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.
Regarding the tiles, yes, I would have chosen different ones back then, more like the ones in your picture. My husband is more conservative in that regard. What if you change the furniture or decor later? Then it might not match. Will you still like it in a few years? With those tiles, you’ll end up complaining every time you clean and will be scrubbing the grout with a toothbrush within a year at the latest (they were uneven tiles that still looked very handmade, like from 1820).
The consultant also strongly recommended a neutral choice back then, simply to keep options open and allow for changing styles.
The consultant also strongly recommended a neutral choice back then, simply to keep options open and allow for changing styles.
W
WilderSueden26 Sep 2022 10:13I would find it too chaotic and wouldn’t use too many different tiles and coverings, or it will end up looking fragmented. For our tiles, we chose a set in gneiss pattern: the darker ones are used in the kitchen and utility room, the lighter ones in the hallway and bathrooms as floor tiles, and the white ones as wall tiles in the bathroom. This way, everything is consistent but not identical. The only transition between floor tiles is from the hallway to the utility room, but the door is usually closed anyway.
kati1337 schrieb:I think the trick is not to look at too many options. The easiest cutoff is the price. Then describe the style you want without looking at every tile yourself. The salespeople usually know their range better than you do (or at least they should). And then just have the courage to make a quick decision 😉
But when I’m standing in the tile showroom, I see thousands of different patterns and nothing makes sense anymore.
WilderSueden schrieb:
I think the trick is not to look at too many options. The simplest cutoff is the price. Then describe the style without checking all the tiles yourself. The salespeople know their product range better than you do (or at least they should). And then just have the courage to make a quick decision 😉
That’s a good tip; we did something similar with our first house. Back then, we only had the selection provided by our builder. While others might have complained about the limited choices, I was grateful for the pre-selection.
That’s where we found "our bathroom" and simply said, “we’ll take this.”
This time, we have more options and more confusion. The agony of choice is real.
M
motorradsilke26 Sep 2022 10:38WilderSueden schrieb:
I think the trick is not to look at too many options. The simplest cutoff is the price. Then describe the style without having to look at every tile yourself. The salespeople know their product range better than you do anyway (or at least they should). And then just have the courage to decide quickly 😉
That’s something only men can do 😉
Or you need to clearly know what you want beforehand, and it has to be available.
Unfortunately, tiles can’t be changed as quickly as hardwood flooring or similar.
M
Myrna_Loy26 Sep 2022 10:50Do you have a supplier for the specific tile? I once searched for similar tiles and had to realize that they are either only available in a used look, there are no matching border tiles, they cost more than 200 €/m² (about 19 USD/ft²), or they come from the UK and customs make the prices skyrocket. This is the Pinterest problem—you see something nice and then find out you can’t get it directly in Germany.
W
WilderSueden26 Sep 2022 11:26motorradsilke schrieb:
Only men can do that 😉
Or you have to be clear about what you want beforehand, and it has to be available.
Unfortunately, you can’t change tiles as easily or quickly as hardwood flooring or similar.My girlfriend could do that too. Our selections were all done quickly—apart from the flooring questions. And you can’t just change hardwood flooring easily either. Besides the price, it should be glued down if you have underfloor heating.
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