ᐅ How did you research and prepare before starting your building project?

This question is mainly directed at homeowners who have already completed their building project or are at least well advanced:

What sources did you use to gather information? And looking back, what was particularly helpful?

I am still at the beginning of the project, and my sources so far are:

- Various guides from the consumer advice center
- "Homeowner’s Handbook" – Seems like a comprehensive overview of building-related topics
- "(No) Shoddy Building Work" – The title is a bit unfortunate, but the content sounds promising. Slightly more technical than the Homeowner’s Handbook
- Of course, this forum 🙂
- My father keeps handing me various "Building & Renovation" magazines. They are somewhat promotional, but good for generating ideas
- We are joining the Building Protection Association and plan to use their advisory services...

Do you have other good books, magazines, or newsletters that have been particularly helpful?

Thanks in advance!
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Links removed according to forum rules
Best regards, Musketier

Blogs, blogs, blogs
In my opinion, they are the most helpful and often the most honest sources. People want to make money with books, so I’m not sure how valuable they really are. So far, I haven’t read any.
For ideas and inspiration, I also use a few magazines.
But the majority of information comes free from other homeowners.

What we liked best (even though we are only renovating):
Oberheim’s Home: A Construction Diary with Expert Tips. Fraunhofer IRB Verlag 2004. It originated from a newspaper series in the Morgenpost in Berlin. Some parts are quite specific to Berlin, but it’s not bad for beginners.

RobsonMKK schrieb:
Blogs, blogs, blogs
In my opinion, they are the most helpful and often the most honest. People want to make money with books, so I’m not sure how much value they really provide. I haven’t read any so far.
For ideas and inspiration, I also look at some magazines.
But the majority of information comes from other homeowners for free.

RobsonMKK, do you have any specific blogs you would recommend?

No, I haven’t.

It really depends a lot on who you’re building with. The best sources are usually blogs or diaries from the preferred company. Alternatively, you can check out companies in your region to get to know some options. It’s quite specific.

I bought some technical literature and borrowed the "Textbook of Building Physics." At work, we have access to all DIN standards, which has sometimes been helpful to me. I am not a big fan of blogs, as I have mostly found too many subjective "opinions and feelings" instead of facts, along with a lot of unnecessary text.