rixtrix1
Well-known member
Looks great!
Above 1200 Sq/FT Swiss Garage / Workshop / House Build
- Thread starter JDMjunkies.ch
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
Badluck
Member
Hi,
I've been following your thread for a while now. Great progress in the last weeks.
I'm looking to do the same in a few months/years time.
As I also live in Europe (Luxembourg) your experience is very interesting as our regulations are closer to yours than to those in the States.
Quick question though: have you posted the surface measurements somewhere?
I'd like to get an idea what 200 m2 or 100 m2 look like.
David
I've been following your thread for a while now. Great progress in the last weeks.
I'm looking to do the same in a few months/years time.
As I also live in Europe (Luxembourg) your experience is very interesting as our regulations are closer to yours than to those in the States.
Quick question though: have you posted the surface measurements somewhere?
I'd like to get an idea what 200 m2 or 100 m2 look like.
David
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Hi,
I've been following your thread for a while now. Great progress in the last weeks.
I'm looking to do the same in a few months/years time.
As I also live in Europe (Luxembourg) your experience is very interesting as our regulations are closer to yours than to those in the States.
Quick question though: have you posted the surface measurements somewhere?
I'd like to get an idea what 200 m2 or 100 m2 look like.
David
Hi David,Thanks for the kind words. I think i've never posted the measures of the final project plans. A rough estimation is approx. 215m2 for the whole garage / Lift / Workshop area (without additional storage rooms and room for the technical stuff => Everything between the green lines in the picture below):
Generally i can recommand only one thing: Take advantage of your money and space and build as much room as you can. if you make it smaller there is one point where you will regret you didn't do it bigger
What you saw of the garage in the previous post pictures is mainly what is within the orange lines of this picture.
Click to enlarge and see all the measures.
Hope this helps. If you need anything else, let me know.
good luck with your project and make sure to post a build-thread and lots of pics here
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Haha, you're really a big batman fan, aren't you?
I guess i need to start to look out for a Bat signal generator then, soon...
Anything car, BMW, Porsche, Honda and Batman related, is fine with me
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Only a short update today: The top level slab got poured:
and now the interesting part. the garage:
and now the interesting part. the garage:
Badluck
Member
215 m2! That is huge....for European standards that is.
How many cars will you have in there?
I'm aiming for 80m2 and will have to store 6 cars in there. Will probably include a double parkinglift (ceiling height is a little under 4m) and some clever planning.
I will probably start a thread in a few weeks time when I have new plans from the architect.
How many cars will you have in there?
I'm aiming for 80m2 and will have to store 6 cars in there. Will probably include a double parkinglift (ceiling height is a little under 4m) and some clever planning.
I will probably start a thread in a few weeks time when I have new plans from the architect.
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
It is indeed quite big for european standards, but not that part of the space is the "drive-through" area.215 m2! That is huge....for European standards that is.
How many cars will you have in there?
I'm aiming for 80m2 and will have to store 6 cars in there. Will probably include a double parkinglift (ceiling height is a little under 4m) and some clever planning.
I will probably start a thread in a few weeks time when I have new plans from the architect.
We have space for a total of 6 cars, of which one is a bigger area for the Workshop lift. and additional Space for the workshop. One of the parking-lots belongs to the in-law's house...
Here's a better overview including the m2 values. The orange area belongs to us, green to the in-laws. Note that we won't have any porsche's in our garage, even if the picture is full of it
GeorgeK
Well-known member
No no, it is very good with the Porsches...
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
I spent all the money on the house, Nothing left for expensive porsche's
GeorgeK
Well-known member
There are *always* good deals to be found, especially if you are handy with a wrench.
None of my 911s cost more than a new Golf.
None of my 911s cost more than a new Golf.
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Well i just have to many other projects going on, and honestly - while i like a good porsche - i'm just more into the japanese cars and their history.
buildingup
Well-known member
Since the garage is all concrete what are you doing for acoustics to keep the sound from bouncing around inside so you don't have to wear ear plugs all the time.
