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.
motorradsilke schrieb:
I also think that’s what she means. But once you’ve opened it once, you know how it works. What’s so terrible about that?Well... In five households, I am not allowed to open it because the owners are afraid I won’t open it correctly since I’m unfamiliar with it. To me, that’s really frustrating. I’m not clueless by nature—in fact, I know a bit about it 😉 The hosts are always watching over me. They’re more uneasy than I am. And that’s not because of me, but because of the door/owners. There are also doors without instructions, which are generally more popular.
M
motorradsilke10 Nov 2022 01:00ypg schrieb:
So... I’m not allowed to open them in five households because the owners are afraid that I won’t open them correctly since I’m unfamiliar with them. In my opinion, that’s terrible. I’m not stupid by nature; I even know a bit about this 😉 The hosts are always watching me. They feel more uncomfortable than I do. And it’s not because of me, but because of the door/owner.
There are also doors without instructions, which are generally more popular. We have one of those as well. So far, everyone has managed to open and close it safely after the first explanation (which admittedly is necessary). You really can’t do anything wrong with it; it’s just unusual. Plus, due to its size, it’s a bit heavier to operate.
With French doors, you also need an explanation the first time to understand how the second leaf opens.
There are certainly better doors, but they cost significantly more (about 4000 euros more in our case) or have other disadvantages.
M
Myrna_Loy10 Nov 2022 08:14Lift-and-slide doors are not completely maintenance-free. Over time, they tend to become difficult to operate. However, they do have a stylish appearance.
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Lift-and-slide doors are not really maintenance-free. They tend to become very stiff over time. But they do look stylish.I also find them more attractive, and they feel higher quality / less wobbly than the tilt-and-slide doors.
On the other hand, I hadn’t planned to upgrade or spend more money at this point.
However, the extra cost of 1,500–2,000 (about 1,600–2,200 US dollars) is still reasonable.
We’re still undecided. On one hand, it’s not a huge amount, but on the other, small extra expenses here and there can quickly add up to five figures if you keep spending a few thousand more each time.
C
Costruttrice10 Nov 2022 09:18kati1337 schrieb:
On one hand, it’s not a huge amount, but on the other hand, it quickly adds up to five figures if you keep spending a few thousand more here and there.Exactly, that’s the point. If it were just one item to upgrade, but there are so many opportunities… You simply have to weigh what your priorities are. If you didn’t have a lift-and-slide door before and weren’t bothered by a threshold, it might just be a nice-to-have, and you can do just fine without it—same goes for other things. It’s better to upgrade the things that would otherwise annoy or bother you or that you really want.
I mentioned before that our neighbors replaced their sliding door after a few years with a lift-and-slide door. They had one of those tilt-and-slide systems. I never dared to handle it; you had to pull it toward you with some force first, and I was always afraid I’d break something. That opening method was completely unfamiliar to me. The kids honestly couldn’t operate it themselves either (which might not be a bad thing, depending on the child…), whereas the lift-and-slide door is no problem to open. Our kindergarten-age children have already managed that easily.
B
Benutzer 100110 Nov 2022 17:27My sister has this unusual tilt-and-slide door, and there are always problems with it. We, on the other hand, have a regular lift-and-slide door, and our daughter has been able to open it by herself for 3 years now.
Create a priority list of what is necessary and what is not. For example, an aluminum window sill is only needed if there is insulation underneath; otherwise, the drip will cause rain to splash on the porch.
Create a priority list of what is necessary and what is not. For example, an aluminum window sill is only needed if there is insulation underneath; otherwise, the drip will cause rain to splash on the porch.
Similar topics