Hello everyone,
we are about to start our second attempt at building our dream house, or rather, we have already begun and are currently waiting for a detailed offer with a construction description.
I now need to gradually deal with several topics, such as:
- windows and doors
- central ventilation system with heat recovery
- heating
- possible DIY contributions
- fireplace
Windows and doors will be the first on the list. Our supplier usually works with windows and exterior doors from Schüco and CePal interior doors from Garant.
What concerns me now is whether these manufacturers are a good choice based on my requirements or if it would make sense to tender this part with other manufacturers as well.
My requirements are as follows:
Interior doors: I was thinking of white hollow-core doors with a robust and easy-to-clean surface.
Front door: A standard front door with a side panel, decent thermal insulation, and burglary resistance (RC2). One feature I find particularly appealing is the Schüco "SCHÜCO 211 853 4 multi-point latch lock 'SafeMatic' with anti-panic function," which I consider very useful. Furthermore, I am unsure whether an intercom system with or without video or an integrated door chain would be advisable, although I don’t know if Schüco offers the latter. Is Schüco a good choice at all, or are there suppliers with a better price-performance ratio? Is such an automatic locking system worthwhile? Can it generally replace the need to manually lock the door, or are there significant weaknesses that make the additional cost unjustified?
Windows: The requirements are a bit more complex, so I’ve listed them in bullet points:
- white
- ground floor: RC 2 N
- upper floor: RC 1 N
- electric external roller shutters
- 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) handle torque (I’ve read several times that 100 Nm (74 lb-ft) is not enough)
- triple glazing
The questions that come to mind regarding the windows are:
- push button or lockable handles? (Lockable looks unattractive, and who really locks their windows in everyday life? Is a locked window with a key actually more secure than one with a push button handle?)
- Schüco or another manufacturer?
- which U-value is most economical? (Will the extra cost pay off over time through energy savings?)
- PVC or aluminum?
- Is it better to invest in higher-quality glass or a better frame? Where is the best balance?
- Does anyone know the window manufacturer Morlok from Rötha near Leipzig? Would you recommend them?
Garage: The garage will have a large insulated Hörmann sectional door with an electric drive, as well as a window, a door to the garden, and a door to the house, since it will be built directly attached to the house. The access to the garage will be through the utility room, so the door does not need to meet high aesthetic standards.
Is it sufficient for the exterior garage door to have RC 2 certification, or should the door to the house also meet this standard? From what I understand, the door to the house must be at least a T30 fire door; at another construction site of the builder, this was realized as a metal door, but I have concerns about the thermal insulation.
Which doors should meet which standards here? Are there alternatives to the Hörmann sectional door?
Regardless of the specific points, I am interested in whether the price-performance ratio of the individual products is right. Of course, I want the best value for my money and to use as little as possible to achieve a practical and lasting satisfactory solution. That means I am open to all manufacturers. It does not have to be a well-known brand if this saves money or offers better performance for the same price. I don’t want to pay unnecessarily much but am willing to invest extra for sensible upgrades where possible. What should one pay attention to with the respective products, and which features are worth the money?
Many questions to start with, but I have so much on my mind. Every decision in house building is one that you live with for many years, if not forever, which is why I honestly worry about making a wrong choice or wasting money where it could be better spent elsewhere.
Thank you in advance for your help, and I hope you won’t be too harsh with me.
Best regards,
Markus
we are about to start our second attempt at building our dream house, or rather, we have already begun and are currently waiting for a detailed offer with a construction description.
I now need to gradually deal with several topics, such as:
- windows and doors
- central ventilation system with heat recovery
- heating
- possible DIY contributions
- fireplace
Windows and doors will be the first on the list. Our supplier usually works with windows and exterior doors from Schüco and CePal interior doors from Garant.
What concerns me now is whether these manufacturers are a good choice based on my requirements or if it would make sense to tender this part with other manufacturers as well.
My requirements are as follows:
Interior doors: I was thinking of white hollow-core doors with a robust and easy-to-clean surface.
