Renovate an old building or build new? Experiences?

So with the old building floor plan, I already see a few disadvantages.

- Kitchen: Where do you put tall cabinets? For the fridge, possibly a raised oven / dishwasher? I wouldn’t want a low-placed dishwasher in a new kitchen anymore, but it depends on your priorities. With less than 7m², storage space will also be tight. A large pull-out tall cabinet won’t find space either, assuming the sink or the cooktop would be placed in front of the window. If you’re considering the old building, I would start kitchen planning right away to see if it suits you.

- Dining room: I like the niche for a china cabinet or something similar. But if you put something in the niche, it will be tight for the people sitting at the dining table, on both sides. Also, the fireplace projection (or whatever that is) on the left would bother me because you can only access the table from one side. So whoever sits left in the back has to walk all the way around the table.

- Child1: The room is very small at 10m² and also narrow. Put that into a 3D planning tool (Sweet Home 3D, for example, is easy to use) and try to furnish it for a child, with a bed, wardrobe, and desk. I wouldn’t know how to furnish that properly.

- Bath1: The master bathroom with less than 6m² is really very small, even for the undemanding. We are currently temporarily living in an apartment with a bathroom just under 7m², and that is already tiny. I’m glad to leave that behind. To permanently live with a main bathroom smaller than 6m² would be nothing for me. You have to know whether you can live with that. But it offers no comfort at all. Where do you put towels? Where do you store an extra pack of toilet paper, etc.?

- On the pro side, the basement is great. You have more than enough storage space if it’s dry. However, you have to consider that you don’t want to store everything in the basement. Skis, snow shoes, and Christmas decorations – sure, no problem. But kitchen supplies or other things you need access to more often – you have to think carefully about whether you want to go down to the basement every time for that.

So with the old building floor plan, I already see a few disadvantages.

- Kitchen: Where do you put tall cabinets? For refrigerator, possibly raised oven/dishwasher? I wouldn’t want a low dishwasher in a new kitchen anymore, but it depends on your priorities. With less than 7m², storage space will also be tight. A large pull-out tall cabinet also won’t find space there, assuming the sink or stove would be placed in front of the window. If you are considering the old building, I would start directly with the kitchen planning to see if it fits your needs.

- Dining room: I like the niche for a china cabinet or something similar. But if you put something in the niche, it will get tight for the people sitting at the dining table, on both sides. Also, the chimney projection (or whatever that is) on the left would bother me, because you can only access the table from one side. So anyone sitting in the back left has to walk all the way around the table.

- Child1: The room is very small with 10m² and also narrow. Put that in a 3D planning tool (Sweet Home 3D, for example, is easy to use) and try to furnish it for a child with a bed, wardrobe, and desk. I wouldn’t know how to furnish it properly.

- Bathroom1: The master bath with under 6m² is really very small, even for those with low demands. We currently live temporarily in an apartment with a bathroom just under 7m² and that is already tiny. I’m glad when we leave that behind. Living permanently with a main bathroom smaller than 6m² would not be for me. You have to decide if you can live with that. But it offers no comfort. Where do you store towels? Where do you store an extra pack of toilet paper, etc.?

- On the pro side, the basement is great. You have more than enough storage space, if it’s dry. However, you have to consider that you don’t want to store everything in the basement. Skis, snow boots, and Christmas decorations – of course, no problem. But kitchen supplies or other things you need to access more often – you have to think carefully about whether you want to go to the basement for that every time.

So the wall between the dining room and kitchen would be opened, and the door from the kitchen to the hallway would be closed. Just like in the new building. Therefore, I do believe that tall cabinets can be placed on the right where the door is now.

Regarding the bathroom: Yes, it is not particularly big, but that should later only be the children's bathroom. We want our own bathroom in the attic, where our bedroom is supposed to be long-term.

Who is the provider of the new semi-detached house, is it possibly already known here (as part of my "usual suspects")?

About the bathroom: Yes, it is not particularly large, but it is only supposed to be the children's bathroom later. We want our own bathroom in the attic, where our bedroom is also supposed to be in the long term.

And is that also included in the 150k renovation? If not, you obviously have to include it in the comparison of old vs. new building, otherwise the comparison is unfair.

And is that also included in the 150k renovation? If not, you of course have to include that in the comparison of old vs. new building, otherwise the comparison is unfair.

No, because even in the new building the bathroom in the attic is not included. We want to do that further in the future, when we move the bedroom to the upper floor and have children.

Who is the provider of the new semi-detached house, is he possibly already known here (as part of my "usual suspects")?

The provider is Wilma. I have only heard good things so far.