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:
The idea of raised garden beds is also great. You can definitely do that on your own. Go for it. It’s not a problem if they’re not perfectly straight in the garden. But don’t use wood in contact with the soil, it will rot over time. If you like, you can buy granite stones cheaply through local classifieds.But how would I start that? Especially the parts that sit in the ground—should I concrete those in? Or would you just set them in loosely? For my first house, I edged garden beds with clay bricks, which I just dug into the soil, but they didn’t have to support anything.
M
motorradsilke9 Apr 2023 11:41kati1337 schrieb:
But how would I start that? Specifically, for the part that sits in the ground, should I concrete it in? Or would you just place it loosely?
For my first house, I bordered garden beds with facing bricks, which I simply buried in the ground, but they didn’t need to hold anything. Unfortunately, I don’t have a slope, but that’s how we handled the exits from the floor-to-ceiling windows. We made a small foundation underneath, about 30 cm (12 inches) deep. That’s more than enough.
Talk to your general contractor, you have a good relationship. They’ll definitely tell you if you need to consider anything else when supporting the slope.
C
Costruttrice9 Apr 2023 12:17It certainly also depends on how steep the slope is or how much the terrain has been graded.
Therefore, I would first get advice from someone who knows the conditions and characteristics of the land.
According to our landscaping contractor, the posts or L-shaped retaining walls on the slope need to be set one-third into concrete. That seems too risky to me, especially since we did everything ourselves in the garden of our first house.
Therefore, I would first get advice from someone who knows the conditions and characteristics of the land.
According to our landscaping contractor, the posts or L-shaped retaining walls on the slope need to be set one-third into concrete. That seems too risky to me, especially since we did everything ourselves in the garden of our first house.
motorradsilke schrieb:
Why don’t you talk to your general contractor? You have a great relationship. He can surely tell you if there’s anything special you need to consider when leveling the slope. We will do that. He has even already offered to do some work on the exterior. Usually, he doesn’t take on landscaping anymore because he doesn’t have much time for garden and landscape work, and he said he doesn’t want to make promises to clients if he won’t have time to complete the job. But since it’s part of the new build and he’ll be bringing machines to the site anyway, he offered to properly prepare the driveway. He said it makes sense to do it now so you don’t end up doing the same work twice if he just fills it in for the moment.
He could also pave the driveway, access paths, and terrace. But the rough estimate he gave is more than we want to invest in these items at this initial stage. We might just have the driveway covered with gravel for now. It’s more important to me to invest some money in a photovoltaic system and a wallbox, so the exterior work is once again taking a backseat. :/
I’m already drafting the email to the general contractor. But I want to wait and send it after Easter, since I know he is taking a few days off over the holiday. I don’t want to tempt him to think about work while he’s on vacation. =)
kati1337 schrieb:
For the first house, I bordered flower beds with facing bricks by simply burying them in the ground, but they didn’t have to support anything. Would you perhaps have a photo of that? I really like the idea in my mind 🙂
Thank you!
kati1337 schrieb:
Things tend to go wrong quickly whenever you have to get something precisely level or straight, like using a plumb line and guide string, or when it comes to concrete work.When clearing our plot, we unearthed granite stones and wanted to get rid of them through classified ads. Our builder advised us to keep them, saying they work great without needing a spirit level.
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