The second child is now 7 months old, and space will become tight at the latest with the enrollment of child #1 in 2026. We have considered all possible extension solutions. But extensions to the south do not fit well with the existing house: - on the ground floor, there would be no walkways for a sensible arrangement of room usage - on the upper floor, one would have to separate a corridor from the master bedroom, which would then barely still be able to accommodate the wardrobe Ideally, the extension should not have a flat roof and, of course, everything should be implementable with as few restrictions as possible while the existing house remains occupied. An extension to the east would be possible within the building envelope, but would also lead to similar problems (bathroom would be lost, walkways would not fit). So far, we have not considered an extension to the west, as it lies outside the building envelope according to the development plan. However, after noticing other buildings with extensions and modifications outside the building envelopes within its valid area, I contacted the Building Citizens Office. In principle, exemptions from the development plan are conceivable as long as they make sense in terms of urban planning. The building envelopes were simply laid around the existing buildings in the 1960s, plus possibilities for expansion. However, without paying closer attention to practical feasibility. I was simply asked to send a sketch of the idea, and they could roughly say whether it would generally be possible or not. Attached is the site plan: marked are the building envelope according to the development plan and the general boundary distance of 3m. Setback areas would be respected since the house does not exceed 6m in height up to the 6m gable width (0.5H setback up to 6m gable width).
On the ground floor, a new entrance area/wardrobe would be created, as the current corridor is far too small. Also, a new kitchen that is directly accessible from the entrance. The living room and dining room would switch positions. Guests can sleep in the living room and still the kitchen would be usable. The conservatory would be demolished. A terrace could be created there again, possibly with simple glazing. The old kitchen would become a home office room for two people. Possibly also space for a guest couch. The arrangement of the furniture still needs to be considered.
On the upper floor, the small office would be removed and the corridor extended. Attached would be a children's shower bathroom; unfortunately, there is no space for a window in the gable because the shower must be positioned there due to the roof slope. Nevertheless, a washbasin and toilet should still fit. But just "barely". :-/ Instead, a large skylight could provide sufficient light and air. The gable windows in the old children's room must be removed; instead, a dormer facing south with a large window would replace them. The old balcony in the master bedroom is dilapidated and would be removed.
The biggest disadvantage of the solution is that almost all house connections (electricity, water, district heating) would have to be relocated, as these must not be built over. (They come from the west side of the street into the house.) It is also unclear whether the extension should have a basement. In this area, the drainage must be renewed in any case. Whether an overbuilding of this is sensible would have to be clarified. Possibly, a basement could also help to alleviate the house connection problem. I gladly welcome feedback. What do you think of the idea? Could something be optimized?