How to plan a house for people who bought it on video?

Planning and design: Halel architecture and interior design

Photos: Maor Moyal, Oded Smadar

“We are coming to Israel, help us choose a house” – this was the message of a couple with four children who live in Chicago, USA, and have decided to fulfill their dream and emigrate to Israel. Their children were of school age and they knew that in two years when they arrived in Israel they would want to live in Ra’anana, they just didn’t know exactly where.

Shira Moskal and Hadas Roth, architect and interior designer, owners of the architectural firm Halel Architecture and Interior Design, received the news and knew exactly what to do. In recent years, in addition to their firm’s architectural work and interior design, they have also managed projects for English-speaking residents who want to build their home in Israel and who lack background knowledge or knowledge of how to get started and who to contact .

“When a family faces such a life-changing move, they don’t know where to start. In most cases, they break the move down into its components and contact a real estate agent, a lawyer and an architect separately so that each can look after their interests in their area of expertise,” they explain. “We coordinate the process from A to Z, all remotely controlled. If they are still busy organizing for Aliya, we are here to connect with the real estate professionals to find the right house and environment for them,” including neighborhood WhatsApp groups. And they also help those who are interested in an apartment from a project that is still “on paper”. We hire a lawyer who will handle the formal procedures and of course take care of everything related to the planning of the house, the contractors, the professionals, the design of the house of their dreams and of course sticking to the budget.”

Planning and design: Halel Architecture and interior design (Source: Maor Moyal)

This year, after the global rise in anti-Semitism since October 7, interest in living in Israel increased and the need arose in the office to set up a department specializing in foreign residents under the leadership of architectural engineer Adi Shani. Experience has taught “Halel Architecture and Interior Design” that the process can be carried out well even remotely using Zoom conversations, simulations, photos and videos, eliminating the need to arrive in Israel at such early stages. “Instead of exhausting them upon arrival in Israel, we take ownership of the project and, by and large, treat it as if it were our baby. The site is noisy and poses dangers, or rather the opposite if it is close to one green surroundings that double its economic value. Sometimes we offer alternatives to acquire a larger apartment and we always take care to convey the feelings that the space generates when standing in the house, in the yard or on a high floor, all this concerns us with high ethical sensitivity through your mind.

How does the process work?

“The process always begins with the survey to understand the needs, solutions and planning features of the house, and with the visual communication of images and inspiration to the design concept. According to the planning solution, we build a three-dimensional model on which the design concept including materials is depicted and the owners of the house see the house in which they will live. The process is shared and all parameters are always on the discussion table. And they always know what the planning solutions will look like and how much they will cost.”

Planning and design: Halel Architecture and interior design (Source: Maor Moyal)

Halel Architecture and Interior Design is a company specializing in the design and construction of private homes for the last 20 years, with experience in searching, purchasing and investing in real estate in Israel for non-residents, as well as project management and – monitoring has. It is based on a female team of interior designers and architects and alongside it works a team of professionals who are crucial to the success of each project.

Stay up to date with the latest news!

Subscribe to the Jerusalem Post newsletter

As soon as you enter the property, you can recognize with a natural instinct which wall or window needs to be opened and which functions and rooms need to be changed or moved. In the next step, they check the building rights and carry out a cost and schedule estimate. “When people see a house, they may overlook its architectural aspect. To refine the process, it is desirable that an architect accompanies them from the beginning and throughout the journey and offers them the broad professional framework,” they say. For a couple from New York, they planned and prepared the infrastructure for their arrival in Israel and saved the rent necessary to organize the event from here. At the end of the process, the father of the family defined them: “You will submit the application that will help us in all elections before you emigrate to Israel. You just have to come with your luggage.”

Planning and design: Halel Architecture and interior design (Source: Maor Moyal)

Right Shira Moskal and Hadas Roth, Hillel Architecture (Source: Tal Alkabes)

They admit that every request from a family wanting to immigrate to Israel excites them, and they give each of them their own personal design, with respect for the collections, culture and art they bring with them. “When a person goes through such a change in his life, it is important to us that the walls around him are the house that he dreamed of, that surrounds him, the place that strengthens him and recharges his batteries before he sets out to master the challenging task in his life.”

How does the process work?

Recent Posts