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Every Saturday, we like to introduce you to exciting before and after projects to show the amazing transformations some homes have undergone. This week, we have a very special project for you. The motto of the architects game enough to undertake the project is “the older and more decayed, the better”. A bold statement, given the state this building was in. See the project step by step for yourself.
The drab looking home we see here is in the German state of Bavaria. It is an old baker's house built in 1564, and considering its age, isn't looking all that bad.
The former baker's house stood empty for forty years, and despite it looking structurally sound, was actually on the verge of collapsing. Being a listed building, planning approval for the remodelling took twelve months in itself, with the rebuild lasting two and a half years.
The roof and upper half of the house was dressed in shingles, and this traditional method of decorating the exterior façade of European homes has been again adopted, to keep the original look and feel of the near 500 year old structure. To modernise the traditional home however, a fresh and bright toned timber has been used, which will gradually fade and weather aesthetically as the years pass.
The existing roof space was completely renovated to use the attic as a new living area. Dormers in the roof which were once used to transport items to the upper levels via a pulley have been restored to their former glory, only this time serving a less practical, and more visual purpose.
Farmhouses of this period always included a dining room in the kitchen, and this traditional notion has been retained. The existing look and feeling of the centuries-old house has been kept, whilst including the modern luxuries of the 21st century.
This image perfectly exemplifies the huge amount of work the builders have gone through to create what we see today. Any building not being lived in for 40 years would be in a sorry state, let alone a house of this age. Now we see a bright, fresh and completely modern bathroom, whose history has been exposed by stripping back the walls to its rock foundations, which is in stark contrast to the new tub and toilet, yet perfectly suited and harmonious.
The existing doors of the house were restored rather than replaced; their hardwood strength still as strong as the day they were installed. Remnants of the existing tone of green paint still remains around the window; a subtle nod to the past.
Here we can see the front door to the old baker's house from the outside. Still looking very much like it did before work began, only now it has been given a facelift.
Complete with all the modern amenities of kitchens of today, the rustic feeling of the historic home definitely still remains. In keeping with the classic kitchen style, lightly finished timber and varying tones of white are the dominant colours of the new design.
Finally we see a panned back image of the home in its finished state. The award-winning home still looks very much like a classic Bavarian house, only now it is perfectly suited for modern life.
To see another stellar historic building restored, check out this before & after mews conversion in London.
