ᐅ Evaluation of Quote for Outdoor Area in Northern Rhineland-Palatinate

WilderSueden schrieb:

With two left hands and no knowledge, there’s obviously no chance of building a wall. You have to inform yourself first.

But honestly, where is the main problem?
Height differences along the way can be taken into account in the foundation; landscapers do it the same way. As an amateur, you simply can’t move large and heavy parts and have to work with smaller stones.

Tricky...

You “can” also lay tiles, you “can” also do painting work, etc.

It’s always a matter of how everything fits into the overall picture, how neatly the work is executed, how durable it all is, and if it looks good later on.

There’s no pretending... If something doesn’t fit in the end, you’ll be frustrated to no end.

These are the downsides – of course, you “can” also save money and try it yourself.

Poor appearance caused by sloppy work or outright dangerous botching can also occur with professionals. There are plenty of examples like this here in the forum. Therefore, honestly, you don’t have much choice but to engage with the topic yourself. Even high-quality work by a professional doesn’t guarantee that you will like the result in the end. Sometimes you want something different from what actually appeals to you. Spending more time on the topic increases the chance that you will make the right choice. For example, it’s hard for me to imagine that the look of knee-high L-shaped retaining walls actually pleases nearly as many people as install them. Or do they only show them to neighbors who then have to deal with them?

That said, I accept the argument “I might not like it,” but drawing the conclusion “it’s all too difficult and complicated” from that is too much for me. There is a point where I wouldn’t take it on anymore—for example, at walls 1.5 meters (5 feet) high. But you can also consider in site planning whether you can avoid something like that by working with the natural terrain. I wouldn’t want to impose that on myself or my neighbor.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Poor appearance caused by sloppy work or clearly dangerous botched jobs can happen even with professionals. There are more than enough examples of this here in the forum. Honestly, this means you really have no choice but to engage with the topic. And even high-quality workmanship by a professional does not guarantee in the end that you will like everything. Sometimes people want something different from what they actually like. Spending more time dealing with the topic increases the chance that you are making the right decision. For example, I find it hard to imagine that the look of chest-high L-shaped retaining walls actually appeals to as many people as use them. Or do they always just face the neighbor who then has to deal with it?

Anyway, I accept the argument "I might not like it," but using that to conclude "it’s all way too difficult and complicated" is too much for me. There is a point where I wouldn’t do it either—for example, with 1.5-meter (5 feet) high walls. But in site planning, you can also try to avoid something like that by working with the terrain. I wouldn’t want to impose that on myself or the neighbor.

As I said, it always depends on the terrain.

A yard with a 40cm (16 inches) slope over, say, 6-7 meters (20-23 feet) with different heights in the driveway area and entrance area is fundamentally not easy to work with. No matter how much knowledge you gain, it’s simply difficult!

Pouring concrete cleanly and laying blocks is definitely not easy, especially on a terrain that is NOT flat.

Yes, you are right that botched jobs can happen anywhere.

The difference is this: If something doesn’t meet my expectations when done by a professional, I have a basis to have it corrected or simply refuse to pay the invoice until it looks the way I imagined.

To me, that actually makes a difference... Not everyone feels confident tackling such tasks!

My tip: Try to lower the price by helping out! Bring 2-3 people to the construction site—mainly acting as helpers—and save some costs. It definitely makes sense to have someone onsite who has PRACTICAL knowledge.

We also tried to do a lot ourselves—it mostly worked out—but theoretical knowledge is just so different from practical experience.

And if your limit is at 1.5-meter (5 feet) high walls, for others it might be reached much earlier.

For a friend of mine, the limit was already reached when assembling a dresser.

Pete1909 schrieb:

Dear community,
due to soaring prices, we need an evaluation of the attached quote. We are building on a slight slope and therefore require two levels secured by L-shaped retaining walls. In addition, earthworks around the house are included, as well as the necessary paving work excluding materials.

Is this reasonable or rather expensive, what do you think? It would be a great help to us!

Thank you very much, everyone [ATTACH alt="quote evaluation-outdoor area-northern rlp-573971-1.jpg"]71692[/ATTACH]

Great offer, a friend recently paid 42k in Erkenbrechtsweiler, go for it!

Prager91 schrieb:

A friend of mine already reached that point just while assembling a chest of drawers.

I have never really understood those people anyway. But maybe I’m lucky that my parents did a lot of work themselves. Not during the house construction, since that was purchased, but everything involved in maintaining and improving a house and garden. They also built the garage themselves and later an extension, the garden shed as a timber frame structure, and wooden shelters. And of course the kids had to help, especially the oldest, since he was best suited for handyman tasks 😉
So I do have some basic knowledge about concrete work, paving, and so on.

WilderSueden schrieb:

I have never really understood those people anyway. But maybe I’m lucky that my parents did a lot of things themselves. Not in building the house, since that was purchased, but everything that comes up to maintain and expand a house and garden. They also built the garage themselves and later an extension, the garden shed as a timber frame structure, and wooden shelters. And of course the children had to help, especially the oldest, because he was the most useful for manual tasks 😉
So I do have some basic knowledge when it comes to concrete work, paving, and so on.

Yes— you just can’t assume others have the same knowledge as you...

This applies to all areas.

Just because someone gains knowledge about filing a tax return (which I would find pretty amusing), it doesn’t mean someone else won’t just go to an accountant and have it done.

You have to know your limits and also be aware of what you CAN do and, even more importantly, what you WANT to do…