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
If you look close enough in the previous pictures, you can see the whole Ceiling in the garage and workshop area is full of thise fiber plates. which work great for noise reduction, collect humidity and also work as a slight temperature insulation:
Also thinking about hanging and indsutrial rubber curtain at the lift area, and so far it doesn't have alot of echoes. I think when the area is filled with shelves, parts, decoration, and other stuff it will be even less noisy, so currently i'm not worrying about the noise level in there.
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
The work continues and i just talked to one of the guys: since the weather seems nice, they hope to be able to continue work until in two weeks, when the construction vacation season for one month starts... hope they get a lot done until then. Just had a short view from the outside:
second side-wall of the in-laws house area is uncovered:
Formwork for another of their walls is in preparation:
While in the inside they do some detailing and cleanup on the previously done concrete work. so the surface is smooth and clean in my garage / workshop:
At our part of the build, the formwork for the top concrete slab has been removed, and more scaffolding set up to make the safety inspector happy (and keep all the guys working safe):
And formwork for another concrete wall is currently beeing set up.
I don't expect much more visible progress this week, since on friday they have a day off for their annual company christmas celebration trip...
If work continues at this pace i'm pretty sure that most of the basic work (maybe aside from a few small walls or something) can be completed before the winter break. Unfortunately concrete needs an extra day to dry before the formwork can be removed in these cold temperatures...
second side-wall of the in-laws house area is uncovered:
Formwork for another of their walls is in preparation:
While in the inside they do some detailing and cleanup on the previously done concrete work. so the surface is smooth and clean in my garage / workshop:
At our part of the build, the formwork for the top concrete slab has been removed, and more scaffolding set up to make the safety inspector happy (and keep all the guys working safe):
And formwork for another concrete wall is currently beeing set up.
I don't expect much more visible progress this week, since on friday they have a day off for their annual company christmas celebration trip...
If work continues at this pace i'm pretty sure that most of the basic work (maybe aside from a few small walls or something) can be completed before the winter break. Unfortunately concrete needs an extra day to dry before the formwork can be removed in these cold temperatures...
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Hugo L.
Well-known member
Is it just me or is this type of construction incredibly long, complex and uses a lot of waster material compared to a wooden, 2x4/2x6 stud-built home?
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
If you compare it that way, yes. but if you look at all the benefits it's something totally different. It's two totally different approaches and you can't really compare it (that way) in my opinion.
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Wow, i didn't expect so much done again when i showed up to day. it appears the day off yesterday was cancelled for some reason. Well - good for us
On the outside the landscaping support wall was uncovered:
plus a small step on the other side of our house, to protect dirt from falling down to the in-laws area:
the cleanup in the garage area continued. and it's starting to loko good, but still some work is needed. Here you can see all the different ceiling-heights because of the garden area's on top and the height needed for the lift on the inside it was needed this way.
On the inside the formwork for the stairs from the ground to the top level started:
while formwork on our top level starts to take shape:
as well as the work on the in-laws part of the build (view from our upper level):
On the outside the landscaping support wall was uncovered:
plus a small step on the other side of our house, to protect dirt from falling down to the in-laws area:
the cleanup in the garage area continued. and it's starting to loko good, but still some work is needed. Here you can see all the different ceiling-heights because of the garden area's on top and the height needed for the lift on the inside it was needed this way.
On the inside the formwork for the stairs from the ground to the top level started:
while formwork on our top level starts to take shape:
as well as the work on the in-laws part of the build (view from our upper level):
larry4406
Well-known member
Unreal this construction! I can't fathom the costs if this were done here in the United States.
I think you are set for earthquakes and nuclear shelter.
I think you are set for earthquakes and nuclear shelter.
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Yeah it's built to last forever. most houses in the village are several hundred years old and our hope ours will last that long as well
It aint cheap that's for sure. but the situation here is different. unlike america where u buy houses early, and switch to more expensive houses when you can afford, u usually rent flats here until you can afford a nice house, and then you stay there for the rest of your life.
