Expand the house or a crazy idea

Before you spend a lot of money: would it be an option to temporarily separate the living area as a bedroom for you?

This is certainly not an ideal solution, but ideally the two younger ones will stay in one room for another four or five years and then the oldest will look for his own place at 18 or 19. Then it would only be a few years with this arrangement.

Alternatively, if technically feasible, I might also consider enlarging the storage room on the upper floor at the expense of the current children's rooms. Then they won't be 15 sqm anymore, but at least all rooms would be located in the same part of the house.

We had the living room separation in mind as well... but the window is very inconvenient... also the room would probably only be about 2.5 x 2.5 meters...

Enlarging the storage room was also a thought... but I discarded it. Because, according to the floor plan, nothing really came of it and the "thick" walls around the storage room are probably load-bearing... according to the plan, all load-bearing walls are 17.5 cm reinforced sand-lime brick...

Simply put...

What about the attic?

With a bit of ingenuity, you could make something nice and cozy out of it.

I myself was often in my ex-girlfriend's attic room back then, and we found it really cozy. Sure, you can't stand everywhere, etc. But especially for a teenager, it might really be nice!

Simply asked...

How about the attic?

With a bit of ingenuity, you could make something nice and cozy out of it.

I used to be in my ex-girlfriend's attic room myself quite often back then and we found it really cozy. Sure, you can't stand up everywhere, etc. But especially for a teenager, that might actually be really nice!

I would estimate the height in the middle of the attic to be less than 1.50 meters... so really only suitable for storing boxes, etc.

I would have "simply" built a wall from the end of the room divider (kitchen unit/wardrobe) to the right-hand exterior wall. That would be about 3.9x3.2 m. ;-)

Yes, you would have to rearrange the furniture properly, move the couch to where the dining area is, and get rid of the 2nd dining area – there is still a table in the kitchen.

Or you could get rid of the dining area and build walls there, although it would need a slant to maintain access to the living area.

BUT: ideally, it is a solution for a few years. It should hopefully be somewhat cost-effective and could be reversed again when the children move out.

Apart from the question of whether all this really can be rebuilt that easily and possibly the heating changed, I would find the necessary money a pity. Also with regard to what you do with so much space after the children have left.

Before an extension, I would probably even briefly consider a sofa bed or a folding bed in the living room or a mattress camp for the parents in the storage room with a wardrobe in a child’s room or hallway.

Are 2.4 and 10 years old...

Well, that's a ray of hope!
The 10-year-old might want to spend a year in Australia or something at 19, then study, apprenticeship, etc., shared flat or own apartment is not unrealistic.
That would mean for the now 4-year-old having their own room at 13, from now until 10 it's no problem sharing, then endure two years and with puberty having their own space...
Of course, it could also turn out differently, but in the above constellation, the effort to build an extension would not be proportional to the increased comfort for the kids...

If you want to renovate anyway in 3-4 years, how about a teen area above the garage. 1 room + bathroom + stairs from outside. No changes in the main house