Front door: A standard front door with a side panel, decent thermal insulation, and burglary resistance (RC2). One feature I find particularly appealing is the Schüco "SCHÜCO 211 853 4 multi-point latch lock 'SafeMatic' with anti-panic function," which I consider very useful. Furthermore, I am unsure whether an intercom system with or without video or an integrated door chain would be advisable, although I don’t know if Schüco offers the latter. Is Schüco a good choice at all, or are there suppliers with a better price-performance ratio? Is such an automatic locking system worthwhile? Can it generally replace the need to manually lock the door, or are there significant weaknesses that make the additional cost unjustified?
Windows: The requirements are a bit more complex, so I’ve listed them in bullet points:
- white
- ground floor: RC 2 N
- upper floor: RC 1 N
- electric external roller shutters
- 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) handle torque (I’ve read several times that 100 Nm (74 lb-ft) is not enough)
- triple glazing
The questions that come to mind regarding the windows are:
- push button or lockable handles? (Lockable looks unattractive, and who really locks their windows in everyday life? Is a locked window with a key actually more secure than one with a push button handle?)
- Schüco or another manufacturer?
- which U-value is most economical? (Will the extra cost pay off over time through energy savings?)
- PVC or aluminum?
- Is it better to invest in higher-quality glass or a better frame? Where is the best balance?
- Does anyone know the window manufacturer Morlok from Rötha near Leipzig? Would you recommend them?
Garage: The garage will have a large insulated Hörmann sectional door with an electric drive, as well as a window, a door to the garden, and a door to the house, since it will be built directly attached to the house. The access to the garage will be through the utility room, so the door does not need to meet high aesthetic standards.
Is it sufficient for the exterior garage door to have RC 2 certification, or should the door to the house also meet this standard? From what I understand, the door to the house must be at least a T30 fire door; at another construction site of the builder, this was realized as a metal door, but I have concerns about the thermal insulation.
Which doors should meet which standards here? Are there alternatives to the Hörmann sectional door?
Regardless of the specific points, I am interested in whether the price-performance ratio of the individual products is right. Of course, I want the best value for my money and to use as little as possible to achieve a practical and lasting satisfactory solution. That means I am open to all manufacturers. It does not have to be a well-known brand if this saves money or offers better performance for the same price. I don’t want to pay unnecessarily much but am willing to invest extra for sensible upgrades where possible. What should one pay attention to with the respective products, and which features are worth the money?
Many questions to start with, but I have so much on my mind. Every decision in house building is one that you live with for many years, if not forever, which is why I honestly worry about making a wrong choice or wasting money where it could be better spent elsewhere.
Thank you in advance for your help, and I hope you won’t be too harsh with me.
Best regards,
Markus
Maybe you should ask your questions separately and rephrase them – at least right now, I don’t understand exactly what you want.
Nobody will give you an offer here, and expensive means expensive: there are no limits upwards.
I don’t think it’s ugly, and I do lock them!
A window with a removable key lock is as secure as a window without any lock.
You should get a consultation appointment with the police before you start thinking about Swedish curtains.
that’s Yvonne’s advice
Nobody will give you an offer here, and expensive means expensive: there are no limits upwards.
ToNKeY schrieb:
(Lockable is ugly, and who actually locks their windows in practice?
I don’t think it’s ugly, and I do lock them!
ToNKeY schrieb:
Is a window with a removable key lock safer than a window with a push-button handle?)
A window with a removable key lock is as secure as a window without any lock.
You should get a consultation appointment with the police before you start thinking about Swedish curtains.
that’s Yvonne’s advice
Yes, as soon as I saw my finished project, I already suspected it would come down to a "tldr" situation where I would get few or no meaningful answers.
Is an appointment with the police really useful? I can’t imagine that the officers there receive more than a half-day seminar on this topic before they are sent out.
In short, my main concern is whether Schüco and Garant are recommended, or if there are manufacturers with a better price-performance ratio that should be considered instead.
