Tips before starting construction - What should you urgently pay attention to?

Maybe we are overthinking it because we want to do everything "perfectly." The samples have already been done, even though we haven't even started building yet - but we are exceptions in that regard :D

All costs are transparently presented, and through many conversations/self-research, everything has been reasonably planned according to our needs.

Actually, our only problem is that we finally want to get started - that's probably why we're looking for something to do :D

Now it's probably a matter of waiting, drinking tea, and looking forward :)

Well, the method of masonry is ultimately one of the less relevant things for you in the final state and living value/use. No one sees it anymore and in the end no one cares. Stability is equally given in both methods. Wienerberger still has the dipping method approved. Other manufacturers don’t. So what? I would definitely use the energy differently ;-)

It does make a difference whether the adhesive mortar is applied completely across the surface or only sticks to the webs of the Poroton. Sound transmits through the outer wall. If you have a "perforated" Poroton with many air slots, you definitely have a "vertical sound transmission" that is stronger than if every masonry row is sealed with a (minimal) mortar layer.

In general, there are things whose impacts you would never guess! I recently configured a window because I’m handling it myself in the garage. The "sound insulation" option cost 11 EUR more... Such small things, in my opinion, are not well communicated or you have to figure them out yourself. Example: Standard plastic door: handle 400mm long. That fits. Extra charge for a longer model. No, we can buy and attach it ourselves later. Now: the next longer handle has a different drilling pattern. Since we have the smallest handle, we can’t even take one size larger without special custom orders. In the consultation, they could have said: For a 20 EUR surcharge, take the next length so you are free later and can affordably retrofit the long handle bar yourself... Or water pipes: if you say nothing, they install water pipes without a shut-off valve. If I want to turn off the water, I have to turn off the main valve. Or outdoor faucet: pipe goes from the utility room to the outdoor faucet and then to the sink/dishwasher. Shut off the outdoor faucet? No, that doesn’t work because otherwise the kitchen has no water! Pipes obviously run under the screed...

Maybe check the following in advance: if relevant

[*]Basic modeling of outdoor area / starting with terrain / retaining wall / cistern and the associated earthworks possibly to be clarified and agreed directly with the structural engineer
[*]Are surfaces going to be immediately gravelled?
[*]Who is responsible for construction cleaning during the build and waste disposal?
[*]Is the crane area and possibly road closure arranged?
[*]Are frost-proof water faucets desired?
[*]Is drainage necessary in front of, e.g., the terrace?
[*]Energy standard and subsidies clarified?
[*]Is everything clear from the development plan? If not, ask the building authority. For example, exterior colors must be approved by us
[*]Is everything clarified with neighbors regarding possible storage of materials? Otherwise, the colleagues on site will make room themselves ;)
[*]Is internet and connections with the utility provider clear regarding what and who does what?
[*]Is the inspection shaft at ground level or does it need to be raised?
[*]Are there false friends? For example, light incidence arranged for the neighboring window possibly better as modern floor-to-ceiling
[*]Are the roof windows pivoting?
[*]Can photovoltaics be installed while the scaffolding is still up?
[*]Are things really clear in the contract or offer?
[*]...

It does make a difference whether the adhesive mortar is applied completely over the entire surface or only adheres to the ribs of the Poroton. Sound transmits through the exterior wall. If you have a "perforated" Poroton with many air slots, you definitely have a "vertical sound transmission" that is stronger than if every row of bricks is sealed with a (minimal) layer of mortar.

I didn't want to start a discussion about this now, but the Poroton is practically perforated, so in my opinion, that little bit of mortar doesn't matter.
Do you have practical experience and have listened to a dipped and fully glued wall side by side after the interior and exterior plaster have been applied and noticed a real difference, or are we talking about theoretical values?

Moreover, I believe that a 100% solution does not exist, or at most can be the 100% solution for ten years. After that, taste and personal needs usually change massively again.

This should actually be "pinned" – on page 1 of the poetry album of all homeowners who still write the confirmation saying "you only build once" above the door. Only those who are dead no longer change. After the game is before the game, i.e. for homeowners either "after building comes remodeling" or – because often more reasonable – "after this house comes the next house."

I thought I was already a "complicated" homeowner but from the GU group I also took away numerous things AFTER the build that one COULD HAVE done. For example, clarifying whether the Poroton bricks should be dipped or rolled?

What do you mean by the "GU group"?
Indeed, I do not recall ever having read about the mortar method in a construction service description. And I recommend – regarding the topic of the "unavoidable remainder of subjectivity," as I wrote here yesterday – setting the bricks in a closed "mortar bed": because only then are the hollow chambers of the bricks interrupted layer by layer – at least insofar as we talk about the unfilled versions. Unfilled and only dipped in mortar, you basically build storey-high resonance pipes (longer pipe = deeper tone) – and then someone complains again about the unfilled bricks themselves, although the problem is actually caused only in combination with the mortar method. Yes, actually that would be worth explicitly specifying in the construction service description. I must admit, however – I watch processing videos like others watch hospital series – that until yesterday I would have sworn that the dipping method was long extinct.

- but it really depends a lot on personal preferences and attitudes.

We are building in our hometown (at least according to my wife) - her civil servant job is located in that town - I work in the neighboring town and currently have no ambitions to change. Both families are very close by and we have a dream plot nicely secluded from the "bustle" in the new development area.

I seriously doubt that we (unless we get divorced and turn our lives upside down) will ever build a house again in our lives. We are very conservative in that regard. Of course: never say never, but I think precisely for this reason we might approach things differently or more intensively than some other builders.

I mean: if everything works in the marriage, with the kids, with the building location and the family around, why should I change? It somehow isn’t quite clear to me... Nowadays everyone talks about changes - not standing still... Because of this we see more and more divorces, no standpoint in life, a loose lifestyle, constantly changing jobs and increasing dissatisfaction, since people haven’t found their place in life yet...

Honestly, I personally want as few "big" changes in life as possible - there is nothing nicer than stability and consistency (at least for me) - so this is/will definitely be the first and last house for me!! :D

Above all: how often does one ever come across a reasonable plot with all the right conditions in life again?

That’s why we don’t settle for just telling ourselves: "Oh, it’ll be fine" - "you can’t do anything anyway, if we don’t like it or it goes wrong in the end, then next time" :D