ᐅ Hillside House in the Southwest Palatinate – Our Home Construction 2.0
Created on: 9 Sep 2022 18:13
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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
Myrna_Loy4 Nov 2022 12:52I think you need to let go a bit of the fixed image in your mind. A compromise could result in ending up with a half-baked country house that looks like the 1980s villas in southern Germany. For a bungalow with this shape and window design, I definitely wouldn’t choose window panes (muntins). It wouldn’t create a good stylistic contrast. Cozy charm in a modern country house style can be fully achieved inside through furniture, decoration, and textiles.
However, if I imagine the glass door in the middle as a regular window, then splitting the two windows on the left and right into two sections each would make it easier to achieve a country house look than with the glass door.
However, if I imagine the glass door in the middle as a regular window, then splitting the two windows on the left and right into two sections each would make it easier to achieve a country house look than with the glass door.
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Costruttrice4 Nov 2022 15:05kati1337 schrieb:
Our contract includes plastic windows with white frames inside and anthracite on the outside. During yesterday’s site visit, our builder mentioned that the anthracite exterior color comes with an extra charge, and if we wanted the exterior to be white as well, it would be cheaper / we would get a credit. If you want a country house style, I don’t find anthracite very fitting and would choose white instead.
kati1337 schrieb:
I’m not sure if window grilles would still look good? The same applies to our fixed kitchen window front, which is 3 meters (10 feet) wide. Would grilles work well there? I can’t really imagine panoramic windows with grilles; personally, that would bother me.
kati1337 schrieb:
Standard sliding door versus lift-and-slide door. If it fits your budget, I would always choose a lift-and-slide door.
kati1337 schrieb:
Our builder advises against the lift-and-slide door because he thinks the extra cost is high for barely any additional functionality. He also says that without the threshold, people tend to step on the door track, allowing small stones or sand to get in, which can cause the door to slide poorly or even get damaged in extreme cases. We had a lift-and-slide door in our first house and are installing one again now. In over 10 years, we never had any problems. Our kids ran in and out from the sandbox, and nothing happened at all. Our neighbors even removed their regular sliding door and replaced it with a lift-and-slide because they found ours much more comfortable.
kati1337 schrieb:
We’re undecided between frosted glass or clear glass. Since the window is in the bathroom with the shower and toilet, we’d always have a pleated blind or something similar in front anyway. That’s a matter of taste. I don’t like frosted glass because I feel cut off from the outside world. I would probably go for a pleated blind that can be adjusted as needed. Alternatively, you can also use privacy film on the lower part of the window or door.
I would also lean towards white window frames, but actually choose a bold color for the exterior render— a very dark red. You can search for images on Google with terms like "rendered facade bordeaux" or "fir green/sage" 😉 but definitely avoid beige or light yellow tones.
Have you already chosen the color for the door?
And for floor-to-ceiling bathroom windows, clear glass is best. If blinds or shades aren’t an option, you can always use privacy film. But if you have frosted glass there, you won’t be able to try those alternatives.
Have you already chosen the color for the door?
And for floor-to-ceiling bathroom windows, clear glass is best. If blinds or shades aren’t an option, you can always use privacy film. But if you have frosted glass there, you won’t be able to try those alternatives.
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WilderSueden4 Nov 2022 16:09Do you really need the window to be floor-to-ceiling? I would consider making the lower part fixed glazing and only the upper part operable. The lower section could be frosted and the upper section clear.
I can completely understand your visual preference. I loved clinker bricks and window grids in the northern regions 🙂 Unfortunately, it just doesn’t fit here.
We didn’t like anthracite either; with our white facade, we chose iron mica. It’s also gray but without that blue tint we dislike. I could have also imagined a nice beige, but the delivery time wouldn’t have worked out. What I want to say is: there’s more than just white and anthracite.
By the way, I would have really liked the broom finish plaster. Paired with aged white or beige.
We didn’t like anthracite either; with our white facade, we chose iron mica. It’s also gray but without that blue tint we dislike. I could have also imagined a nice beige, but the delivery time wouldn’t have worked out. What I want to say is: there’s more than just white and anthracite.
By the way, I would have really liked the broom finish plaster. Paired with aged white or beige.
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