ᐅ Electrical layout plan, second fix, bathroom tiles, knee wall (dwarf wall), floor-to-ceiling windows
Created on: 27 May 2016 10:23
M
Mizit
Our preferred provider also offers us a viewing of the selection samples with cost calculation before signing the contract; in addition, we are aiming for minor modifications to the plans.
We will definitely take advantage of the viewing opportunity and are very curious. I imagine that in such a selection center, the staff might also be influenced by recent events and that the discussions are naturally intended to maximize the provider’s profit.
That’s why we have already gone through several catalogs... trying to get a preliminary sense of what makes sense and where it is worth investing now. It’s alarming how expensive building has become. But we don’t want to focus solely on the numbers. Instead, we want to consider what constitutes a reasonable standard, for example in electrical installations, that is worth paying for, and what is unnecessary—what people are persuaded to buy but that ultimately does not really differ from the standard included in the fixed price.
Maybe you can share your experiences with certain options... I will attach the floor plan of the planned house later.
1. Electrical Planning
We find it difficult to assess what is really needed here. It seems wrong to skimp on outlets, but we can’t really judge how much an upgrade “should cost” or whether it makes sense to subcontract this trade. Google gave me very different price indications for outlet upgrades.
Example: The standard package includes 2 ceiling or wall outlets in the kitchen (assuming for lights), 8 outlets placed as desired, 5 double outlets placed as desired, 1 antenna socket, and 1 stove connection. The standard in a child’s room would be 1 ceiling outlet, 8 outlets placed as desired, 1 antenna socket, 1 telephone socket, and 1 smoke detector — 8 outlets sound good initially, but I assume the standard only covers the minimum and might not be sufficient.
The highest level of execution would provide:
Kitchen: 2 additional double outlets;
Child’s room: an additional 2 single outlets, 1 double outlet, and 1 LED night light.
We need to ask how much this upgrade costs. What do you think—does this upgrade make sense? Should there perhaps also be a triple outlet? For example, later under a desk... computer, desk lamp, printer...
2. Screed
The screed will be installed as a floating screed, with a choice between 5 or 6 cm (2 or 2.4 inches) thickness. We are laypeople and have no idea — does an extra centimeter really make a difference? In what way? Is it worth it?
3. Knee Wall
The knee wall is 1 m (3.3 feet) by standard. In our current rental apartment, we don’t have any sloped ceilings, and living without them is of course very comfortable. To reduce the shock and limitations, we are considering increasing the knee wall height. We can build two stories; that wouldn’t be a problem in terms of regulations. From your experience, is it very practical for everyday life to set the knee wall to 1.40 m (4.6 feet)? We find a gable roof the most attractive, but we could also build two full stories plus a gable roof... though that would certainly be significantly more expensive, right? What price range do you think such a redesign would fall into?
4. Bathroom Tiles
The standard includes tiles priced at €30 per sqm (approximately $30 per 11 sq ft), which we don’t like visually. We really like the ones priced at €40 per sqm (approximately $40 per 11 sq ft) and would choose those accordingly. Our bathroom floor area will be just under 16 sqm (172 sq ft), and we would like the side walls tiled up to at least 1.60 m (5.25 feet). Roughly estimated for tiles and labor, would around €1,000 be enough?
5. Floor-to-Ceiling Windows
We currently live in a very bright apartment and don’t want to accept noticeably less natural light here. We would therefore like to add 2 more floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, as well as double sash windows with mullions in the master bedroom and the two children’s rooms. I fear this could be a very expensive upgrade. But more light is always worth it, right? What price range do you think this upgrade would fall into?
6. Interior Plaster
All living areas would have a 10 mm (0.4 inch) gypsum plaster applied with Q2 finish quality. We do not intend to paint directly on it or use very thin wallpapers; rather, we prefer “normal” textured wallpapers. Is Q2 finish sufficient for this, or should we opt for a higher quality plaster finish right away?
Thank you all!
We will definitely take advantage of the viewing opportunity and are very curious. I imagine that in such a selection center, the staff might also be influenced by recent events and that the discussions are naturally intended to maximize the provider’s profit.
