Hi,
We had our cement screed installed over 5 weeks ago.
For almost 2.5 weeks now, we have been actively drying our house. The heating curve is already decreasing again.
Unfortunately, we are not able to get the moisture under control. Ventilating more than twice a day is impossible; during the first week, we only managed to ventilate once a day.
Our relative humidity still remains at around 95%.
I wanted to ask how advisable it is to keep two opposite windows slightly open (tilted) on each floor.
Does this make sense, or is it more of a disadvantage?
We had our cement screed installed over 5 weeks ago.
For almost 2.5 weeks now, we have been actively drying our house. The heating curve is already decreasing again.
Unfortunately, we are not able to get the moisture under control. Ventilating more than twice a day is impossible; during the first week, we only managed to ventilate once a day.
Our relative humidity still remains at around 95%.
I wanted to ask how advisable it is to keep two opposite windows slightly open (tilted) on each floor.
Does this make sense, or is it more of a disadvantage?
A project that proceeds on time, within budget, and without defects.
I believe that good planning can prevent many issues, but not everything. For example, yesterday we received the bill for our electrical connection, which was 50€ more than the utility provider’s estimate—not a big deal, but still surprising. A friend of mine had a house built with architect supervision that was delayed by 6 months due to a shortage of windows. The number of defects per construction project is well-known.
Depending on the person and situation (for most, this is a once-in-a-lifetime project, not the tenth house), it affects you more or less... so it hardly matters whether the expert handles disputes on your behalf or you do it yourself.
I believe that good planning can prevent many issues, but not everything. For example, yesterday we received the bill for our electrical connection, which was 50€ more than the utility provider’s estimate—not a big deal, but still surprising. A friend of mine had a house built with architect supervision that was delayed by 6 months due to a shortage of windows. The number of defects per construction project is well-known.
Depending on the person and situation (for most, this is a once-in-a-lifetime project, not the tenth house), it affects you more or less... so it hardly matters whether the expert handles disputes on your behalf or you do it yourself.
I don’t think that will happen.
The problem is that many people budget both financially and time-wise based on the ideal scenario and then repeatedly get unpleasantly surprised.
When you often hear that the rental contracts for the current apartment end shortly after the planned completion date of the house and then a construction delay occurs, in my opinion, that is somewhat their own fault. The planned DIY work for painting no longer fits into the schedule, and actually, the old apartment should still be painted before handing it over. In the end, the painter ends up doing it because there is no time left for DIY, and the 1–2 months of rent saved are lost due to the painter’s labor costs. The already stressful move turns into a nightmare, and you are basically in need of a holiday, although you lack both vacation days and budget for it.
The topic of additional expenses and building in buffers is well covered by building experts here in the forum.
We planned generous buffers (for which we were mocked by the bankers), decided not to stress ourselves, and planned to stay in the apartment 1–2 months longer if needed. However, with a 2.5-month (2.5 months) construction delay (despite an agreed penalty payment), we eventually got somewhat tough with the general contractor, although we did not have the internal pressure to move out of the apartment immediately.
The problem is that many people budget both financially and time-wise based on the ideal scenario and then repeatedly get unpleasantly surprised.
When you often hear that the rental contracts for the current apartment end shortly after the planned completion date of the house and then a construction delay occurs, in my opinion, that is somewhat their own fault. The planned DIY work for painting no longer fits into the schedule, and actually, the old apartment should still be painted before handing it over. In the end, the painter ends up doing it because there is no time left for DIY, and the 1–2 months of rent saved are lost due to the painter’s labor costs. The already stressful move turns into a nightmare, and you are basically in need of a holiday, although you lack both vacation days and budget for it.
The topic of additional expenses and building in buffers is well covered by building experts here in the forum.
We planned generous buffers (for which we were mocked by the bankers), decided not to stress ourselves, and planned to stay in the apartment 1–2 months longer if needed. However, with a 2.5-month (2.5 months) construction delay (despite an agreed penalty payment), we eventually got somewhat tough with the general contractor, although we did not have the internal pressure to move out of the apartment immediately.
We have a Viessmann Vitovent 300-W with an exhaust air filter. Just as a side note.
However, the system will only be commissioned by Viessmann themselves before it goes into operation. Hopefully, by then, the drying process will be completed.
At the moment, we are heating up more intensely again. After the screed drying, the heating curve had already dropped. The heating phase was probably sufficient for the cement screed itself, but the walls are likely still quite damp.
We’ll see how much moisture we can remove in the next week. Then the drywall contractor will start. If moisture levels are still above 80%, we will probably have to use construction dryers.
By the way: I don’t want to jinx anything, but we are exactly on schedule with our builder, without any delays.
From the planned handover of the house until handing over the apartment, we have 3.5 weeks available. (Flooring and painting work in the living area are already included in the construction schedule until handover.)
We also considered adding an extra month just to be safe, but almost 8 weeks for the move seemed a bit excessive.
But that’s just off topic.
However, the system will only be commissioned by Viessmann themselves before it goes into operation. Hopefully, by then, the drying process will be completed.
At the moment, we are heating up more intensely again. After the screed drying, the heating curve had already dropped. The heating phase was probably sufficient for the cement screed itself, but the walls are likely still quite damp.
