ᐅ Hillside House in the Southwest Palatinate – Our Home Construction 2.0
Created on: 9 Sep 2022 18:13
K
kati1337
Good evening everyone
I’m starting a small collection thread here for photos and progress updates on our second building project.
We’ve already moved to the Palatinate region to be closer to the construction site. Now we’re watching eagerly and happily as our (hopefully final) dream home takes shape near family.
One big challenge still ahead of us is the facade design. I really love the Nordic style with brickwork and mullioned windows. That won’t be possible here for two reasons: firstly, no one here can do bricklaying, and secondly, it would stand out too much. We will be going with a rendered facade. How to design the colors of the facade and windows to still create some country house / cottage charm is currently still a work in progress mentally.
Otherwise, I’m sharing our plans here and how it will eventually be built.
The support pillar marked near the kitchen island could be removed for a small extra cost, so that will be gone.
The room for “garden equipment” under the garage will get a partition wall for structural reasons.
It won’t be fully finished living space like in the house, but underfloor heating will be installed, along with a lockable door and a window. It’s meant to store garden tools but also some of the building services equipment, since the utility room (HAR) is quite small, and maybe be used as a party room.
We had three construction companies in the final selection. In the end, we chose the “doer” – a builder recommended to us here by friends and family. No website, no smartphone, but he is on site every day himself working in overalls. He has a very good reputation in this area and now rarely builds single-family homes. We were a bit lucky through personal connections and a very friendly initial phone call to get our foot in the door. So far we are very satisfied with this choice.
I’m starting a small collection thread here for photos and progress updates on our second building project.
We’ve already moved to the Palatinate region to be closer to the construction site. Now we’re watching eagerly and happily as our (hopefully final) dream home takes shape near family.
One big challenge still ahead of us is the facade design. I really love the Nordic style with brickwork and mullioned windows. That won’t be possible here for two reasons: firstly, no one here can do bricklaying, and secondly, it would stand out too much. We will be going with a rendered facade. How to design the colors of the facade and windows to still create some country house / cottage charm is currently still a work in progress mentally.
Otherwise, I’m sharing our plans here and how it will eventually be built.
The support pillar marked near the kitchen island could be removed for a small extra cost, so that will be gone.
The room for “garden equipment” under the garage will get a partition wall for structural reasons.
It won’t be fully finished living space like in the house, but underfloor heating will be installed, along with a lockable door and a window. It’s meant to store garden tools but also some of the building services equipment, since the utility room (HAR) is quite small, and maybe be used as a party room.
We had three construction companies in the final selection. In the end, we chose the “doer” – a builder recommended to us here by friends and family. No website, no smartphone, but he is on site every day himself working in overalls. He has a very good reputation in this area and now rarely builds single-family homes. We were a bit lucky through personal connections and a very friendly initial phone call to get our foot in the door. So far we are very satisfied with this choice.
M
Marvinius10 Sep 2022 19:08kbt09 schrieb:
This is unavoidable on sloped sites that fall away from the street if you want living/dining/kitchen areas with good garden access. That's true, which is why I'm glad our site slopes upward from the street...
However, you can also solve the issue with a balcony and stairs from the balcony to the garden, and maybe install an outdoor kitchen...
Marvinius schrieb:
I’m not really fond of the garden view. For one half of the house, there seem to be almost too many windows, while the “garage tower” has hardly any. It feels somewhat unbalanced to me.
I’m also not sure if I’d want an entrance area within the sleeping quarters.
The routes from the garage to the kitchen are quite long as well... In fact, another window was added to the lower part of the garage tower. 😀 We just discussed that on-site the day before yesterday.
The rest is really due to the sloping terrain. The door on the upper floor doesn’t bother me much. The long paths from the garage to the kitchen are more of an issue. Well, it’s basically just one staircase, and since our kitchen is currently on the second floor (2nd storey), my husband is still looking forward to the new house. He thinks “one staircase down” is much easier than “two staircases up.” 😉
M
Marvinius10 Sep 2022 19:24kati1337 schrieb:
Actually, a window was added at the bottom of the garage tower. 😀You did a great job. That space is really too good to be used just as a storage room 🙂M
Marvinius10 Sep 2022 19:27kati1337 schrieb:
He thinks "carrying something down one flight of stairs" is much easier than "carrying it up two flights of stairs." 😉Be careful: carrying loads down stairs carries a fairly high risk of accidents. As you get older, this can become a serious problem. I would install some kind of cargo lift from the garage to the lower room, to which you have now added a window.Marvinius schrieb:
That's true, which is why I'm glad we have a sloping site rising from the street...
However, this issue can also be solved with a balcony and stairs from the balcony down to the garden, and maybe by installing an outdoor kitchen... In this case, the sloping site would probably also result in a (partial) split-level on the ground floor, since many agree they prefer to have the terrace by the kitchen facing the garden (not the street).
W
WilderSueden11 Sep 2022 09:28Congratulations on starting construction for the second time. The two pointed roofs in the renderings somehow remind me of a small castle 😉
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