What did you indulge in at the house, what did you give up?

I will only get my kitchen at the end of October and therefore cannot say anything about the Bora solution yet, but visually there is nothing better for this price.

We have had the Bora Professional on our kitchen island for 6 months. Would choose it again. Fat collects in the tray with every roast – it really works well.

The rotary knobs are also very practical in terms of handling.

We built very small because we are childless and will remain so. Thus, a house for 2 people was created, which was cost-oriented without compromises on quality. For a family with one child, the house would also be usable.

Granted:
- KFW-70
- Controlled residential ventilation with WRG
- Thermal solar system
- 110 sqm living space with 135 sqm usable area + approx. 40 sqm storage room under the roof.
- Roof overhang above the front door
- Spacious hallway area, cozy, open living/dining/kitchen area.
- Spacious bathroom with a sufficiently large shower, rain shower, thermostat faucet, and large bathtub
- Large double casement window in the bathroom (view of the stars while bathing)
- Double casement window in the stairwell area as daylight lighting for the upper floor hallway, stairs, and ground floor hallway
- Widening of the stairwell by a light space
- Guest bathroom with shower and urinal (the guest bathroom has already proven itself many times!)
- Small pantry in the hallway
- Comparatively generous terrace glazing
- Fireplace
- Room air-independent wood stove
- Adaptation of the floor plan to personal living habits
- 500 sqm plot (expensive here), located directly on a nature reserve, 5 minutes to the city by car, 10 by bus
- Two terraces (one at the house, approx. 50 sqm, the other separate at the edge of the nature reserve)
- Attic with electricity as a cellar substitute with an electric motor winch for easy and trouble-free transport of items there
- Very sufficient electrification in, around the house and in the garden area including three-phase preparation (for e-car)
- Trivial home automation
- Roller shutters almost everywhere (only in two small windows in the guest bathroom and utility room no shutters fit)
- Preparation for electrification of the roller shutters (switches, cables), only the motors still have to be bought and installed someday (was simply too expensive from the factory)

Dropped due to additional construction costs (initial) during construction
- Carport (in hindsight not bad since the cars stand between the north wall and a natural hedge and are protected so that very little extra effort is required for scraping ice, the family car also has a parking heater.)
- Garden shed (will be built in 2016 after the desired model has meanwhile been found)
- Outdoor facilities: In progress from cash flow and with a lot of own work, progressing very well

Consciously waived
- Basement, due to the expected costs. Thank God, because there is Bergisch slate under the house, foundation extra costs for basements in the neighborhood were sometimes breathtaking
- Air-water heat pump, because I think it does not pay off and I wanted a gas connection in the house anyway
- Underfloor heating, simply because we know it and both just don’t like it (surprisingly, due to the good insulation under the screed, the floor on the ground floor is always about room temperature - 0.5 degrees (measured with IR thermometer)
- Floor-level showers. Was too expensive for us and I considered the risk in the prefabricated house simply too high
- Separate dressing room - however, the bedroom is by far large enough
- New house and new kitchen: I completely rebuilt and installed the old kitchen myself with a friend in 3 days.

What’s still coming:
- Photovoltaic system (2016)
- Instead of a carport a garage, on the opposite side of the planned carport (possibly someday)
- Driveway covering with slabs (driveway is compacted, usable up to 40 tons load, currently covered with gravel (2016, maybe, because first the city has to make the construction road into a street)

So nothing special. Doesn’t matter: We are so happy with the small house.

Thorsten

- Attic with electricity as a cellar replacement with electric motor winch for easy and trouble-free transport of items up there

I really think this idea is great. I can’t believe I didn’t come up with it myself. Since I have to wrestle heavy things up the chicken ladder now and then (for example, parts of the walls of a playhouse yesterday), something like this would definitely make the work easier for me. I have to check right away if and how I can implement something like this (our entry hatch is not centered under the rafter). Fortunately, my father is visiting right now (an engineer with a lot of manual skills). Maybe we can manage it with a pulley system.

I really like this idea. I just didn’t come up with it myself.

Thank you! I’m glad.

The winch costs nothing.....Let’s say in the range of 100-150 euros.

I didn’t come up with the idea right away either. I had bought the winch to pull the very heavy Fermacell and drywall sheets up to the upper floor (with the help of drywall installation). When the tree work was done, the winch wasn’t needed anymore and one night I just got the idea: attic.....

We now have 2 rafters in the area of the hatch that are suitable. Installation on rafter 1 was no good...I re-mounted the winch before moving. It works perfectly now, without a pulley.

Unfortunately, my wife is often working when I’m off. But then I want to bring things to or get things from the basement replacement. Be it garden furniture, umbrellas, other items like wet-dry vacuum cleaner or the like. Of course also suitcases when I travel. My diving equipment (heavy!).

With the winch: everything can be managed alone. And during the move: all furniture (old stuff to store things) pulled up: zero problem.

Minimal investment. High and lasting effect. Significantly increases the usability of the attic as a basement replacement.

Best regards
Thorsten

Whether garden furniture, umbrellas, other items like wet-dry vacuums or the like.

I am also thinking here of things like garden furniture or possibly the bicycle in winter. So far I have always planned the garden shed for this. Furthermore, I can relatively easily pull up the "I can't part with the children's clothes BOXES." Or – in spring – safely lower the wooden parts of the playhouse bought and dismantled last week (an acquaintance designed and constructed it himself with proper materials and sold it to us after moving after half a year). Possibly one should also construct some kind of slide that remains in the attic and can be attached to the wooden stairs if needed, so that the objects can be more easily raised and lowered (without getting caught on the stair steps).