Frustration after the umpteenth fruitless discussion with cantonal specialists, sleepless nights because of the financing, cross-generational discussions with the family, but also a wonderful time with many creative ideas and exciting search for solutions. Anyone who has renovated a property that is over 170 years old and put it to a new use has a lot to tell - like Hans Hagenbuch-Spillmann from Oberlunkhofen.

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In the beginning, everything was actually clear. At the beginning of my professional career, I could imagine many things, but one thing I certainly couldn't: running a restaurant. A few years later, when I took over my parents' farm, the old farmhouse and restaurant, which was in need of renovation, was also part of it, although it was already clear at that time that it would be a great burden for the farm and the family. When the building was to be placed under protection together with other buildings in the village during a regular revision of the zoning plan, the municipal council - of which I was a member as a municipal official - unanimously agreed to the protection of these old buildings in the village with a clear conscience after extensive discussions and agreements with the cantonal authorities. One of the basic ideas of the protection was to involve the authorities at the beginning of the project development, so that the legitimate interests of the public would be taken into account.

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Empty promises from the canton‍

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Unfortunately, the agreements and promises made by the canton at the time evaporated into thin air by the time the planning phase for the renovation began. Although it was clear to all the cantonal authorities responsible for the building permit that no solution would result without compromises and proportionate conditions, the discussions initially ended without results and frustrated the building owner. One agency wanted to convert the protected farm garden into parking spaces and the other did not want to change it under any circumstances and proposed underground parking with entry through the existing vaulted cellar, to give just two examples of the level of solution finding. The goal of the project was to put the old building to a contemporary use. The house should have a long-term added value after the conversion. From a financial point of view, the abandonment of the long-standing dual use as a place to live and work in favor of pure living space would have been associated with the smaller risk. It would also have been much easier to manage and would have involved significantly less work. As another possible use, a bed & breakfast without gastronomy was floating around in our heads.

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Creating jobs in the village ‍

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After long and intensive, cross-generational discussions in the family, we have decided to continue the dual use - inn with 8 hotel rooms and a manager's apartment. In this way, jobs can be created on a modest scale in the village and maintained in the long term. The financial risk is borne by the whole family and the next generation is willing to run the inn. However, the financing of this 4 million project could never, ever be provided by the agricultural business. However, we were in the fortunate position of having building land reserves from the previous generation and were therefore able to implement the building project. It was also clear in advance that writing off the entire investment costs with the restaurant and hotel business would be very difficult, if not impossible. In negotiations with officials, I nevertheless felt little respect and esteem for the decision to invest so much money as a private person in a project in which, in addition, much is (co-)determined by others and the risk nevertheless rests only on the shoulders of the owner. After long discussions and with the positive cooperation of the cantonal preservation of historical monuments, a building permit was obtained that was acceptable to all parties. The conversion and extension, which lasted from April 2015 to July 2016, was also successful thanks to the architectural firm Schaufelbühl from Bremgarten, which is extremely experienced in old buildings. We were also able to rely on the work and the cooperation of very competent craftsmen who put their heart and soul into this unusual building project.

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Even the ancestors would have enjoyed ‍

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This phase of the project was highly interesting and very demanding at the same time. Searching for possible solutions and making decisions on the construction site every day - a wonderful time. Or you could put it this way: "Saying no to the many well-intentioned suggestions costs energy and saying yes costs money." Working with my wife and children on a project that one believes both ancestors and descendants would have enjoyed, or will enjoy, is very satisfying. The back and forth between the professionals' suggestions and my own ideas is exciting. In retrospect, I must state that fortunately the building experts and my wife prevailed in the majority of design questions. The house was built in 1846, shortly after the abolition of the monastery in Aargau. This was one of the reasons why the building fabric was rather tightly dimensioned and the standard of finishing was modest compared to similar, somewhat older houses in the region. The "support" possible before the abolition of the monastery no longer existed. All the more pleasing was the fact that no major surprises concerning the building fabric came to light during the construction period. The masonry and the load-bearing wooden structure were flawless and could be left in their original condition. Only the frame construction of the entrance to the house, which was newly built in 1925 with a superstructure on the southwest side, had to be replaced in places. This entrance was built at the same time as the newly constructed cantonal road.

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Constant tightrope walk ‍

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During the interior design process, a constant balance had to be struck between two fundamental sets of demands. On the one hand, there was the demand for the best possible utilization of the building and the achievement of the most efficient operating processes. On the other hand, there were the demands and requirements of the licensing authority, which wanted to maintain the character of the building undiminished and also introduced design requirements for the new building annex. To a large extent, we succeeded in walking this tightrope. Unfortunately, the acoustics in some rooms (e.g. vaulted cellar) have to be improved for the intended use. The many positive feedbacks from the population of Oberlunkhofen and the surrounding area as well as from hotel guests from Switzerland and abroad make us very happy and show that our courage and willingness to take risks have paid off and that the daily work of my wife and the next generation is widely appreciated. We are pleased that we have not only succeeded in creating a social center and a positive eye-catcher at the entrance to the village, but also some jobs in the village.

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