Old barn preserved and converted into a home for the whole family | ARD Room Tour скачать в хорошем качестве

Old barn preserved and converted into a home for the whole family | ARD Room Tour

“Grandpa Karle” and daughter Doris have preserved their old barn and converted it into a home for the whole family. Converting the old barn of their farmhouse had been a dream of theirs for a long time. However, as Grandma Bärbel was always afraid of the building work, Grandpa Karle and Doris initially abandoned their conversion plans. It wasn't until a year after Bärbel's death that the family decided to turn their long-held idea of converting the barn into reality. They contacted five architectural firms, all of whom recommended demolishing the old barn and building a new apartment building. Grandpa Karle and Doris, however, wanted to keep as much of the old barn as possible in order to preserve the memory of the family heritage. And this despite the fact that demolition and new construction would have been 10-15% cheaper. In the end, they found an architectural firm that was enthusiastic about their conversion plans and accepted the commission to save the barn. In order to be able to cope with the high costs of converting the barn, practically everyone in the family took out a loan. The family then set to work together. The barn conversion took more than two years. Without 91-year-old Grandpa Karle, the family would not have managed it, says Doris. Her father knew best where all the pipes in the old barn were, worked tirelessly and inspired and motivated the whole family with his energy. The old barn with stables for pigs and cows had to be completely gutted and new floors installed for the apartments. They preserved as much of the old beams and walls of the barn as possible. For the statics of the new residential building, steel beams had to be installed everywhere, which fits in with the common concept: Combining old with new. The roof of the old barn and the attic of the farmhouse built in 1906 also had to be rebuilt. They originally wanted to keep the large wooden barn door, but then opted for a modern glass and steel construction because it was simpler and cheaper. A modern steel staircase leads from here to the five apartments. They also thought about disabled access to the apartments and installed an elevator in the old barn. The exterior walls were insulated on the inside so that the original brick façade and half-timbering remain visible. Five modern apartments on three levels have now been created in Grandpa Karle's old barn: one for granddaughter Alexandra, one for grandson Felix and daughter Doris's apartment under the roof. Two other apartments are rented out. Grandpa Karle wanted to stay in his apartment in the old farmhouse. The new home in the old barn has a total of 375 square meters of living space. Three new terraces have also been added. It is a KFW 55-rated energy-efficient house with natural fiber insulation, wooden frames, an air heat pump and underfloor heating. In spring 2024, the family had made it: they had built a new home in the old barn, where everyone can live under one roof. Everyone is happy that they were able to realize their dream together with Grandpa Karle and live with him in their new home for several more months. And everyone is sure that the late Grandma Bärbel would have loved it too. Grandpa Karle had harvested the apples from the trees he had planted himself in the fall and was bursting with energy. Then he suddenly fell ill and died on October 18, 2024 at the age of 92 before the Room Tour was completed. The family mourns his loss. But they are glad that he was still able to experience and enjoy the realization of his dream, a multi-generational home for the family in his old barn. And that he died without having to suffer. He was no longer able to see the finished Room Tour, but Doris is sure that he is watching from above. 00:00 Living in a multi-generational barn dream 02:16 Kitchen and living room 04:53 Bedroom 05:50 Bathroom 06:37 Work area 07:09 Terrace 08:19 Garden 09:52 Workshop