ᐅ Hillside House in the Southwest Palatinate – Our Home Construction 2.0

Progress is being made.
The last picture shows the large window in the hallway. It will probably be installed as a panoramic window.
I think we’ll need to find a good window cleaner since we already have two large panoramic windows.

Otherwise, things are moving along well. I checked, and we’re getting a front door from Groke—but honestly, I find all of their designs ugly.
I’ll have to come up with a solution for that.
We’ve also heard the price for the parquet flooring. The additional cost for us (final price) will be €13 per square meter (around $13 per square yard). At the beginning of the year, it was about €4 or so. But oh well, we’ll probably go with the parquet.
Now we need to decide whether to install it in the office as well or go with tiles there instead. We tend to lean towards parquet with the recommended chair casters.

We also need to start thinking about façade colors. That’s a big topic. I love brick houses and can only just tolerate plastered façades. And then we have to choose a color on top of that. It will probably be something fairly neutral.
We asked our 3-year-old, and without hesitation he was all for “white! White, Mom! White!” He even repeated it in English, so that means something. But I doubt he understood anything in the question except “color.” 😉

I really envy you for your view – it’s so beautiful!

We spent our vacation this year in the Südwestpfalz region (Bundenthal), and we really enjoyed it there (a biking paradise, you can really push yourself on the bike, but it’s great!).
The proximity to Alsace is also quite appealing, and there are castles everywhere. I think almost every hill has either a quirky rock formation or a castle ruin :-)

Climbee schrieb:

I really envy you for your view – so beautiful!
Also, being close to Alsace is definitely appealing, and there are castles everywhere. I think on every hill there’s either a quirky rock formation or a castle ruin 🙂

There really are castles everywhere here, I can't deny it. My husband likes it a lot too. 🙂
Our current status – since Wednesday we have roof trusses installed. 🙂

We had the site inspection yesterday, and our window specialist was very impressed as well. We mentioned about the large panoramic window, "this is a highlight because of the view," and he said, "the house has many highlights." ♥
For that reason, we also decided against satin-finish glass in many places because he said, "it would be a crime given the morning view." Personally, I’m not a big fan of satin-finish glass anyway.

We currently have some decisions ahead of us where we would appreciate your input.

First, the windows: Our contract includes uPVC windows, white on the inside and anthracite on the outside. During the inspection, our builder mentioned that the anthracite exterior color is an extra cost, and if we wanted white on the outside as well, it would be cheaper / we would get a credit.
We also inquired about windows with muntins/grilles. Compared to our first general contractor, these are relatively affordable this time. We would need to budget around 7–10€ per pane, and roughly about 1000€ total for the whole house. I can live with that. If we make the frames white on the outside for this, it would probably even balance out without extra cost.
I’m a big fan of the country-style look, but this time we’re getting a rendered facade instead of brick cladding. Would you still say muntin windows can look good? I find them so lovely. 😱
The window specialist also said that if we choose muntins, he would recommend using them everywhere. However, for example, we have this window here:

It’s right across from the front door, on the upper hallway – and for us personally, it’s a highlight because of the nice view of nature and the forest. I’m not sure if muntins would still look that good there?
The same applies to our 3-meter fixed kitchen window front. Would something like that work well with muntins? How could we arrange them? Does anyone have example pictures? I find it hard to imagine with a rendered facade (and also from inside).
Back in northern Germany, we had a Frisian-style house with smaller windows, where muntins looked cute and cozy of course.

Furthermore, we are considering: standard sliding door vs. lift-and-slide door system. The latter would likely come with a hefty extra cost of about 2,000€ (around $).
The window specialist is completely in favor, saying it has advantages, is level with the floor and can be fully closed, whereas a normal sliding door always leaves a small gap open. I can’t quite imagine that and we’re planning to visit his showroom next week to see it for ourselves. The builder advises against the lift-and-slide system because he thinks the extra cost is excessive for "barely more functionality," and also mentions that without a threshold people tend to step on the door unit, which can let small stones or sand get inside, making it harder to operate or even damaging it in extreme cases. With a normal sliding door that you step over, you usually don’t step on the sash, so it should be lower-maintenance in that regard.
What is your opinion on this?

And lastly: downstairs in the guest bathroom with a shower, we have a floor-to-ceiling window. Visually a highlight, and we will make it a door – super practical for example to quickly get a muddy child into the shower in summer without detours. 😀
We are undecided whether to choose satin-finish or clear glass. Since it’s a shower and toilet, we would definitely have a pleated blind or something similar in front anyway. But at least the upper part could remain open for a nice view outside.
On the other hand, clear glass carries the risk that when someone is using the toilet, guests in the garden could look inside. I’m not sure if anyone would actually do that (probably not). But yes, that is the only window we are currently unsure about.

Muntins in windows always obstruct the view outside. I would never use them on windows where I want an unobstructed view. And I only find them unsuitable on certain windows.
I also wouldn’t choose frosted glass. I’d rather have a pleated blind in front or a film applied. With frosted glass, the entire window becomes opaque, and you can’t see outside.

kati1337 schrieb:


I’m not sure if adding muntins would still look good? The same goes for our 3-meter (10 feet) fixed kitchen window front. Would adding muntins work there as well? How could we arrange them? I find it hard to imagine how that would look with a plaster façade (and also from the inside).

Does the general contractor have a 3D model of the design to review? If so, maybe they could add the muntins virtually so you can see how it looks on screen first? Of course, any extra work would need to be compensated. Some decisions are worth the cost.

kati1337 schrieb:


Standard sliding door VS lift-and-slide system. ... What’s your opinion on that?

We don’t have sliding doors directly at the house. But our patio doors do have a floor track. Yes, you definitely have to keep it clean, but it only takes a quick vacuum to maintain. With five kids who regularly get muddy, I might hesitate a bit, but you can also train them to use another entrance. So personally, I would choose the nicer option.

kati1337 schrieb:


And finally: down in the guest bathroom with shower, we have a floor-to-ceiling window. It’s a real highlight visually, and we’re going to make it into a door—super practical for, say, giving a muddy child a quick shower in summer without any detours. 😀 We’re torn between frosted glass or clear glass. Since there’s a shower and toilet, we would always have some kind of blind or screen in front of it anyway. But at least with clear glass, you could keep the upper part open and still have a nice view. On the other hand, clear glass runs the risk that someone in the garden might peek in while you’re on the toilet. Not sure if anyone actually does that (probably not). But yes, that’s the only window we’re still undecided about at the moment.

That one is trickier. We also wanted frosted glass in the guest bathroom but the general contractor simply forgot. Now I have two curtains in front, and you really can’t see anything from outside. Still, it doesn’t feel quite as comfortable inside as in other bathrooms where there’s no visibility in. So for the next windows, we will definitely go with strongly patterned glass.

K a t j a schrieb:

Does the general contractor have the design as a 3D model for review? If yes, maybe they could add the muntins for you, and you could take a look at it on screen first? Of course, the effort would need to be compensated. Some decisions are worth the cost.

My general contractor doesn’t even have a smartphone; I think a 3D view would really be beyond their capabilities. 😀 But I created a temporary 3D view myself in Sweet Home 3D, so I could add the muntin windows there. Thanks for the idea! 🙂