In Bitburg-Mötsch, Dörthe and Manuel have converted an old inn into a family villa. The osteopath and the real estate entrepreneur live with their four children as a patchwork family in a cultural monument from 1908. Two years ago, they started renovating the house. In December 2021 they moved in with the children. In the house with about 300 m2 Dörthe has also housed her osteopathy practice. Manuel grew up in Bitburg-Mötsch and has known the inn since childhood. When it became clear that the house was for sale, Dörthe and he jumped at the chance. The couple's goal: to preserve the old charm of the house and yet create a contemporary home for their patchwork family. A particular challenge was to meet the requirements of historic preservation. It is important to Manuel and Dörthe to bring the house as close as possible to its 1908 condition. For decades, the entrance to the inn was on the front side facing the street. In old plans they found out that the entrance was actually on the side. Then during the renovation work, the original entrance door from 1908 turned up. They have now been able to install it in its original place. The two accompanied the renovation of their restaurant with their own Instagram channel @charakterhaus. On the one hand, they wanted to give people in the region the opportunity to experience the transformation of the rooms that were formerly open to the public. After all, the pub used to be a meeting place for many people, couples met here, weddings were celebrated, you could find out the latest village gossip here. Dörthe and Manuel also wanted to show that there is no need to be afraid of renovating a cultural monument, that many concerns about the requirements of monument protection are unfounded. The lower floor is the family's living area - with a kitchen, dining area and built-in wardrobe, which - surprise - also has intergated doors. Behind them hides a sofa and TV area. Reminders of the old pub are the original bar stools in the kitchen and the old wooden skittles from the bowling alley, which the couple uses as decorations in various rooms. The former guest rooms are now home to the family's four children. The upper floor still had a lot of the old building components. They were able to refurbish the old plank flooring and install the old doors and door frames. They used clay plaster to make the walls smooth and true to the monument. Manuel and Dörthe want the house to live at least another 114 years and for them to be able to live there as long as possible. When the children are out of the house, they can imagine living together with other couples as a "pensioners' shared apartment." A film by Hannah Liesenfeld (editor), Frederik Dietz (camera), Paul Heydecke (sound) and Marcella Krings (editing). 00:00 Old inn becomes a villa 01:41 Dining room and living room 02:22 TV room 02:47 Sandstone portal 03:54 Entrance hall 04:31 Kitchen 05:13 Staircase 05:46 Children floor 07:50 Bathroom 08:20 Dressing room and bedroom 09:14 Exterior