A Kettenhaus built in 1967 by Franz Ruf in Unterhaching near Munich is to be adapted to the needs of a young family. The two-story solidly constructed house with a basement has an attached single-story garage section, which houses the kitchen and dining area. The development plan envisages an extension of the usable area in the garden-side building plot on top of the garage and thus on the upper floor.

Our architectural concept, on the other hand, proposes moving the parking space from the garage section to the front of the house in order to combine the living and dining rooms, and also to extend into the old garage with openings, thus enlarging the public living space on the ground floor where it is desired.

The previously uninsulated floor slab will be replaced with an insulated floor slab. The widely projecting reinforced concrete ceiling of the garage extension, which forms a terrace, will be deliberately broken up to insert a wooden elevation in the center in the form of a shed roof with a ribbon window, which will enhance the dining room and illuminate it with northern light.

The upper floor is rearranged with targeted interventions. For example, a wooden installation integrates an additional shower room into the formerly spacious hallway, while the bathroom with bathtub is furnished more efficiently to create space for a closet in the master bedroom.
The two children’s rooms will be located on the south side facing the garden, each with its own access to a shared balcony. Here, the old partition wall will be replaced by a wooden wall with storage space and a hidden secret passage that can be used on both sides.

In the basement, the hobby room will be converted into a guest room, while the laundry room will be supplemented with a full bathroom for future guests