We’ll see how much moisture we can remove in the next week. Then the drywall contractor will start. If moisture levels are still above 80%, we will probably have to use construction dryers.
By the way: I don’t want to jinx anything, but we are exactly on schedule with our builder, without any delays.
From the planned handover of the house until handing over the apartment, we have 3.5 weeks available. (Flooring and painting work in the living area are already included in the construction schedule until handover.)
We also considered adding an extra month just to be safe, but almost 8 weeks for the move seemed a bit excessive.
But that’s just off topic.
BeHaElJa schrieb:
A project that runs without delay (in Time), without unexpected costs (in Budget), and without defects (in Quality). Then our construction project was apparently almost perfect:
- in Time: planned completion was at the end of November – move-in in October.
- in Budget: with a detailed calculation and an additional contingency buffer – there is still a five-digit amount left.
- in Quality: apart from some normal cracks that will be repaired by the general contractor after 2 years, everything is fine.
However, you need to have a general contractor who delivers very high-quality work (this is not possible with the cheapest option), to constantly follow up, negotiate prices with each tradesperson, openly address problems, and fix deadlines early.
B
Bauexperte10 Dec 2015 11:46Hello,
If you have chosen a reputable provider—not a budget option—this should all be achievable. Additional costs can always arise due to the soil survey as well as the material take-off, which is why I always recommend having a contingency for foundation cost overruns (included in my list) as well as a separate reserve for extras.
A fixed price valid from day one until move-in only guarantees a genuine turnkey project. Anything else is just window dressing and, in my opinion, not trustworthy.
This is a mistaken assumption that quite a few builders—despite the freely available information online—keep falling for. Often, even the "informed" layperson becomes a disruptive factor in an otherwise smoothly running construction project.
There are only humans involved there as well. Incidentally, many costs have increased again this year; a 2-3% rise in construction costs in 2016 was unavoidable.
I don’t understand that—there are Weru®, Kömmerling®, Veka® (the profiles always come from basically the same three manufacturers) and many other window suppliers. The shortage is probably more due to the architect’s personal preference.
As long as a single-family house hasn’t been handed over, there are no defects.
No.
It also takes a lot of trust and the "courage" to let the contracting partner do their job without objection,* and an expert who meets both the client and the general contractor at eye level. Of course, none of this comes free; but those who understand and accept this will rarely encounter significant problems or have to claim defects after handover.
*The best construction projects are those where the builder, due to distance or a job, has no time to visit the site and relies on an additional (external) expert who knows their job.
Best regards, Bauexperte
BeHaElJa schrieb:
A project that proceeds on time, within budget, and without defects in quality.
If you have chosen a reputable provider—not a budget option—this should all be achievable. Additional costs can always arise due to the soil survey as well as the material take-off, which is why I always recommend having a contingency for foundation cost overruns (included in my list) as well as a separate reserve for extras.
A fixed price valid from day one until move-in only guarantees a genuine turnkey project. Anything else is just window dressing and, in my opinion, not trustworthy.
BeHaElJa schrieb:
I think that good planning can prevent a lot, but not everything.
This is a mistaken assumption that quite a few builders—despite the freely available information online—keep falling for. Often, even the "informed" layperson becomes a disruptive factor in an otherwise smoothly running construction project.
BeHaElJa schrieb:
For example, yesterday we received the invoice for our electrical connection—50€ more than the supplier’s estimate, not a big deal but it does make you wonder.
There are only humans involved there as well. Incidentally, many costs have increased again this year; a 2-3% rise in construction costs in 2016 was unavoidable.
BeHaElJa schrieb:
A friend had a house, supervised by architects, delayed by 6 months because of a shortage of windows.
I don’t understand that—there are Weru®, Kömmerling®, Veka® (the profiles always come from basically the same three manufacturers) and many other window suppliers. The shortage is probably more due to the architect’s personal preference.
BeHaElJa schrieb:
The number of defects per building is well known.
As long as a single-family house hasn’t been handed over, there are no defects.
BeHaElJa schrieb:
... it’s almost irrelevant whether an expert handles disputes for you or you do it yourself.
No.
It also takes a lot of trust and the "courage" to let the contracting partner do their job without objection,* and an expert who meets both the client and the general contractor at eye level. Of course, none of this comes free; but those who understand and accept this will rarely encounter significant problems or have to claim defects after handover.
*The best construction projects are those where the builder, due to distance or a job, has no time to visit the site and relies on an additional (external) expert who knows their job.
Best regards, Bauexperte
I am very glad to have a competent expert by my side, who is both professionally confident and knowledgeable, and who represents himself accordingly when dealing with the construction company. Of course, this also requires a reliable construction company that takes the issues seriously, aims to deliver quality work, and does not ignore or endlessly argue with the expert (which apparently can happen).
Anyone building a house worth hundreds of thousands should not cut corners in the wrong places. I am still quite surprised by how few people actually choose to work with an independent expert during construction.
Anyone building a house worth hundreds of thousands should not cut corners in the wrong places. I am still quite surprised by how few people actually choose to work with an independent expert during construction.
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