Interior designer on a fee basis

Hello everyone,

we have bought a house and besides energy-related things, we particularly have two measures in mind that we would like to implement:

[*]Moving the kitchen from the street side to the garden side (in particular rerouting connections through the basement and new electrical work)
[*]Redesigning the staircase (from a two-family house charm to a cozy staircase)

We already have a pretty clear idea of how the kitchen should be; a wall breakthrough is also part of it.
For the staircase, we are especially dependent on ideas.
If possible, we want to do some of the work ourselves (not clumsy, but also without any craft training).

What we are looking for is someone who supports us especially with the conception, and possibly also with final construction acceptance. From our feeling, we do not need an interior designer who bases their invoice on an overall volume, but rather someone who is paid by the hour and who also gives an honest assessment of possible DIY work (without thereby seeing their share become smaller).

Does that make sense, does anyone here have experience with something like this?

Many thanks for your feedback!

The wall breakthrough and the conversion of the two-family house into a single-family house may require a building permit. The energy renovation of the house should be carried out in the overall context of the measures for building insulation, a possibly planned renewal of the windows, and an assessment of the heating system.

I would first recommend a building consultation with an architect experienced in old buildings, who can advise you on the realistic scope of renovation, the procedure, and the expected construction costs. An interior designer is probably not the right contact person for your construction project.

Change of use to a single-family house is secondary (my understanding would be that you only pay slightly less tax per year, but then would have to apply for a reclassification again if you wanted to rent it out, right?). For us, the stairwell is about the living experience, so for example wooden steps instead of stone ones. That should not require approval.

For the breakthrough, we want to install a sliding door and therefore leave parts of the wall standing. According to my research, this does not require approval in NRW, but only the involvement of a structural engineer. And this is exactly my point: If I am already involving a structural engineer and some craftsmen to carry out the work – do I really still need an architect in terms of supervision? I have the impression it might be enough to consult one on an hourly basis... hence my initial question.

Thank you very much for the feedback!

You seem to lack visual support?
As the previous speaker said (if necessary), get a professional to submit the change, and definitely a structural engineer.

Start looking for a potential staircase builder, who in my opinion can advise you quite well and contribute his experience better than an architect could.

Go to the kitchen studio, plan your kitchen. Have them give you the installation plan. Find electricians and plumbers (+ bricklayers + tilers?), show them the plan "this is what I want there, these are the old connections..."

Get advice before the breakthrough for the sliding door. Our favorite was only available in 1.40 m. Therefore, we had to reduce the opening again.

This will work well with good companies (who are interested in the project and also make money from it).

I do not seem to understand much about building; I strongly advise you to consult a professional who will accompany you; in the end, it is cheaper than making mistakes, retiring early, forgetting parts, etc. pp.

I would first recommend a construction consultation with an architect experienced in old buildings,

I'm glad to see you here again. I agree and was already thinking of you, since the OP is from "your" federal state. Unfortunately, private messages here are practically impossible for and also to newbies :-(