That’s why we have already gone through several catalogs... trying to get a preliminary sense of what makes sense and where it is worth investing now. It’s alarming how expensive building has become. But we don’t want to focus solely on the numbers. Instead, we want to consider what constitutes a reasonable standard, for example in electrical installations, that is worth paying for, and what is unnecessary—what people are persuaded to buy but that ultimately does not really differ from the standard included in the fixed price.
Maybe you can share your experiences with certain options... I will attach the floor plan of the planned house later.
1. Electrical Planning
We find it difficult to assess what is really needed here. It seems wrong to skimp on outlets, but we can’t really judge how much an upgrade “should cost” or whether it makes sense to subcontract this trade. Google gave me very different price indications for outlet upgrades.
Example: The standard package includes 2 ceiling or wall outlets in the kitchen (assuming for lights), 8 outlets placed as desired, 5 double outlets placed as desired, 1 antenna socket, and 1 stove connection. The standard in a child’s room would be 1 ceiling outlet, 8 outlets placed as desired, 1 antenna socket, 1 telephone socket, and 1 smoke detector — 8 outlets sound good initially, but I assume the standard only covers the minimum and might not be sufficient.
The highest level of execution would provide:
Kitchen: 2 additional double outlets;
Child’s room: an additional 2 single outlets, 1 double outlet, and 1 LED night light.
We need to ask how much this upgrade costs. What do you think—does this upgrade make sense? Should there perhaps also be a triple outlet? For example, later under a desk... computer, desk lamp, printer...
2. Screed
The screed will be installed as a floating screed, with a choice between 5 or 6 cm (2 or 2.4 inches) thickness. We are laypeople and have no idea — does an extra centimeter really make a difference? In what way? Is it worth it?
3. Knee Wall
The knee wall is 1 m (3.3 feet) by standard. In our current rental apartment, we don’t have any sloped ceilings, and living without them is of course very comfortable. To reduce the shock and limitations, we are considering increasing the knee wall height. We can build two stories; that wouldn’t be a problem in terms of regulations. From your experience, is it very practical for everyday life to set the knee wall to 1.40 m (4.6 feet)? We find a gable roof the most attractive, but we could also build two full stories plus a gable roof... though that would certainly be significantly more expensive, right? What price range do you think such a redesign would fall into?
4. Bathroom Tiles
The standard includes tiles priced at €30 per sqm (approximately $30 per 11 sq ft), which we don’t like visually. We really like the ones priced at €40 per sqm (approximately $40 per 11 sq ft) and would choose those accordingly. Our bathroom floor area will be just under 16 sqm (172 sq ft), and we would like the side walls tiled up to at least 1.60 m (5.25 feet). Roughly estimated for tiles and labor, would around €1,000 be enough?
5. Floor-to-Ceiling Windows
We currently live in a very bright apartment and don’t want to accept noticeably less natural light here. We would therefore like to add 2 more floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, as well as double sash windows with mullions in the master bedroom and the two children’s rooms. I fear this could be a very expensive upgrade. But more light is always worth it, right? What price range do you think this upgrade would fall into?
6. Interior Plaster
All living areas would have a 10 mm (0.4 inch) gypsum plaster applied with Q2 finish quality. We do not intend to paint directly on it or use very thin wallpapers; rather, we prefer “normal” textured wallpapers. Is Q2 finish sufficient for this, or should we opt for a higher quality plaster finish right away?
Thank you all!
It will definitely cost a bit, but probably in the low hundreds per window. Installation and fittings are already included in the standard package, so only the larger glass or the additional sash is charged separately.
The low hundreds range would be manageable... that’s quite a different figure compared to several thousands per window. Difficult to say...
The low hundreds range would be manageable... that’s quite a different figure compared to several thousands per window. Difficult to say...
BeHaElJa schrieb:
We have a knee wall height of 1.6 m (5 feet 3 inches), which is very comfortable. You can sit on beds and place cabinets and shelves (of course, not the 2 m (6 feet 7 inches) ones). If you can build two stories, why not do it?
