ᐅ Do you have a tendency toward perfectionism when it comes to your home?

Alessandro schrieb:


BUT: Considering what we paid for the construction back in 2019, I’m very happy every day that the house with this equipment is standing exactly as it is ;-)

I think with that difference you could run the heat pump to charge your buffer tank for a few centuries. 😉

We also started out being perfectionists and, thanks to Alessandro’s thread, I stayed reasonably strict with my requirements for the underfloor heating. The rest just became annoying over time. Constantly having to make decisions. Eventually, we only half-heartedly dealt with things and gave approvals. The main thing was to finally finish and move in.

I was somewhat semi-perfectionistic during the selection phase (built with BT). There wasn’t much more to do than choose doors and tiles. In hindsight, though, I feel like I let my life be decided by so-called “world-changing” decisions that turned out to be totally unimportant. How many sockets where, whether doors should be painted or repainted, hand basins here or there—it all seemed rather insignificant. Once I actually moved into the house, all of that seemed quite unimportant, and I could focus again on more enjoyable and meaningful things.

The house itself matters to me, but not every single detail. I believe that furniture really brings a house to life. Since I moved in, it has felt like a home. Despite a few shortcomings (on both sides 😀), my house fits me, and I find that very nice.

Looking back, I think I should have chosen painted doors everywhere. Also, the oak stair treads instead of beech ones were money wasted. Other than that, I’m very satisfied—even with the homemade Ikea kitchen and the beautiful tiles in the hallway, which I truly enjoy.

OWLer schrieb:

I think to make up the difference, you could let the heat pump charge your buffer tank for a few centuries. 😉

We also started out perfectionistic, and thanks to Alessandro’s thread, I stayed fairly strict with my demands for the underfloor heating. The rest just became annoying after a while. Constantly having to make decisions. So eventually, we only halfheartedly dealt with it and just approved things. The main thing was to finally get finished and move in.

Well, at least the thread helped someone ;-)
I can handle the 10% extra costs from my botched underfloor heating. There are other areas where I can save :p

motorradsilke schrieb:

But I also always kept an eye on whether everything was being done correctly from my perspective, which was good twice because the workers apparently thought building plans were completely unnecessary. A screed expansion joint was incorrectly placed (the bedroom door opens to the hallway) and one door reveal wouldn’t have been plastered (no door frame will be installed there).
With the drywall construction, I discussed several things with the drywall installer, for example, the triple-layer plasterboard on a pre-wall element so that the tiles would end exactly in the corner.

Oh dear, those are things I probably wouldn’t notice. I hope my husband will catch things like that. We also plan to be on site daily. We have the time for it, but I’m also worried about bothering the tradespeople. I personally don’t appreciate it when someone constantly watches over my shoulder while I’m working, and I expect the construction workers might feel the same. But maybe I’m wrong.

Pinkiponk schrieb:

Oh dear, these are things I probably wouldn’t notice. I hope my husband will catch things like that. We expect to be on the construction site daily. We have the time, but I’m also worried about annoying the tradespeople. I don’t like it when someone constantly watches me while I work, and I assume the same goes for the builders. But maybe I’m wrong.

If you planned your house yourself and can read a drawing, you’ll notice things like that.
I always asked if coffee or drinks were wanted, which helped start a conversation. Then I would ask a question now and then; most people appreciated that someone showed interest. You’re not standing directly behind them watching their every move for hours, and they are used to that. One person told me right away he only wanted to be photographed from behind and definitely didn’t want to appear on any social media (which I would consider obvious). But he had had different experiences.

We just want to have a good "this feels right" feeling – as long as that isn’t there, we keep investing time. For some things, that is achieved quite quickly; for others, it takes longer.