Interview with Victoria – "Our Little Ruin"

08/10/2023

Together with her partner Salvatore, their son and their faithful dog Leni, Victoria has realised her dream of owning a beautiful home. It all began with the purchase of a vacant detached house that quickly became known as "Our Little Ruin". The property, which was the epitome of sixties style both inside and out, had considerable structural defects. However, Victoria and Salvatore both had a clear vision of how they would transform the dilapidated bungalow into their very own dream home, adding a mezzanine and renovating it to boost its energy efficiency.

Turning this vision into reality required a great deal of initiative and constant drive, but their efforts have definitely paid off. From the very outset, the fruits of their labour could be admired on Instagram and their blog "Our Little Ruin". Along the way, the couple gave and continue to give a look behind the scenes of their house renovation. Furthermore, in their capacity as energy consultants, they also advise prospective owner-builders on grant schemes available for house construction or house purchases. The couple's beautiful bedroom has already been given a makeover with a Komar mural, while their son's bedroom has been jazzed up with a panel from Komar. We now have a few questions for the blogger duo, which Victoria has kindly agreed to answer:

Question 1: Dear Victoria, are you still happy with the mural on the bedroom wall behind your bed and the mural in your son's bedroom?
We are very happy with the result. And hanging the murals was child's play! We simply ordered the murals in the size we wanted and Komar provided all the necessary tools. The mural in our bedroom is truly eye-catching. It is stylish and lively yet somehow peaceful. Even though it jazzes up the bedroom, it still conveys a pleasant feeling of calm. The mural in our son's bedroom makes the room feel bigger and really emphasises its high walls. In addition, the childlike elements are very sweetly drawn. This mural is a real highlight, just like the one in our bedroom.

Question 2: Your plan to partially demolish and rebuild the house was very complex. How did you prepare for the project and what was your inspiration?
At the start, we were complete novices and knew little or nothing about such things, but in the years prior to commencing work on this project, we viewed a lot of properties and developed a feeling for rooms, sizes and interior design. In addition, my husband trained as an energy consultant, which helped him gain a lot of knowledge in this area. We were also supported by lively exchanges with other owner-builders on Instagram and whenever we had any building-related questions (for example, about dry lining), we would enter the keyword into online search engines and find important information and inspiration in this way.

Question 3: What are the highlights in your house? Also, do you have a favourite room?
From a design perspective, our energy-saving renovation is the highlight of the entire project. We now have an energy-efficient building and can generate our own electricity. Both the PV system and the geothermal heat pump transformed the former bungalow into a modern house built to the latest standards.

Visually speaking, our mezzanine is an absolute highlight because the large double-height space in the living and dining area makes the room look huge. This whole area is now flooded with light. Our metal staircase is also something special. From the side, it looks as if it were made of paper. That's how thin it is! I also really like our open ”industrial style” kitchen area. We spend a great deal of time here.

Question 4: Now, with the benefit of hindsight, would you have planned anything differently?
If we had our time again, I would consider which rooms are used most often in our everyday lives and my walking distances between these rooms (for example, from the laundry room to the wardrobe) so that I could plan accordingly to ensure that the walking distances between these rooms are kept to a minimum. I would also consider in advance which rooms need a lot of light (for example, the home office) and which rooms on the north side can also manage without much daylight (for example, the guest toilet). However, if, like us, you are renovating an old building, you will no doubt have to work within the constraints of the building.

Question 5: What was the biggest hurdle during the renovation phase?
The biggest hurdle was the unexpected! On several occasions, we had to deal with unexpected challenges such as the discovery of asbestos in the basement or a crack in the wall, which then had to be reinforced structurally. We simply could not have foreseen all these things. However, these unexpected events presented us with some opportunities. They forced us to rethink our design, which we were thankfully able to adapt to our benefit.

Question 6: Do you have any further plans for the outdoor area, for example?
We still have a lot to do outside! Apart from some roll-out lawn turf and a hedge, we haven't planted a single thing yet. Over time, we would like to design the outside area to perhaps include a vegetable patch, some trees and lots of beautiful flowers. We also plan to build a roofed patio. Then, on the other side of the house, we have our courtyard area. Here, I envisage a lounge area with an outdoor fireplace and some cosy seating. This will probably not happen until next Spring. However, we really look forward to it.

Question 7: The photo gallery on your online blog clearly depicts the transformation. Each room has been furnished and decorated with loving care. What was your inspiration?
I did most of my research on social media and drew inspiration from Pinterest. There are also numerous home building accounts on Instagram, each one filled with helpful tips. We also viewed showhouses during this time. There is a place near us in Frechen where you can walk through various rooms and take a close look at the individual elements (for example, a free-standing bathtub). We also frequently drove around the surrounding area and simply looked at the exterior of other houses. I highly recommend doing this as it can be really inspiring!

Question 8: Do you have any advice for prospective owner-builders or, with the benefit of hindsight, is there anything you would have done differently?
I would definitely build with the future in mind. I would consider how to future-proof my new home as much as possible (for example, by installing a heat pump or fitting a wall-mounted electric vehicle charge point). If you simply renovate an old house, you essentially build an old house again – that's what we like to say to our clients. It is important to keep these future topics in mind because houses with top energy-efficient features and technology have a higher sales price. And apart from that, your own living comfort also improves if your house has all these features. Parallel to this, you can also find out about available grants that may be of benefit to you. If you have any questions about these topics, we are also happy to advise you in our capacity as energy consultants. And one final tip: Comparing and viewing houses goes a long way towards understanding the subject matter. Only when you take a look around properties do you get a feel for real estate. Active networking can pave the way for exciting partnerships and the regular exchange of ideas.