Old building renovation (1966): Two-family house - floor plan sketch

The access from the bedroom to the bathroom is comfortable only at first glance. If you have to get up at night because you ate something bad or just need to pee, my beloved partner next door wakes up with every flush and every fart. That just gives you a cramp in the bladder because you try to pee quietly. No, no, that doesn't have to be.

In contrast, the walk-in closet as an anteroom is almost ideal, especially if it is separated from the bedroom. Then the other can keep sleeping while I already stomp into my socks and am long gone.

Put some pictures in here.

So we now have the problem / luxury of being able to plan a lot of space.

A house also needs to be managed and lived in, vacancy is not good for the substance, and occupied space needs to be maintained. This is a house that is nonsense as a single-family home for less than five children. At least one separate unit can easily be accommodated here. Or a holiday apartment?

We wanted to leave the windows as they are for now, since they don’t necessarily need to be replaced.

Seriously - even if the south side only has glass block "windows"?

The access from the bedroom to the bathroom is only comfortable at first glance. If you have to get up at night because you ate something bad or just need to pee, my beloved partner next door wakes up at every flush and every fart. You get a cramp in your bladder trying to pee quietly. Nope, this doesn’t have to be.

In contrast, the dressing room as an anteroom is practically ideal, especially if it is separated from the bedroom. Then the other can keep sleeping while I’m already stomping into my socks and long gone.

We discussed this again last night and find all the points mentioned completely valid and there was no objection to the idea. I’ll upload a new sketch later. The ideas and arguments were all actually sensible!

Put some pictures in here.


A house also needs to be managed and lived in; vacancy is not good for the substance, and the inhabited area needs maintenance. This is a house that makes no sense as a single-family home with fewer than five children. At least one separate apartment can easily be accommodated here. Or a holiday apartment?


Seriously—even if the south side only has "glass block" windows?

That is completely correct! We are currently calculating with €750 in additional costs. Ideally, the two of us and three children will live there over the next 10 years. Her parents live very far away and will probably visit very often. Yes, it’s big! And until all the children arrive, it’s way too big, but I don’t want any "strangers" in my house. Of course, it might also not work out with the children and we’ll be "left stranded," but that is a conscious risk.

I’m delaying the new windows as long as possible. I’m trying to handle facade insulation along with the new windows. But currently, neither is a must. The glass blocks are only still in two windows. All others were replaced with the last windows. Of course, we will replace the last two glass block windows now.

New windows .... that reminds me: for a house from 1966: what does the facade insulation look like? Do you still have to do something there? Then it would be worth considering whether to do it at the same time as installing new windows, which could then possibly be enlarged or relocated. That is a major measure; you don't want to be living in the house at the same time. And above all, before any "cosmetic renovations," that would be personally the most important to me. €750 additional costs are quite steep!

And I still don't understand the designation "terrace" for the upper floor if it is not a hillside house. Terrace means garden access to me. Is it like an attached balcony with stairs to the garden? How does one explain a terrace on the upper floor??? Or is it simply another balcony?

New windows .... that reminds me: for a house from 1966: what does the facade insulation look like? Do you still have to do something there? Then it would be worth considering doing it together with new windows, which could possibly be enlarged or relocated. That is a bigger measure; you don’t want to live in the house during that. And above all, personally, the "cosmetic renovations" would be the most important to me. €750 utility costs are quite steep!

I just wrote that – new windows will definitely come with the facade insulation. But financially, that is not feasible at this step. First, the pipes etc. and the roof will be renovated. The windows are not from 1966 but from 1998. That is planned for the next step. We also do not intend to install any floor-to-ceiling windows. These will be replaced one-to-one. But we are postponing that as long as the window frames are still in good condition. The glass itself is double glazed and gas-filled – so still definitely acceptable. The utility costs are really steep, but we are working on it. Bit by bit.

And I still don’t understand the designation "terrace" for the upper floor if it’s not a hillside house. For me, a terrace has access to the garden. Is it some kind of attached balcony with stairs to the garden? How do you explain a terrace on the upper floor, please??? Or is it simply another balcony?

I will upload plans later. Maybe the term terrace is not correctly chosen. Basically, in the 1990s a room was added to the house from the basement upwards. But on the upper floor there was no longer a room but a terrace/balcony … however you want to call it. More understandable? You can see the (hillside) location of the house quite well on the plans of the exterior view.