Your house is too big — but you don't want to move

You’ve lived there for thirty years. You painted those walls. You laid that floor. You planted that apple tree that’s now big enough to sit under. The house is part of you.

But the children are long gone. It’s just the two of you now. Five bedrooms for two people. An energy bill that’s painful to open. A garden that demands more than you want to give.

The thought of selling is there. But moving away from that house, that garden, that neighbourhood — it doesn’t feel right.

So what now?

What it costs to keep the house warm

A detached house from the 1970s is typically energy class E or F. It’s expensive to heat. And it’s getting more expensive.

The weak points are usually the same:

• Roof and loft with insufficient insulation — heat rises and escapes upward
• Exterior walls built with cavity walls but no insulation in the cavity
• Windows that are single-glazed or 1980s double-glazed
• Heating system that is old and inefficient

An energy renovation — insulation, new windows, new heat pump — typically costs 300,000–700,000 DKK for a 150–200 m² house. That sounds like a lot. But at today’s energy prices, it pays back within 10–15 years. And the house is afterwards significantly more comfortable and valuable.

What you can fund with the children’s empty rooms: Many couples choose to convert the upstairs bedrooms into something useful — a hobby room, a rental unit, a guest apartment. Rental income can fund a significant part of the energy renovation.

Accessibility — build for the future now

It’s not a comfortable topic. But it’s an important one.

Most people want to stay at home as long as possible. That requires the house to work for bodies that change over time. And it’s far cheaper to plan it now, when you’re already building, than to do it as an emergency project in ten years’ time.

Step-free access from the street to the front door: typically 20,000–60,000 DKK depending on the terrain.

Wider doorways (minimum 77 cm clear width) in the key rooms: 5,000–15,000 DKK per door including frame and lintel.

A ground-floor bathroom — the single most important move. If you currently only have a bathroom upstairs, you’re dependent on being able to use the stairs. A new bathroom on the ground floor — even in a small room — typically costs 100,000–250,000 DKK including all installations.

A stairlift as an alternative: 40,000–80,000 DKK. But it doesn’t solve the bathroom problem.

We design accessibility that doesn’t look like accessibility. Wider hallways, step-free shower rooms, good handles — it can be done beautifully. It doesn’t have to look like a care home.

Convert vs. sell — when does it make sense?

That question deserves an honest answer.

Sell and buy smaller, if:

• The house requires such a massive investment that it exceeds what you can finance
• You want a genuinely fresh start — new neighbourhood, new size, new daily life
• The appreciation on the house doesn’t correspond to the conversion costs

Stay and convert, if:

• You’re deeply attached to the house and the area
• The house has good bones — good location, solid construction
• You can finance the work within a reasonable timeframe
• The energy renovation also increases the sale value

As a rule of thumb: if conversion costs more than 30–40% of the property’s current market value, it’s worth doing the numbers against selling. We can help you with that analysis.

Two homes from one house — the possibilities

It’s becoming more and more common, and it makes excellent sense.

The house is divided into two separate dwellings. You live in one — a considered, adapted ground-floor home. Your son or daughter lives in the other. Or you rent it out.

Options:

• Horizontal division: You live on the ground floor, others on the first floor. Requires a separate entrance to the upper storey and two separate bathrooms.
• Vertical division: The house is split into two halves with a shared party wall. Often possible in semi-detached houses and large detached homes.
• Basement apartment: The basement is converted into a self-contained unit. Requires daylight, sufficient ceiling height and a separate entrance.

What will the local authority say? You’ll need to apply for planning permission for change of use. The council will assess whether zoning allows two dwellings on the property, and whether the technical requirements (fire, acoustics, ventilation) are met. We handle the application.

What does it cost? Dividing a property into two fully independent homes typically costs 250,000–600,000 DKK depending on how much needs to change.

Our approach to your project

We start with what you want. Not with drawings and budgets. What does your daily life look like now? What do you want it to look like in five years? What worries you most?

From there we look at the house and show you what’s possible — concretely, with cost estimates, without academic language.

The first conversation is free.