Secondly, I want to know which extras and features are sensible and worth the money. We plan to build in a quiet village, and there is already a streetlamp right in front of the house—so I won’t need a front door with RC 4 certification, but the windows should at least be RC 2 N. However, I don’t want to pay a fortune for security glass when the glass rarely actually gets broken. It’s simply a matter of cost and benefit.
The main issue is the window handle: prices range from under 10 euros for a very basic one to 60 euros for a lockable one with 200 Nm torque. The question is which level of upgrade makes sense. I doubt I’ll be able to convince my wife to pull out a key every time she wants to open a window, so it’s questionable if the extra cost for lockable handles is sensible at all.
And of course, there’s the question of the golden cost-benefit balance for the windows’ insulation value. If I spend 50 euros more on a window and save 1.50 euros per year, but pay 1 euro interest per year on that 50 euros, I seriously reconsider if it’s worth it, given a payback period of 40 years.
Is an appointment with the police really useful? I can’t imagine that the officers there receive more than a half-day seminar on this topic before they are sent out.
In short, my main concern is whether Schüco and Garant are recommended, or if there are manufacturers with a better price-performance ratio that should be considered instead.
Secondly, I want to know which extras and features are sensible and worth the money. We plan to build in a quiet village, and there is already a streetlamp right in front of the house—so I won’t need a front door with RC 4 certification, but the windows should at least be RC 2 N. However, I don’t want to pay a fortune for security glass when the glass rarely actually gets broken. It’s simply a matter of cost and benefit.
The main issue is the window handle: prices range from under 10 euros for a very basic one to 60 euros for a lockable one with 200 Nm torque. The question is which level of upgrade makes sense. I doubt I’ll be able to convince my wife to pull out a key every time she wants to open a window, so it’s questionable if the extra cost for lockable handles is sensible at all.
And of course, there’s the question of the golden cost-benefit balance for the windows’ insulation value. If I spend 50 euros more on a window and save 1.50 euros per year, but pay 1 euro interest per year on that 50 euros, I seriously reconsider if it’s worth it, given a payback period of 40 years.
B
Bieber08157 Sep 2015 21:04ToNKeY schrieb:
Push button or lockable?A 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) handle is only worth the money if it can be locked. For an RC2-rated window, in my opinion, push buttons are nonsense. It should be lockable!ToNKeY schrieb:
Is it enough if the garage exterior door is RC2-rated, or should the door to the house also meet this standard? From what I’ve read, the door to the house must be at least a T30-rated door.Is the garage door also RC2-rated? It might make more sense to have the door between the house and garage rated as RC2. The garage itself is basically outside the “secure” envelope (which is a pity considering the valuable tools, but securing the garage to RC2 standards would probably be much more expensive than securing the house). Of course, you can also get fire-resistant doors in an RC2 version (for an additional cost). And as far as I know, these are even available with good thermal insulation (for an extra charge).ToNKeY schrieb:
Is an appointment at the police really useful? I can’t imagine that the officers there get more than a half-day seminar on the topic before they are sent out to deal with people.The fact is, any trained police officer currently working has more solid knowledge than, for example, a commercial employee or IT learner (unless they work in the security sector).
What I mean, however, is a consultation appointment at your local crime prevention office (at a central police station such as a headquarters or precinct). You make an appointment there, and they are also familiar with individual providers.
As already said: there are hardly any limits on the upper end.
Sometimes simple measures can improve burglary protection. If you have planned windows on the upper floor with RC1N rating, you should make sure not to store your ladder unsecured in the carport or leave other climbing aids like trash bins nearby. It is not uncommon for burglars to choose the route over the garage roof or balcony to enter the upper floor. This is, for example, advice given in a police presentation.
A potential burglar usually looks for the weakest point to get into the house. Therefore, securing only certain points well while neglecting others is ineffective. After the first break-in, you will also lock your windows when leaving the house, even if it is inconvenient.
A potential burglar usually looks for the weakest point to get into the house. Therefore, securing only certain points well while neglecting others is ineffective. After the first break-in, you will also lock your windows when leaving the house, even if it is inconvenient.
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