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.
Your surprise is understandable. Many people underestimate the volume of their household goods – 62m³ (2,190 cubic feet) does seem quite large for a three-person household, especially if larger pieces of furniture were newly purchased and don’t need to be moved. Your quoted price for your own move also sounds reasonable, particularly with an elevator and a short distance. Regarding the discussion about shoes: it is often more a matter of attitude and mutual respect between the tradesperson and the client rather than a strict necessity. Sometimes this issue is unnecessarily exaggerated.
W
WilderSueden17 Jun 2023 12:22We did this privately. Nobody wears safety shoes for this. I'm also a bit unclear about why they are absolutely necessary when carrying boxes and cabinet parts around. And yes, it actually works quite well: two people unload the van, and two to three distribute everything inside the house.
xMisterDx schrieb:
We paid 1,400 EUR gross for 30 m³ (1,059 ft³) including a lift at the loading location. From the 2nd floor into the house. Distance about 3 km (1.9 miles). I’m glad you were able to move so cheaply. 🙂
xMisterDx schrieb:
So I’m quite shocked about the price Why? About double the belongings for about double the price. That sounds about right.
The estimate is probably accurate. It matches my previous experience moving from Lower Saxony to Rhineland-Palatinate, and we had more than one survey.
xMisterDx schrieb:
For a (still) 3-person household? Our daughter is 3 months old, so strictly speaking, it’s now a 4-person household. ^^
M
motorradsilke17 Jun 2023 22:36Or those who work inside distribute, wear clean shoes, or safety shoes if you prefer.
xMisterDx schrieb:
Many things are reasonable. But it also reflects a certain attitude towards the craftsman.You have quite an active imagination. I’ve never considered that someone might take it personally as an offense. We have something called language, after all. The craftsmen who have worked at our home so far have always worn shoe covers, and in my opinion, it wasn’t the first time for them either, since they never showed any shocked reactions.
And if they ever did, we’ve made up for “the certain attitude” by always offering them something to drink and, depending on the time of day, a snack. I could always see their gratitude on their faces.
We appreciate every person who comes into our home, no matter the occasion 🙂
We have the first wallpapers installed on the walls and ceilings.
I am completely thrilled. Stunned. Amazed. =)
We have a turnkey contract, and the painting work with a white finish was already included. The section about these works in the construction specifications was only about one and a half lines long. When we signed, my husband and I agreed to "take whatever we get."
In our old house, we had Q2 plaster (ready for wallpaper with woodchip texture) included in the contract. We outsourced the painting directly on the Q2 plaster. It was okay, but not perfect – but the painter charged only 5,500 (gross), so you can’t complain. We also once requested a quote for Q3 plaster plus painting fleece and white paint from the house provider... I can’t find it anymore, but I think the extra cost was around 15,000 to 20,000 euros.
Since the new house contract was already quite close to our budget limit, we decided to live with the walls as they come for now. And what can I say... there was no Q-level or specification of wallpaper type in my contract. I wanted to ask if we could have something else than classic woodchip wallpaper because I don’t like how it looks – but that became unnecessary when I saw the wallpaper rolls delivered to the house. This time, our garage is smoother sanded than our entire previous house.
I’m curious how it will look once painted, but so far, I think it’s great. It far exceeds my expectations.
Similar topics