A very quick update!

My friends Iris, Prisca, and I went downtown today after work.  Prisca had to run a few errands, and we made it to our destination, The Cupcake Boutique by 4:30.  Needless to say, I didn't get on the road towards home until way after dark.  So, I didn't really get  to take a good look at the house. 
I am still trying to figure out how to take night pictures with the DSLR.  Maybe I should take a photography class.  I was only able to get one picture, so here it is:

The west side wall, the one that runs the length of the master suite grew quite a bit today. 

Tomorrow, I'll be home much earlier, so I am really excited to get see everything in the daylight!

Moving ahead!

It was fairly warm here today, a little rain, a lot  of clouds, but no snow or ice.  The conditions were good for the builders to return to our house today!  Of course, they are not at the house at 7:00 am, when I leave for work, because it is still dark night right now at 7:00 am, and our building site may have a crane, but no lighting. 
So, coming home today was a bit of a surprise.  By the time I got to the house, it was around 5:00, which worked nicely because the builders had already left for the day.  I decided to brave the very unsafe looking staircase to the second floor that is supported by a bunch of metal beams underneath.  It turned out that the staircase felt indeed, quite stable, and it was so worth it to climb up to the top.  The builders were there today!

West side wall, master suite

The corner of the master bedroom

Front wall, master bedroom and bedroom #1, the space between the bricks is where the windows will be.

What I like to call our "house monster," the pipes for the air filtration system on the first floor that have been installed in the concrete.

East side,  the balcony, and you can see the east corner of the house.

The west side (master suite)wall as seen from the ground.

And there it is, after the miserable for building weather, we're back in business!  Now, if the weather will just hold out a little longer, we'll get there!  I'm looking  forward to tomorrow.

The SUN!!!

It really has warmed up here over the past few days.  Snow turned to rain, and the rain even dried up today.  It was so nice here today, about 50° (10°C) and sunny.  The rumor going around is that our neighbor-to-be, Markus, was talking to one of our builders, and the builders plan on returning to our house on MONDAY!  If it stays warm enough and dry enough, our second floor just may be finished quickly!  It is so frustrating because once the roof is on, the builders, plumbers, electricians, and everyone else can work in any weather.  Grr!  We are so close and yet so far to being to the point where people can work no matter the weather.  No complaints though from this girl.  I would much rather have the builders stop than push through and build when it is not good for the house or for the workers. 
So, fingers crossed, PUHLEEEEAASEEEE!  And in an open appeal to the weather gods, just hold out your fury for a few more weeks!

Revisiting the bath showroom- AGAIN

Last week's visit was a successful to a point, but our dedicated salesperson wasn't there.  We made an appointment for today.
It turned out to be a very successful appointment, although we were there for three hours!
Our biggest problem was the price.  We needed to reduce the price of the fixtures, but I didn't want to change the look too much.  Problem is that most things here are either very modern or very cheap looking.  When we picked out fixtures on our last visit, we went with very classical, yet ridiculously expensive faucets.  Oy!
I was glad to have Joern today, not that I am not glad to have him everyday, but I was glad for his personality today.  He explained that the fixtures were just too expensive, that we wanted alternatives.  It took a long time, but we were able to come up with quite a few alternatives that satisfy us both.
Master Bath-
     Bathtub- not a price reduction, but we needed to change the size.  We found a large corner tub that fits
     perfectly.  We also found a much less expensive alternative to the faucet offered originally.

     Toilet- we decided that for the time-being, we don't need a Villeroy and Boch Hommage wall-hanging
     toilet.  We saved about 400 Euro by going with a builder-basic.  And, its pretty well hidden in our 
     bathroom.  If it is really disturbing, we can change it out later.
     Faucets- here is where we saved, big time!  Joern explained that the faucets were too expensive,
     and that we were considering purchasing all the faucets in America.  All of a sudden, our salesperson
     whipped out a catalog from Zuchetti, an Italian company.  He went on to explain that it is an Italian
     product and not German, but come on.  We don't need a Mercedes faucet.  I want something that looks
     good and runs.  Furthermore, after speaking with Fabio, one of Joern's close friends, who happens to
     be a plumber, he told us that this is indeed a very good brand.

    
     Shower- originally, we planned a very elegant shower with a rain showerhead.  After careful
     consideration, we decided that rain showerheads look quite similar, and by changing out
     the brand, going with chrome, and changing the mixer, we could save a lot.  Joern then asked about
     putting in four body sprays.  In the end, our shower will resemble the following picture.

Image from Improvementdirect.com

      

Kid's bath-
     Toilet- we decided to stick with the originally planned toilet.
     Faucet- changed to the same Zuchetti as in the master bath.
     Shower- changed to Zuchetti, similar to the one I liked originally, but looks very nice and much cheaper.

    
Guest bath-
      Toilet- kept the original, but added PurAir technology.  Its only about 200 Euro more, and for a guest
      toilet, PurAir keeps from embarassing situations.  Plus, it is right off the kitchen, so you don't want
      an embarassingly stinky sitation right off the kitchen.

