We got the keys to the house in February 2021. Until then, the house had been empty for almost 30 years and so there was a lot to do: the property and the house had to be cleared of rubbish, the basement was damp, the roof had to be repaired here and there, the electrics and water had to be completely replaced and windows had to be repaired. There was no heating, walls and floors had to be refurbished and the entire property was overgrown.
The house was a huge renovation site.
But a lot has happened in the last 3 years!
The upper floor is now finished, there are several rented residential units, bathrooms and kitchens, and a new central heating system. The area has been transformed into a beautiful garden and the basement is dry and in the middle of being converted into an event space.
We planned, discussed and planned some more: in at least 450 hours of construction meetings, we organized room layouts, infrastructure and construction sites.
Our many construction sites are constantly and rapidly evolving.
Our completely new heating system has been in operation since November 2023. We were awarded federal funding for the gas heat pump hybrid system. In addition, we have integrated a wood gasification boiler into the system as another renewable heat source. The installation of the heating system and the completely new drinking water installation were carried out by a specialist company. In addition, we also put the new installation of the central house electrical system and the renewal of approx. 50 m of underground sewage pipe into professional hands - we did the rest of the renovation ourselves.
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Of course, all of this costs a lot of money despite the countless hours of personal effort. You can find more information about our financing here .
We have …
At least 40 m³ of garbage and construction waste were disposed of.
On approx. 1,200 m² of walls, wallpaper was scraped off, loose plaster was knocked off, re-plastered and painted.
approx. 360 m² of old oak parquet refurbished.
Approx. 300 m of electrical slots were milled, at least 1 km of cable was laid and 220 sockets were installed.
10 partition walls have already been torn down and 4 have been built.
4 wall openings created and 10 closed.
approx. 150 m of sewage pipes laid.
Seals were replaced on 66 windows, frames were sanded and repainted.
61 radiator niches under the windows bricked up.
107 core holes drilled.
68 radiators hung.
Every year about 60 cubic meters of firewood are sawn, split and stacked.
We all have different backgrounds in terms of construction experience. Some are skilled craftsmen, some are hobbyists, but nobody had any idea what we were getting into at the beginning, let alone experience with such a large project. We taught ourselves all the necessary skills with the help of friends, neighbors, family and other home projects. So we learned plastering, bricklaying, wiring and much more together from and with each other on the construction site.
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Since 2022, we have been holding regular construction weeks to which all friends and interested parties are invited. We build together, learn from each other, make music and eat delicious food. We still rely on active support on the construction site and look forward to your visit.
If you are interested in supporting us during a construction week, sharing your knowledge with us or learning from us, please check our homepage to see when the next construction week will take place or simply contact us.
We look forward to seeing you!