.Well, eventually everything is limited by the budget 🙂 If adding a second story costs an extra 10,000 € (euros), we would go for it. Considering the years and the extra space, it makes financial sense for us. But if it costs 25,000 € (euros), the question arises again how much you want and can limit yourself financially. You just can’t have everything...
Of course, we will ask the provider what it would cost. But as a layperson, you can use that figure for your own planning or not, yet judging whether it’s “reasonable” is always difficult...
Mizit schrieb:
Thank you!
Hmm, you can never have enough power outlets. I’m not sure, though—I don’t think you need to install the maximum possible number, since they’re not that attractive. But I was surprised that, for example, there isn’t a triple socket planned in the children’s room. I have no electrical knowledge at all, so could I just put 4 outlets side by side where a desk is supposed to go?
What exactly do cross-switching and two-way switching mean, and where are they needed?
Q3, if we are sensitive. In what way sensitive? We prefer textured wallpapers…1. You’re welcome.
2. Of course, you can install 4 or even 6 outlets side by side. Just make sure not to overload the circuit. Roughly speaking, don’t connect more than a total of 2.5 kW (about 3.4 hp) to that multi-outlet group… (so not an electric heater fan, 2 computers, 1 printer, and a TV all together).
3. Cross-switching: Allows you to turn a device on/off from multiple locations (more than two)—commonly used in hallways, large rooms.
4. Two-way switching: Allows you to turn a device on/off from two locations (e.g., bottom and top of a staircase).
5. Both 3 & 4 are needed in hallways, living rooms, and many other places (I have installed a lot of these myself; unfortunately, our house’s electrical package included little to none of this, so I laid many cables myself… (with my licensed electrician)).
6. For textured wallpapers, Q2 switches are sufficient.
Additional advice: Make sure to use 5-core cables wherever needed. This allows a) great flexibility for future upgrades and b) easy integration of motion sensors—especially outdoors. Please don’t forget the outdoor areas, not just the house itself but also the front yard, garden, carport/garage, and so on.
Best regards,
Thorsten
B
Bieber081529 May 2016 23:40Mizit schrieb:
you can choose between 5 or 6 cm thickness What type of screed will it be? Underfloor heating? As far as I know, the standard requires a minimum coverage of 45 mm (1.8 inches) over the heating pipes. That rules out a 5 cm (2 inch) thick screed, and even 6 cm (2.4 inch) could be tight.
Please have the entire construction specification reviewed by someone knowledgeable! The screed thickness is not a design feature but depends on the conditions according to the general and recognized rules of technology.
EveundGerd30 May 2016 00:00Make sure to write down the prices during your preliminary selection and, as already mentioned, have a professional review the detailed construction specifications.
Only the preliminary selection can roughly provide you with numbers. For example, we chose stainless steel strips for the bathrooms during our selection. Without selecting the tiles, we were already at 700 € (about 780 USD). With the tiles, we ended up paying nearly 3,000 € (about 3,350 USD) more.
Don’t forget the LAN cables! Some electrical outlets can be added later during the rough-in phase with the electrician. An outdoor water tap should be standard, as well as outdoor sockets on the terrace. Power supply for the carport/garage and exterior lighting is important—don’t forget the Christmas lights. 😉
You will need to clarify the number of windows, knee walls, etc. This might affect the structural engineering of the house. This was the case for us.
Only the preliminary selection can roughly provide you with numbers. For example, we chose stainless steel strips for the bathrooms during our selection. Without selecting the tiles, we were already at 700 € (about 780 USD). With the tiles, we ended up paying nearly 3,000 € (about 3,350 USD) more.
Don’t forget the LAN cables! Some electrical outlets can be added later during the rough-in phase with the electrician. An outdoor water tap should be standard, as well as outdoor sockets on the terrace. Power supply for the carport/garage and exterior lighting is important—don’t forget the Christmas lights. 😉
You will need to clarify the number of windows, knee walls, etc. This might affect the structural engineering of the house. This was the case for us.
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