Lotusnut
Well-known member
I must say I am addicted to this build. I check every day for updates and am going through withdrawal the days I do not get my fix. I am sure it is just the engineer in me that wants to fully analyze the build and how it is being done. I go back and check earlier pictures to fully appreciate how it is being built when a new detail is added that I had not absorbed before.
This is more like a commercial building would be in North America and has the better fittings and European systems for electrical and plumbing as well. I understand with the shorter days and the primary structure being mostly done why there are less posts but it does not stop me from checking for my fix at least 3 times a day in case something is posted.
Please post as much as you are willing with as much detail as you can to help appease my addiction. I am loving this build and am very envious of the buried garage.
Rob
This is more like a commercial building would be in North America and has the better fittings and European systems for electrical and plumbing as well. I understand with the shorter days and the primary structure being mostly done why there are less posts but it does not stop me from checking for my fix at least 3 times a day in case something is posted.
Please post as much as you are willing with as much detail as you can to help appease my addiction. I am loving this build and am very envious of the buried garage.
Rob
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Just............WOW! 
Subscribed!
Some young married couple will be looking to buy that place in 3035.
Subscribed!
Some young married couple will be looking to buy that place in 3035.
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Thank youJust............WOW!
Subscribed!
Some young married couple will be looking to buy that place in 3035.
I really hope that many generations after me will enjoy the house and working on their cars in that garage...Thank you so much for those kind words. I feel honoured.
I do pretty much the same. Compare all the pictures with the plans and drawings i made in the past. go through the whole build over and over again.
And i can see new small details everytime i do so
For the next two weeks i expect the last walls to go up before the one-month-winter break. And they got a lot more forms past week, so i will definitly have to check it out more frequently these days. And of course i will post updates for your and my daily fix.
GLTHFJ60
Well-known member
This is about as epic as the "Concrete Underground" build. Watching intently.
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Nah the Concrete underground was a level higher in my opinion, but nevertheless. i feel honoured by all the nice comments and interested followers. Will check out the updates again tomorrow, so prepare yourself for another concrete load update
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Here we go with another update:
One of our top level walls has been uncovered, while the wall on the opposite side has been concrete poured:
On the in-laws area they have uncovered one of the side-walls (see back in the left of the picture) and they are currently completeing formwork on the only concrete in-house wall:
On the inside of our project-part, the rebar guys and electrician put in their stuff in the soon-to-be-poured Stairs:
And the cleanup in the garage / Basement area continues:
Next update on saturday i guess. The guys run out of forms with all these high walls. Next walls are all a bit less tall so i guess they can do more area at once. lets see how far they come before work most probably stops for a month by the end of next week (constructor's holiday time)
One of our top level walls has been uncovered, while the wall on the opposite side has been concrete poured:
On the in-laws area they have uncovered one of the side-walls (see back in the left of the picture) and they are currently completeing formwork on the only concrete in-house wall:
On the inside of our project-part, the rebar guys and electrician put in their stuff in the soon-to-be-poured Stairs:
And the cleanup in the garage / Basement area continues:
Next update on saturday i guess. The guys run out of forms with all these high walls. Next walls are all a bit less tall so i guess they can do more area at once. lets see how far they come before work most probably stops for a month by the end of next week (constructor's holiday time)
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OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Well the guys are hurrying up to complete the shell before the christmas break and the last walls are beeing put up:
On our part of the house, the upper top side walls have been uncovered from the formwork:
While on one of the side walls, the formwork has been set up:
And concrete was already poured. so on monday we will have another wall there
On the inside, the stairs from the ground level to the top level has been poured with concrete:
And last but not least, the in-laws in-house concrete wall has been uncovered from the formwork (at least partially) and the preparation for the formwork of the last outside walls has already started (not pictured):
Their plan is to finnish all concrete work by the end of next week. Bit this will be tight and since we don't have a hurry, it doesn't matter if they have to take another few days for finnishiing up their stuff after the winter break in my opinion
On our part of the house, the upper top side walls have been uncovered from the formwork:
While on one of the side walls, the formwork has been set up:
And concrete was already poured. so on monday we will have another wall there
On the inside, the stairs from the ground level to the top level has been poured with concrete:
And last but not least, the in-laws in-house concrete wall has been uncovered from the formwork (at least partially) and the preparation for the formwork of the last outside walls has already started (not pictured):
Their plan is to finnish all concrete work by the end of next week. Bit this will be tight and since we don't have a hurry, it doesn't matter if they have to take another few days for finnishiing up their stuff after the winter break in my opinion
wasfast
Well-known member
Does that mean that ALL the trades are off for a month or only certain ones? This is an off the chart home build IMO. Very nice!
