Change upper floor layout partition

Hello everyone,

we are about to buy a semi-detached house. We are considering changing the layout of the upper floor to make the large bedroom 1 a bit smaller, but the office is also a bit too small for us. However, we find it difficult to find a suitable layout that works with the existing windows.

Therefore, I wanted to ask here if anyone maybe sees a good way to still adjust it.

Thank you very much in advance!

Is it an old or new building? And what is above it? In short: what is load-bearing? What can be removed and what cannot?

Is it an old or new building? And what is above it? In short: what is load-bearing? What can be removed and what not?

You are right, some information is missing for a meaningful answer.

It is an old building (91) and above it is only the attic. The ceiling is made of drywall and only the exterior walls are load-bearing. So in principle, everything could be removed.

The office and bathroom face the street, under the bathroom on the ground floor are the kitchen and guest toilet, so it makes sense to roughly keep the bathroom in the corner for pipes and sewage.

The ceiling is made of plasterboard

And where does the staircase lead upstairs if the ceiling is only made of plasterboard, so not walkable? Funny… If that is the staircase from below, and you just drew it the wrong way around, then I would live upstairs in an open loft, everything gone, bathroom can stay.

And where does the staircase lead upstairs if the ceiling is made of drywall and therefore not walkable? Funny… If this is the staircase from below, and you just drew it the wrong way around, then I would live upstairs in an open loft, everything gone, bathroom can stay.

The staircase comes from the ground floor, the architect probably drew it wrong, but I didn’t notice.

Loft is not for us, we want to keep the basic layout as it is, only the office should be a bit bigger and the bedroom 1, which is too big for us, rather a bit smaller.

This long narrow box is not everyone's cup of tea. Do you really want this?

Well, I might still be able to imagine something like this:


But it requires a new window in the children's room. Or you swap the bathroom with the kids' room, depending on where the pipes are located.
I also wouldn't be sure whether the thick wall doesn't play some role in the structural integrity.
But you want a smaller bedroom anyway. So here is this other option:


However, it remains all speculation as long as it's not clear exactly where the pipes are and whether a roof window could still be installed.