Three designer apartments on 69 square meters realized

We were able to get a well-located but completely run-down apartment in a listed residential building in the 8th district, which also has a balcony. What made it even more interesting was that in the floor plan of the almost 70 square meter apartment we discovered the possibility of dividing it into three independent Airbnb apartments.

Independent means: no more than 20 square meters each had to accommodate three bathrooms with showers, three complete kitchens, other furniture and at least a 160cm wide bed each.

A gallery would be a good option for this, but with the ceiling height of 370cm, there would have been a maximum height of 160cm at the top, which would have been too short for most people to stand.

The trick now consisted of lowering the floor by around 20 cm and designing the gallery as a metal structure that was only 10 cm high in total.

The most important steps of the renovation:

• The Lower the floor: remove old parquet, as well as the old planks underneath and the mixture of ash and sand that was standardly used for filling a hundred years ago. Concrete was then poured as the foundation.
• Completely new layout of the apartment - non-load-bearing walls were removed and new ones were built using dry construction with sound and moisture insulation. 
• The Power grid was strengthened and all electricity and water pipes were re-laid. Each apartment has its own circuit including a fuse box. 
• Heating and cooling: A large outdoor unit supplies three independent air conditioning units capable of heating and cooling. Since it was not allowed to install the outdoor unit in the courtyard, We had to install the device inside the hallway and above a suspended ceiling, soundproof it, and implement a solution for the air supply and condensation. The panels of the suspended ceiling in the hallway can now be rolled to the side so that the water heaters and the air conditioning can be accessed in the event of service
•  Both Galleries We attached importance to ensuring that the stairs are not too steep and can be used comfortably 
• Kitchens, furniture, sofa beds, but also the glass doors of the showers were all there Custom work – the space was used optimally and the furnishings fulfill all the functions that an (Airbnb) guest expects.  

Three units are three sources of income - but alternatively also an offer for groups of up to 8 people

Whatever the prices and demand on the Budapest market develop – we wanted to make provision for different models:

1. Each apartment gets its own license and is therefore rented separately. If you assume a basic rate of around 40 euros per night, calculated over the year, you can achieve around 120 euros per night (gross). 
2. Depending on the situation on the market, the apartments can also be offered together, so to speak as a “bundle” for up to 8 people - because it is sometimes difficult to find something for this group size in Budapest. In this case, the shared entrance is actually an advantage because the guests can meet each other within the apartment can move from room to room. So it feels more like a big apartment. This could lead to more income despite lower occupancy because the groups pay more if they can stay together (approx. 25 - 30 euros per person, a total of 200-240 euros per night, also gross)

Why so much effort?

In one word: magnetism. We've found that homes of this quality not only attract people who value such things, but also make residents more mindful of them.

But maybe we were just lucky.

But when we approach a project, we always aim to achieve a wow result. The result should be enjoyable. For us, the guests, and of course the owner, who always sees both sides: it has to look good, increase the value of the property and be financially viable over the term of the investment.

That's exactly how we see it too.

If you are interested in a project like this and can imagine realizing something like this with us, please feel free to contact us meet us online or here on site.

Apartment 1 of 3 – “Bronze”

Floral patterns and bronze tones - the bed is placed on a gallery, the headboard houses lamps and USB charging ports, the TV is mounted on a swivel arm so you can watch movies up in bed. The spaces under the stairs, where we made sure to have a comfortable slope, are filled with custom-made cabinets

Apartment 2 of 3 – “Crystal”

Gold and blue accents and an eye-catching crystal chandelier in an apartment with a balcony - the king size bed is placed on a gallery, but the custom-made sofa also converts into a queen size bed, so this apartment can sleep 4 people.

Apartment 3 of 3 – “Jungle”

Lots of greenery, a motif wallpaper with palm leaves and a hand-forged grille are the accents of this room. We didn't use stairs to the gallery here because some guests prefer to sleep on the ground floor and not having the stairs creates space. Nevertheless, should the owner change his mind, the false ceiling above the kitchen and bathroom could be used as a gallery and thus a sleeping place.