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Thanks for your kind words.
Usually once during summer and once during winter there's an off-season for construction where most of the trades have vacation at the same time.
Since they all have to work together it makes sense to have coordinated off-time. However smaller one-man companies still might go to work if they have something left to do and prefer to take the money rather than vacation.
So we'll see, if the weather is warm enough to put up some bricks, maybe the mason will show up during the next weeks to put up the remaining brickwalls inside..
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Here we go. Today the guys were busy at the house. All previously poured walls have been completely freed from the Formwork:
The other side-wall has already been prepared again and while i was there they were pouring the concrete. so in two days the last concrete wall of our house is up
The stairs to the top level was removed from the formwork:
At the in-laws part of the house they were still preparing the last concrete walls, but i think it will be poured tomorrow:
The formwork for the in-laws 90° stairs has started (this will be fun to watch):
And the government sent a bunch of people to repair some manholes which sank down in the street. Great that. Free repairs in front of our house before we move in
And onother view from the garage inside, just for fun's sake:
Oh and is scored a huge Banner / Flag which will perfectly fit into my 240Z workshop area. Love it with the japanese theme. My research revealed the graphics were made by an insurance company to celebrate some years of existance. Not sure how it ended up on a flag in europe. but i just had to have it:
The other side-wall has already been prepared again and while i was there they were pouring the concrete. so in two days the last concrete wall of our house is up
The stairs to the top level was removed from the formwork:
At the in-laws part of the house they were still preparing the last concrete walls, but i think it will be poured tomorrow:
The formwork for the in-laws 90° stairs has started (this will be fun to watch):
And the government sent a bunch of people to repair some manholes which sank down in the street. Great that. Free repairs in front of our house before we move in
And onother view from the garage inside, just for fun's sake:
Oh and is scored a huge Banner / Flag which will perfectly fit into my 240Z workshop area. Love it with the japanese theme. My research revealed the graphics were made by an insurance company to celebrate some years of existance. Not sure how it ended up on a flag in europe. but i just had to have it:
GLTHFJ60
Well-known member
So cool
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
this update comes slightly delayed, but wasn't able to upload the picturse yesterday. The last wall-molds are getting removed and some remaining formwork and concrete pouring is done:
Upper level concrete work on our house is finally completed. Next step is to complete the brickwalls inside the house by the masons, but for that, temperatures need to be higher (currently not much above 0°C the whole day):
At the in-laws house the same: Last walls are beeing removed from the Mold / formwork:
The remaining landscaping wall in our garden is beeing prepared:
And the formwork for the 90° staircase in the in-laws house part is beeing prepared. quite complicated if you ask me Since all the guys were working there i didn't want to sneak in this small area to take pictures. will take some photos tomorrow when nobody is working and i'm free to move around the site.
Upper level concrete work on our house is finally completed. Next step is to complete the brickwalls inside the house by the masons, but for that, temperatures need to be higher (currently not much above 0°C the whole day):
At the in-laws house the same: Last walls are beeing removed from the Mold / formwork:
The remaining landscaping wall in our garden is beeing prepared:
And the formwork for the 90° staircase in the in-laws house part is beeing prepared. quite complicated if you ask me
Since all the guys were working there i didn't want to sneak in this small area to take pictures. will take some photos tomorrow when nobody is working and i'm free to move around the site.
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Hugo L.
Well-known member
It’s not even my build and my wallet hurts...
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Thanks to all the nice circumstances, this build is much more then we could actually afford if we didn't have all this lucky opportunities...
