House Pictures Chat Corner - Show off your house pictures!

I found the foundation slab huge, when the basement walls were standing WITHOUT the lid on top, I was afraid the house would be too small. But when the lid was finally on top, it was good again. And with the wooden basement, we had the luxury of experiencing these three states of matter in one day.

Things are also moving quickly with us. Yesterday there was a meeting with the glazier to discuss the railing for the gallery and stairs. He’s also making the (custom-made) mirrors for the guest WC and bathroom for us right away. For everyone who hesitates whether to buy mirrors off the shelf or have them custom-made: have them custom-made! It’s cheaper than you think. We pay about €200 for a mirror with magnetic mounting in a size of about 80x165 cm, which I think is really not much considering that the mirror then fits exactly the way you want it. If it is glued, I think it gets even cheaper. Compared to the total costs, that’s an investment worth making, in my opinion.

By now almost all walls have been sanded and puttied:


The window recesses are all nicely done now, too:

(the weather less so...)

and through this hole in the floor (underneath is the freezer room) come the pipes for the underfloor heating:


This week, all work on the walls should be finished and priming started. Then painting can begin. After that, the 3-layer boards that we already painted will be attached to the ceiling in the attic, then the underfloor heating will be installed and the tiles and parquet flooring can be laid. So things are moving quickly now. Since we don’t have to allow drying time for screed, progress is flowing smoothly.

On Friday, we’re going with the carpenter we trust to a stonemason who will supply our kitchen countertop. Then we can pick out the stone on site. We will also order a few window sills there – most of them (we don’t have many anyway) should be made from the same stone.

I think we’re now entering the final stretch *woohooo*

We have now put the heating into operation. The plumber was sweating because the utility’s civil engineers had placed the electricity box too centrally, and the gas meter didn’t fit properly. With great effort, it did fit in the end. On the right, you can already see the preparation of the heating system for the upper floor, in case it should ever be finished. Everything still looks very rough; we will probably also ask the carpenter to cover it up and on the other side to install a worktop over the washing machine and cabinets. Our neighbors did that, and it looks very tidy in their utility room and additionally provides storage space.

The only downside is that the electrician is sick and the staff are assigned elsewhere. So the heating is currently running on construction power, and one window is permanently tilted open because of this.

It is unfortunate that where the plaster is still damp due to the non-absorbent ring beams and meets the drywall, some mold spots and a few small mold patches about 1–2 cm in size have appeared on the drywall. Should action be taken against this already or only after the heating phase is over and painting or plastering can be done?

The heating has now been put into operation here. The plumber was sweating because the utility’s civil engineers placed the electrical box too centrally and the gas meter didn’t fit properly. But after much hassle, it finally fit. On the right you can already see the preparation of the heating for the upper floor, if it should ever be finished. Everything still looks very rough; we will probably also ask the carpenter to cover it up and to install a countertop over the washing machine and cabinets on the other side. Our neighbors did that, and it looks so tidy in the utility room and also provides extra storage space.

The only problem is that the electrician is sick and the staff are assigned elsewhere. So the heating is currently running on construction power and a window is therefore left permanently tilted open.

What’s unfortunate right now is that where the plaster is still damp due to the non-absorbent ring beams and meets the gypsum boards, some mildew stains and a few mold spots about 1-2 cm in size have appeared on the gypsum board. Should action be taken against this now or only after the heating phase is done and painting or plastering can be done?

The heating-up program for the screed is not running yet? If not, wait and see how damp it gets then. I could hardly breathe up there because of the moisture. So, in my opinion, it doesn’t matter if you act now or later. It will get bigger and more anyway. Just don’t leave it like that afterwards.

We have now put the heating into operation. The plumber was sweating because the service provider's civil engineers placed the electrical box too centrally, and the gas meter didn’t fit properly. But after a lot of effort, it finally fit. On the right, you can already see the preparation of the heating for the upper floor, in case it should be built out. Everything still looks very rough; we will probably also ask the carpenter to cover it and on the other side to create a countertop over the washing machine plus cabinets. Our neighbors did this, and it looks so tidy in the utility room and also provides additional storage space.

The only downside is that the electrician is sick and the employees are needed elsewhere. So the heating is currently running on construction power, and because of that, a window is permanently tilted open.

What is unfortunate right now is that where the plaster is still damp due to the non-absorbent ring beams and touches the drywall, some mold spots and a few approximately 1-2 cm mold patches have appeared on the drywall. Should one already take action against this or only after the heating phase is over and painting or plastering can be done?

It was similar for us; we executed the ceiling as drywall on the upper floor. However, on the advice of the site manager, we did not yet screw drywall panels to the ceiling. Only the wooden slats beneath the vapor barrier were there. Despite ventilating several times during the screed drying phase, mold spots appeared as well. I then sanded all the slats. I even had to replace some.

If you are unlucky and the panels now really soak up moisture during the screed heating, they could potentially fall from the ceiling again. :-(

The heating program has been running since yesterday. I will do it the same way as my neighbor. He left 1-2 windows tilted open all day and additionally ventilated several times by fully opening windows. Although you read everywhere that you shouldn't leave windows tilted open, everyone here does it this way and so far no one has had a crack in the screed.

I can ensure shock ventilation at least 4 times a day during the week, even more on weekends. Hopefully, that's enough. The drywall has already been screwed in so that it could be plastered.

That's exactly how you do it. Tilt and thrust.