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.
X
xMisterDx11 Jun 2023 13:12This is mainly due to the worsening shortage of skilled tradespeople.
An acquaintance is now closing his plumbing business and laying off all employees. He cannot find a successor, and his son is not interested.
That’s the end of it.
An acquaintance is now closing his plumbing business and laying off all employees. He cannot find a successor, and his son is not interested.
That’s the end of it.
J
Jurassic13511 Jun 2023 13:32Yes, that is really unfortunate. It’s also a major problem for the future if there aren’t enough people available to do the work.
The carpenter we have occasionally hired over the past few years actually does a good job – he offers apprenticeships, a four-day workweek, training opportunities, and so on. He even manages an Instagram account now 😀 But he himself says he doesn’t want to expand further, because it would stop being enjoyable for him. He is also very active in the local community, supporting organizations like the rural youth club and similar initiatives. However, this kind of commitment has to come naturally, and I understand that not everyone can be that proactive in securing (good) new talent.
The carpenter we have occasionally hired over the past few years actually does a good job – he offers apprenticeships, a four-day workweek, training opportunities, and so on. He even manages an Instagram account now 😀 But he himself says he doesn’t want to expand further, because it would stop being enjoyable for him. He is also very active in the local community, supporting organizations like the rural youth club and similar initiatives. However, this kind of commitment has to come naturally, and I understand that not everyone can be that proactive in securing (good) new talent.
xMisterDx schrieb:
However, this is mainly due to the worsening shortage of skilled tradespeople. An acquaintance is now closing his plumbing business and laying off all employees.Problem solved: the shortage of skilled workers for his competitors will be eased as a result ;-)xMisterDx schrieb:
He can't find a successor; his son doesn’t want to take over.However, this is not unique to trades; treating the generational transition as a Sleeping Beauty issue is common. A successor has to grow into the role and perspective—it's not something you can just start approaching at sixty.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
X
xMisterDx11 Jun 2023 16:0011ant schrieb:
A successor also needs time to grow into their role; you can't just show up and expect to take over at sixty.The first time we talked about this was in 2018. Even then, he was already looking...
How far in advance should you start? In your mid-40s?
J
Jurassic13512 Jun 2023 07:44I think @11ant was referring to the son, right?
In my experience, I know of two cases where the son didn’t want to take over – or rather, not under the conditions the father had in mind. The father then has to let go and accept modernization. I believe this is difficult for many who have managed their business alone according to their own ideas for decades.
[USER=51345]@kati1337 Have you found a solution for your terrace/slope landscaping by now?
In my experience, I know of two cases where the son didn’t want to take over – or rather, not under the conditions the father had in mind. The father then has to let go and accept modernization. I believe this is difficult for many who have managed their business alone according to their own ideas for decades.
[USER=51345]@kati1337 Have you found a solution for your terrace/slope landscaping by now?
xMisterDx schrieb:
How far in advance should you start? In your mid-40s? Jurassic135 schrieb:
I think @11ant was referring to the son, right? The assumption "or" is correct, and it’s less about the age of the business transferor; what really matters is the successor—whether the son or an ordinary employee—needs the prospect of taking over at the right time. No journeyman starts a master craftsman course at fifty just because the owner didn’t say earlier that his son won’t take over.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/