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.
C
Costruttrice8 Apr 2023 23:14I would definitely stabilize the terrace slope as a first step.
Slopes are unfortunately an expensive undertaking. We are building across the slope, and our lot also rises towards the back. We received an initial quote from the landscape contractor last week, and I was speechless—especially the costs for the stairs were quite high.
We now need to reconsider how to approach this. However, we will definitely have the terrain shaped and stabilized in the first phase so that no heavy machinery will be needed afterward.
Slopes are unfortunately an expensive undertaking. We are building across the slope, and our lot also rises towards the back. We received an initial quote from the landscape contractor last week, and I was speechless—especially the costs for the stairs were quite high.
We now need to reconsider how to approach this. However, we will definitely have the terrain shaped and stabilized in the first phase so that no heavy machinery will be needed afterward.
It’s really a question of how to secure the terraces.
I find those concrete blocks that everyone is currently putting in their gardens extremely ugly. :/
In our case, the slope doesn’t lead down to a lower garden level; the property basically ends just behind the slope. I think that makes it even more challenging. So far, I like the idea of terrace beds the best. But there are a thousand different design options, and I don’t feel confident installing them myself. You would probably need to hire a landscape gardener, but I’m also worried that would exceed the budget.
I find those concrete blocks that everyone is currently putting in their gardens extremely ugly. :/
In our case, the slope doesn’t lead down to a lower garden level; the property basically ends just behind the slope. I think that makes it even more challenging. So far, I like the idea of terrace beds the best. But there are a thousand different design options, and I don’t feel confident installing them myself. You would probably need to hire a landscape gardener, but I’m also worried that would exceed the budget.
W
WilderSueden9 Apr 2023 00:16kati1337 schrieb:
I find these concrete blocks that everyone is putting in their gardens lately extremely ugly. :/Me too. And they’re not really cheap either, especially considering that due to their weight, they basically have to be installed by a professional using excavators. In comparison, wooden beams would be much better suited for DIY work. However, durable wood materials can also be quite expensive.In the end, you’re always making a trade-off between usable space and cost. Simply grading the slope is an option as well, but it uses up a lot of space. Plus, maintaining steep embankments isn’t very enjoyable, even if you only trim them twice a year with a brush cutter.
I have two questions on this topic:
- For you, is DIY work completely off the table here, or only if you become more knowledgeable about it?
- How is access for heavy machinery? What routes are available around the house?
C
Costruttrice9 Apr 2023 00:21L-shaped concrete blocks were the most cost-effective option in our offer, incomparable to other types of walls, pillars, etc. Although "cost-effective" is a relative term... We initially considered dividing the slope into two terraces. However, after learning that drainage and water runoff would need to be carefully managed, which would ultimately mean more work, we decided to go with a single sloped hillside with just one retaining wall at the bottom.
WilderSueden schrieb:
Me too. And they’re really not cheap, especially considering that because of the weight, you basically have to have a professional install them with an excavator. In comparison, wooden beams like these are much more suitable for DIY work. But durable wood also isn’t cheap.
In the end, it’s always a trade-off between usable space and cost. Simply sloping the ground is also an option but it costs a lot of space. Plus, maintaining steep slopes is not very enjoyable, even if you only use a brush cutter twice a year. Sloping was also what our builder suggested. We have plenty of space for the garden, so losing some terrain at the back wouldn’t bother me too much. However, some steepness remains if you consider that the terrace is about 4 meters (13 feet) deep.
That’s why he currently recommends two terraces on the slope, which have so far resisted every heavy rain (and we’ve had a few almost apocalyptic downpours this year). The downside is that they aren’t easily manageable as is. At least a staircase and some edging would need to be planned to move between the plants.
WilderSueden schrieb:
I have two questions on this topic:
- Are DIY efforts basically out of the question for you here, or only if you put more work into learning?
- What about access for heavy machinery? How do you get around the house? Right now, you can get past the house with any equipment. It’s about 12 meters (40 feet) from the end of the house to the property boundary, sloping but not too steep. At first, we might just leave it like that and sow grass over it. The side of the lot won’t get any investment for at least a couple of years. This is what the area next to the house looks like, only currently a bit smoother and less muddy (the photo is older):
DIY is a skills issue for us again.
We did some things ourselves with our first house. We are good at creating flower beds and planting things. I even made a flower bed border with buried bricks that I’m quite proud of.
Our self-seeded lawn turned out poorly but was green – that would be enough for me here initially as well.
What quickly reaches its limit is anything that needs to be perfectly level or straight, using a plumb line or string line, or any concreting work. I read up on these last time but didn’t dare to do it and called in someone to do it. That was for a fence, specifically the posts.
I’d like to try building a small wall at some point, maybe first for a raised bed or something. I’ve never done it before. I wouldn’t trust my first masonry attempts to stabilize a slope.
So overall: DIY potential is rather poor since our skills are limited. 🙂 Besides lack of experience, I’m also quite clumsy. Shortly after we moved here, I tried to assemble our bed. It had 12 screws, and after the third, I managed to hit my forehead with the cordless drill’s battery pack and got a bloody wound. The scar is still visible. Since then, I’ve been a bit more cautious about what I feel confident to do.
M
motorradsilke9 Apr 2023 11:14kati1337 schrieb:
The question is how to secure the terraces.
I find those concrete blocks that everyone is currently putting in their gardens extremely ugly. :/
In our case, the slope doesn’t lead to a lower garden level; the property basically ends right behind the slope area. I think that makes it even more difficult. So far, I like the idea of garden bed terraces best. But there are a thousand design options for that, and I don’t feel confident setting it up myself. You’d probably have to hire a landscape gardener, but I’m afraid that would exceed the budget. The idea of garden bed terraces is great, too. You can definitely do that on your own. Just go for it. It’s not a problem if it’s not perfectly straight in the garden. But don’t use wood in direct contact with the soil because it will rot over time. If you like, buy granite stones—you can find them cheaply through classified ads.
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