ground and upper floors (large living room, small quiet retreat for reading/resting)
Office: family use
Open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace
Garage available
House design
(What we don’t like or are unsure about)
The window arrangement on the north side looks somewhat irregular.
The hallways are quite large, nearly 18 m² (190 sq ft).
The hallway on the upper floor may be quite dark?
Are the children’s rooms perhaps too small? (despite the floor area of about 18 m² (190 sq ft))
Is the kitchen too small? (storage space)
The fireplace would look nicer in the middle of the living room, but then the chimney becomes problematic.
The bathroom windows are 2.8 m (9 ft) high and face north, which might prevent the bathroom from warming up properly.
The windows in the ground-floor living room and the front door are 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) high (rough opening), as oriented to the original house – maybe too low?
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump / ground-source heat pump / controlled ventilation with heat recovery.
If you had to give up certain details/features, which ones:
- Could give up: everything slightly smaller if necessary.
- Cannot give up: A basement would be nice but isn’t financially feasible.
A dormer instead of roof windows in the bathroom would also be nice, but it is unclear whether the authorities will approve it.
Criticism and suggestions are welcome, perhaps some aspects have been overlooked or will prove impractical.
Maybe the layout could be improved by rearranging some walls?
Best regards
Yes, that's correct. We shifted the walls upstairs again and also removed the dormer, but forgot to adjust the room areas. The lower room is already just under 11 m² (118 sq ft), but the upper one is much smaller. Where the bathtub is, there used to be a dormer as mentioned, and the bathtub area was not reconsidered. I think having only one room upstairs is a good idea.
I see there are still some corners and edges to work on. We haven’t involved an architect yet, so I was aware that some things probably don’t fit quite right. (Although my opinion of architects isn’t the best due to my profession 😀... You really have to find a good one first.)
In your sketch, the small WC probably isn’t feasible. The roof here protrudes compared to the existing building, and the ceiling height there is almost nonexistent. This also affects the utility room.
Tricky...
Best regards
Edit: Unfortunately, we can hardly influence the heights unless we make the extension narrower.
I see there are still some corners and edges to work on. We haven’t involved an architect yet, so I was aware that some things probably don’t fit quite right. (Although my opinion of architects isn’t the best due to my profession 😀... You really have to find a good one first.)
In your sketch, the small WC probably isn’t feasible. The roof here protrudes compared to the existing building, and the ceiling height there is almost nonexistent. This also affects the utility room.
Tricky...
Best regards
Edit: Unfortunately, we can hardly influence the heights unless we make the extension narrower.
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