By complete chance, Elmar Koeller and Robert Boudier found their dream house in 2002: Because of a road closure, Elmar was driving through the village of Stetten one day and discovered the old 19th-century rectory there.
With his enthusiasm, he was finally able to convince his partner to look at the house together. But it was only after weeks of searching that they found the house again - the roadblock had been lifted in the meantime. And it took another five years and a lot of convincing before they were actually able to buy the house. At first, it was only intended as a vacation home, but then it quickly became the center of their lives and also their life's work.
A lot of work was waiting for the two of them with the house. They first had to dig out the basement. The former slaughter kitchen and the cellar were covered 40 centimeters high with earth. This part of the house dates back to the 18th century, and the old arches and walls particularly excited the two. Here they installed a modern industrial kitchen, as Elmar is passionate about cooking.
Bathrooms were missing throughout the house. Elmar and Robert opted for a modern solution here: lots of mirrors and Brazilian slate. Overall, however, the historic substance of the house was in quite good condition. In order not to destroy the character of the historic rooms, the two opted for ceiling heating. They repainted the doors and wall paneling in the historic gray of the period. In the dining room, they had to add parts of the wall paneling. They deliberately kept these new pieces simple to highlight where historic substance meets new. The house is furnished with a mixture of design classics and antiques, preferably from 18th century France.
It was particularly important to Elmar and Robert to preserve the adjacent barns. All were professionally renovated with the support of historic preservation. In order to grout the masonry true to the original, they had a special company make the grout from local stones. Today they use the rooms for events, concerts and weddings. They also use it to finance the renovation work.
Across the street, they bought an old monastery courtyard in 2009 that was in a very dilapidated state. Here, too, extensive renovation work was necessary to restore the former appearance. The cow chapel has become a very special space, a former cow barn with an impressive vault. The Arabic-style window arches in particular give the room a special character. Today, the cow chapel has become a restaurant, and the walls are decorated with paintings by Robert, who, in addition to his work as a doctor and diabetologist, paints passionately in his spare time. Here you can find portraits of politicians next to the portraits of their employees. In the monastery courtyard, some guest rooms have also been realized. In the rearmost and oldest area, which adjoins the parish church, the roof has been missing for 40 years, which has now been replaced by the two. This room will one day become a registry office. And the greatest wish of Robert and Elmar is to be the first to be married in this room.
A film by Uta Meyer (editor), Stefanie Vier (camera), Arrien Peters (sound) and Daniel Alznauer (editor).
00:00 Renovating instead of building new
00:41 Entrance area
01:50 Cellar
02:24 Kitchen
04:49 Dining room
06:24 Robert's winter retreat
06:54 Bathroom
07:30 Living room
08:22 Bedroom
08:53 Barn/Festival Room
10:10 Former monastery estate
11:11 Restaurant