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.
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WilderSueden9 Nov 2022 11:01I just reviewed the plan again. We are talking about the opening flush with the top of the dining table, and the small opening next to it on the left is a standard patio door? The layout actually suggests either fully opening it (sliding door) or not at all (fixed glazing, possibly with a window above that can open). To be honest, I’m not sure how often the sliding door would actually be used when you’re maneuvering around the dining table with a tray full of plates. The 2m (6.5 ft) longer route through the patio door seems more practical to me. If I were you, I would set up some boxes arranged like you plan to position the dining table and then test the walking paths.
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EinmalimLeben9 Nov 2022 15:30You got a good price for the divided light windows. We had a selection appointment today and were quoted an extra 3300 euros charge. We decided against it and chose nicer interior doors instead. We are building a brick-clad bungalow.
EinmalimLeben schrieb:
You got a good price for the muntin windows. We had our selection appointment today and were quoted an extra 3300 euros (about 3500 USD) for them. We decided against it and picked nicer interior doors instead. We’re building a brick-faced bungalow. Yes, it’s also cheaper than for our last house. Maybe because this time there’s no construction company involved that would add a margin. We negotiated directly with the window manufacturer.
But these are only internal muntins, not true divided lights or something like that.
kati1337 schrieb:
The window manufacturer said that aluminum has become so expensive that artificial stone isn’t much more costly anymore. Only natural stone is significantly more expensive. Our window manufacturer said that aluminum has become so expensive that even granite isn’t much more expensive, and recommended it both for its higher-quality appearance and better noise insulation during rain. However, since we are insulating the exterior with mineral wool, the architect advised against it. He said it wouldn’t hold properly. Otherwise, we would have gone with natural stone.
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motorradsilke9 Nov 2022 22:11kati1337 schrieb:
What does "with stulp" mean?
They showed us a door with a rotary handle. When you turned it a quarter turn, the window tilted open; if you turned it a bit further, it would release at the bottom and you could slide it open. To close it, you turn the lever back to the quarter-turn position, and if you push it shut with some momentum, the door snaps back in at the bottom (basically into the tilted position). If you unfortunately do this from the outside, you end up locked out.
That's how our lift-and-slide door works as well. But I have never even thought about trying to slide it closed from the outside. You don't have a handle there, so you'd have to push on the frame.
We have granite window sills, which weren’t really expensive at 20 Euro/m (7 USD/ft).
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motorradsilke9 Nov 2022 22:19Tolentino schrieb:
I don’t really understand the appeal of (lift-and-) sliding doors. Because next to them, there is always an even larger fixed panel. When the moving part is wider than 1.5m (5 feet), they also become quite heavy to operate. I’d rather prefer two sashes with a mullion or a folding system like @hampshire.
But everyone has their own preferences. My tendency here would clearly be towards the more affordable option, although I would still recommend the external venetian blind (raffstore) to you. When closed, you have larger continuous panes of glass, so a nicer view outside.
And when the window is open, you don’t have any interior sashes getting in the way. We have this at the dining area, where we wouldn’t have enough space for sashes at all.
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