Phew... I have been following along from the very beginning and I have to say: we did everything right!
After initial talks with general contractors, we said goodbye to collaborating with one of them because our obviously very specific wishes were either not addressed or only met in a very half-hearted way. But that was not enough for us.
Of course, you deal with topics you never thought possible before—often at the cost of your free time and sometimes even your health. Wall construction, insulation materials, types of screed, types of plaster, and so on... it’s draining! Our plumbing guy once told me about the planned heating system: "Uh... I have to check with Viessmann, I’ve never been asked a question like that before."
Recently, our architect described us in a phone call with a craftsman as quality-conscious builders. When I asked whether that was the secret architect-craftsman code for nitpickers, he grinned. So did I.
This is about our wishes, our money, and a project we have been preparing for a very long time and are really looking forward to. A general contractor would not have been enough for us; they couldn’t have responded in the way we wanted—but: it would have been more convenient. Standard solutions at an enormous speed and, in most cases, well executed.
We are currently on the home stretch, maybe another three or four weeks until we can move in. Then we will have 1 1/2 years of hard construction time behind us. And a prior planning phase that matured over more than 12 months and involved very close collaboration with the architect.
Theoretically planned without self-performance, but practically you notice that you prefer to do many tasks yourself because you know exactly how you want it. Nitpicking, basically. That’s super exhausting, but it has already earned us praise from the craftsmen because some of our solutions probably would not have been implemented otherwise—or only at a horrendous price.
There was actually no time to do these tasks ourselves. But better than failing...
It seems to me that on the way to the dream house, some things are often pushed forward too quickly to reach the goal as fast as possible. But the whole thing has to be a process in which you also have time to question and understand things. I don’t care if the plan took only 2 months to mature into the building application, it has to suit us for the next many years!
Throughout the whole time, many people smiled condescendingly at us because we really threw ourselves into the planning with all our might. Also because we have a lot of fun doing it but also because we want it to be perfect—for us.
Now everyone who enters the house says: “You can tell that you put a lot of thought and consideration into this!”
But it was super exhausting, annoying, and nerve-wracking at the time.
I find it very sad to read that you are feeling this way because despite the much work and little time, it’s all really exciting and should actually be fun! You really suffer with it sometimes. Maybe you approached things a bit naively or set your priorities wrong. No accusation intended; you can also get seriously dazzled by colorful pictures and animations. But: no pain, no gain... there’s something to that!
I’m keeping all my fingers crossed that you will finally get to your very own dream house. And: things evolve! If one cabinet in the bathroom doesn’t fit, allow yourself to look for something completely new! Then you often don’t just find lazy compromises but THE (second) dream cabinet! Clear some space in your mind and look at the conditions on site and search for the perfect fit FOR YOUR PLACE—not the standard cabinet that is supposed to fit into your bathroom!