And as mentioned before, This whole project is the price of an average house in switzerland. it wouldn't be possible to get a nice house much cheaper than this, but this is tailor-made for our needs so it's a dream come true and that's priceless anyway.
You can't really compare different areas in the world with all the different needs and laws.
It's a great bang for the buck and thanks for all the synergies we share with the in-laws it's an excellent deal for us.
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Yeah. How "expensive" it is, really depends on the country, apart from income and cost of labor and materials I guess.
The real way to meassure it, perhaps, is to compare how many average salaries you need to buy the property, and how many you need to build the house. That way you can, somewhat, compare one country to another. I bet if we did that kind of math, my country would be the loser, by far. LOL! (Not really ).
The real way to meassure it, perhaps, is to compare how many average salaries you need to buy the property, and how many you need to build the house. That way you can, somewhat, compare one country to another. I bet if we did that kind of math, my country would be the loser, by far. LOL! (Not really
).
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Yeah. How "expensive" it is, really depends on the country, apart from income and cost of labor and materials I guess.
The real way to measure it, perhaps, is to compare how many average salaries you need to buy the property, and how many you need to build the house. That way you can, somewhat, compare one country to another. I bet if we did that kind of math, my country would be the loser, by far. LOL! (Not really
THAT, and then you have to compare the quality as well. We pay more of course but it's a totally different kind of build. You really can't compare a drywall-and-stick-house-with-sheet-metal-roof from a famous texan TV show for 120grand with an average house in switzerland wich is around 1 million more or less.
Lotusnut
Well-known member
Thanks for the update. Quick question I see a pink foam spacer in the newly exposed wall of your in laws house, is that for a drain vent stack?
I agree that my wallet is hurting in simpathy for what this must cost to build. Although if you amortize it across th century's it will be used I'm sure it is reasonable.
I agree that my wallet is hurting in simpathy for what this must cost to build. Although if you amortize it across th century's it will be used I'm sure it is reasonable.
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
Thanks for the kind word. Yeah we hope so
The pink part is just an insulation because it's where the transition from Inside to outside wall is and therefore must be insulated. see here:
tjpavlov
Well-known member
I'm just curious as to how people finance these buildings in Switzerland. In the US, our standard is the 30 year, fixed rate mortgage. Where you live, is 30 years the typical repayment schedule for most homeowners? Not trying to pry into your personal finances, but just wondering what the typical way of funding a home purchase is in your part of the world.
Thanks for creating this thread and sharing your process with all of us. I've really enjoyed reading about and watching your project come together!
Thanks for creating this thread and sharing your process with all of us. I've really enjoyed reading about and watching your project come together!
Lotusnut
Well-known member
Thanks I had forgotten about that outside privacy walll. Are they going to get the retaining wall above the garage entrance formed before the winter break?
OP
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
No worries, if we're talking about the average it's no problem.
Usually the deal with mortgages in switzerland is like this:
If the house incl. property is 100%
you have to bring at least 20% in own funds.
of these 10% have to be cash, and the rest can be retirement funds or personal savings fixed to some bank-investments (too complicated to go into details).
The monthly mortgage rate can not be over 33% of the houshold income at assumed mortgage interest of 5% (this is the risk they calculate).
then we have the mortgage rates, risk and so on.
Now usally split the 80% into various mortgages:
one is to pay back 33% from the 100% within 15 years (this is a must).
the other ones you can split into different fixed, variable or libor-type mortgages. since the rate is low currently we tend to make longer (10 years) fixed rates. but you can take part of the rest and gamble a bit and put it into variable or libor mortgages.
Nevertheless. Usually it's cheaper to own a house and pay mortgages than renting a nice place. The big difference is you need a lot of savings and a quite high income (if wife has no income when at home with a baby that's a problem for example) to be able to fulfill all the requests above.
It's switzerland after all, making rich people richer and everthing is super regulated and complicated. We're lucky we JUST managed to fulfill the needs with every penny we found. but once the house is finnished we can save a lot more compared to now.