     Sink- we kept the same pedestal sink we originally planned



image from Villeroy-boch.de

          Faucet- back to Zuchetti, this time a flatter faucet.

Image from Faucetgallery.com

       

Downstairs utility room/ bath-
      Toilet- builder basic, again, I can always change out in the future. 
      Faucet- we'll buy it in America, because you can't get a 3 hole faucet here for under 200 Euro.  This
      faucet will be a Home Depot special, we'll buy 2 or 3 50 Euro, Glaicer Bay faucets, and change out
     as needed. 

Kitchen-
     Sink- we're considering a Villeroy & Boch apron-front sink.  Good because it has two pre-drilled holes.
     Faucet- I really may have to buy these faucets at home.  I'm looking at a Delta Touch 2O faucet for the
     island, where we'll prep food, and just a normal pull-down spray faucet for the dish sink. 
 I have
     a few more months to research my options, but it really isn't looking like I will buy something here.

Well, there you have it.  We have to negotiate now with the plumber, to get him to reduce some more of the prices.  I'm interested to see how much farther down we can go with the price.

Revisitng the bath showroom

So, even though the construction is waiting for better weather, there are still things to be done, and decisions to be made.  In early November, we received the estimate from the plumber with the plumbing fixtures.  I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but lets just say, we didn't quite expect such a large sum.  Of course, the estimate was about 20 pages long and included up to five alternatives for each item chosen, like five alternatives to a drain.  Oy!  Sadly, in all our enthusiasm, or lack thereof in this case, we simply filed the estimate away, and said that we would get back to it.  I guess almost two months has really flown by, because we got a call from the plumber this morning.  He wanted to remind us that we should make up our minds soon about what items we will chose for the house.  Huh.  I think we're both embarassed and frustrated.  Sticking our heads in the sand obviously was a poor choice.
So this afternoon, we headed back out to the bath showroom, estimate in hand, wanting to re-evaluate our options.  We found out that the man in charge of our account is on vacation.  So instead, we booked an appointment for next week, and decided to look around on our own.  There is real value in looking around a bath showroom without your plumber and sales representative following you around.  We found a few interesting ideas for the shower that might save a little.  We are also considering ordering our faucets from home.  Unfortunately, we haven't found another way to save like 10,000 Euro, but tonight, my job is to put the estimate into an Excel file so that we can start to tackle this project!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours

Since Christmas is celebrated over two days here, it is still Christmas.  With that, I'd like to take the opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas from our home to yours.

Our two year Blogiversary!

Hard to believe that two years ago today, I began this blog!  We've really come so far in the past two years.  From chosing our best option to actually building a home. 
After seven hundred and thirty days of pouring over countless decisions about our home, tonight the first floor of our home sits underneath a blanket of snow, and beneath that a blanket of insulation, that is protecting the concrete ceiling.
We've come so very far, to reach a slight snag in the timeline:

This is what it has looked like in our town for the past week and a half.  And while our builders are hardy and work in most any weather, snow and ice are not proper working conditions. 

The good news though is that the day before the big snow, the builders managed to pour the ceiling of the first floor.  They came on Friday morning to put a "blanket" over the house, which helps to keep the house dry and warmer, in order to help the concrete dry properly.  I am just happy for the house that it is all snuggled under a cuddly blanket. I'd love to leave a thermos of hot chocolate for the house to enjoy when it gets really cold. 

Of course, as it we are now two weeks out from Chirstmas, it looks like we won't see our builders again until January now.  I'm not upset.  As I was telling my friend Mandy today, I feel so guilty when the guys are working in cold weather.  I know its their job, but I don't want to be the reason our builders are out there freezing their butts off.  We'll get our house built, I don't mind.

As soon as we find the battery charger for our camera, I will post some new pictures.  In the past week, the house has looked really Christmassey all covered in snow.  Sadly, today, it is totally rainy.  But, the forecasters are predicting a white Christmas, so it looks like its time to get decorating!

What is very cool and very unplannable, is that on this two year Blogiversary, we met with the Notary Public this afternoon.  We signed the contract in which Joern's parents gifted us 100 sq. meters of their land.  We are now the owners of all of the land upon which our home sits!  Amazing!  Plus, this was the final step necessary before we were able to secure our mortgage.  So, pretty soon, we should be able to receive our money from the bank.  Scary, but also very necessary!

It is so much fun to look back on the journey that is long behind us.  It seems like another world ago when we were looking at existing homes and considering pre-fabs.  Somehow, through it all, we managed to find our best fit.  I cannot believe that so much has happened, and that we have two-thirds of the exterior now completed.  So much of our heart and souls have been poured into this home already.  It is a part of us.  It is also amazing to think that we will be living in our custom-build on our third blogiversary.  I can't wait to watch this upcoming year unfold!
Thank you to all the readers who have gone through this process with us.  Many of you have left fantastic comments which have helped us wade through all the decisions.  I look forward to one day welcoming many of you into our home!