For the electrician not touching your project: I don't know how that works in Canada, but in Germany, if he touches your installation and finishes his work, he may be held liable for stuff the other guy did wrong. So, it makes perfect sense that he won't touch an installation where he thinks things were done wrong previously, especially if he's not allowed to redo them. Wallpaper is really useful because you don't have to work as cleanly with the plaster. Basically, with wallpaper, the plaster has to be flat, but not smooth. Without wallpaper, you have to put extra effort in to get a smooth plaster surface. That's why wallpaper is popular here: It's simpler. Also, it's easier to swap out, if need be. As for the paint: The painters did understand what you were talking about, but they also made a very good point: Waterproof paint may be nice for your cleaning, but it's terrible for the room climate, because it obviously doesn't allow for any humidity regulation through the walls (i.e. the walls can't "breathe"). I have latex paint in my apartment in most rooms. It's not an issue overall, but the point the painters made is still correct.
He is only held liable for the stuff he does. So if he has good records about what he did, that should not be a problem. It could be that he is not allowed to use some old cables to put some new ones behind, but that are legal requirements.
It is always the last one who puts his signature under the papers when the job is done who is then held liable and responsible, and in case of aspects where life and health of the clients are concerned such as electricity, gas, stovepipes/heating (carbonmonoxide is a silent killer) that means that your contractor will not touch any "botch" that an amateur has left him with.
I also had the same problem with painters. It is true you don't want to lock in moisture, but it is not necessary to go the wall paper vliestapete way. You can plaster the walls with Uniflott , about 35 euros a bucket (learn how to do it right to reduce sandig), let it dry out, then use a large circular sander (90 euros) with hook up to a shop vac to get it flat and smooth. Dust it off well with a large fine soft brush. Then you can paint with a 2-in-1 Gipskartonfarbe paint (includes primer) that breathable and also suitable for plastered walls.
European walls are thick brick or concrete walls, not thin drywalls. So different paints are used to allow for some air exchange through the walls. If you ignore that you might have issues with the room climate and problems with moisture buildup and mold in the walls. You therefore can't just use American building methods in Europe. It just won't work because the building methods are completely different. The same goes for the other points you raised. It's just not how any of this works. Watch out, you may have massive problems down the lane...
As we tend to say: Building a house is one of the very last remaining real adventures in Germany. The love for wallpaper stems from the fact that you usually have stone/concrete walls in Germany and not the wood/sheetrock walls you tend to have in North America. Without wallpaper, the room acoustics become rather echoey. That has nothing to do with having waterproof vs. non-waterproof paint. You can have either in both cases. We did exactly as you advise (years ago) and included walk-in closets in our house design. Much better than old-style Kleiderschränke....
When my parents bought a fairly old house a few years back, they fully renovated it and added a good portion to it. I did a lot of stuff there as well, but mostly menial tasks. We had a BLAST! Very enjoyable from beginning to end, and it couldn't have gone smoother. There are a few reasons I can think of for this: 1) We had most things done through a general contractor (Generalunternehmer, GU), but they were mostly in an advisory role. We still did all contracts with all the companies ourselves, but many of them already at least knew of the others due to having worked for the same GU in the past. 2) We usually asked them to do stuff like they would do for themselves, even if that meant not keeping deadlines, but asked them to give us ther REAL estimated time frame so we could properly book following companies. We also promised not to make a fuss about it. At first they were sceptical, but word seemed to have travelled that we were indeed trustworthy. We also made clear that we don't expect everything to be super duper perfect. (Impossible in a 100+ year old house anyways.) Just good enough to look nice, and technically sound. Being pedantic is a big downer. (Not saying you are, just general advice!) 3) To avoid issues at "interfaces", we asked the respective companies to come together before doing any work, and let them duke it out on their own. We only wanted things to be done, in decent quality and to spec. Details were for them to communicate. Worked like a charm, and I haven't heared one bad word between companies the whole time. 4) Food. My mom always had a well stocked fridge with a variety of drinks, always freshly brewed coffee, an assortment of candy bars and such, and brought cake or belegte Brötchen for "meetings". Free of charge of course. The dudes LOVED it. 5) A lot of the companies came from the eastern border regions. I don't want to shit on all other workes in Germany, but these people somehow still have a different and much more productive way of doing things and conducting themselves. There was a pride in their work I rarely see from other German construction workers. For the bureaucracy parts, it prooobably helped that my mom was a friend of our city's Baudezernent's wife =) And since we definitely needed an architect for the added parts (essentially doubling the house), these things were covered. But not cheap, that IS very true. But even our architect was an amazing dude. Gave off dadish vibes and was very down to earth and chill. People always look at us in utter disbelief when we tell how our renovations went. I guess we had all the luck one could have with this one. I hope your project gets more enjoyable soon!!
Wallpapers are a regional thing in Germany. I grew up in North-Rhine Westfalia (at the northern edge of the Ruhr Region/Ruhrgebiet) and we always had wallpapers on our walls. Only a few walls were plastered and painted. But here in Bavaria, close to Munich, where I'm living now, more or less all walls are plastered and just painted. Hence, it depends on where you are living in Germany.
How I feel you! I have been in this situation for almost two years. We decided not to do a full renovation when we moved in, instead we took it slow and renovated one bit at a time. Oh man! The problems, the number of specialists we had to contact! Everything seems so complicated and expensive in Germany!
We bought a 1937 house that was in ill shape. 50,000 euros later it was fit to live in for the rest of our lives. We had a mason, a carpenter, another joiner/carpenter for new doors, a roofer, an electrician, a plumber, a glazer, someone for the heating and our tiled stove, a painter/decorator, someone for new wall-to-wall carpets, someone for the floor tiles. Work started in mid-September, we moved in end of November and the custom-made doors came in December. There was a period when all of them who worked at the site the same day had only one workable electric plug to share. Most of our cables still were the 1937 ones that ran in metal pipes within the walls, easy to replace.
Here in Germany the price of a flat/ appartement or a house is very much dependent on square meters and not number of bedrooms and bathrooms. The reason is most probably that we do not have so much space available like you hsve in the US and Canada. Furthermore rooms under a certain size do only count half or do not count at all when calculating the size of your property. Wasting space for walkable wardrobes let's your property look smaller as it actually is when your try to advertise and sell it.
I am currently binge watching Grand Designs UK and one of the mayor discussion points is always, that the people believe they can project manage their own build/renovations and recognizing later one, that everything would have been much quicker if they would have hired one. The german word for this job would be Generalunternehmer. This person has the responsibility to arrange the single builds, time as well as money. If you are not a handyman yourself and had to work again a tight schedule it is money well spend.
I've found that,as a half German living in Germany, the Handewerk automatically assumes I'm stupid and play stupid with me. Yesterday I had a Mauerer quote me 20.000euros to plaster a 4m x 5m room with low ceiling. I laughed so hard and he was "offended". They also wanted 11k for a front door... a basic wooden front door.😂
Oh the good old Rauhfasertapete 🤣 when my mom painted our apartment in Berlin she wanted to paint the ceilings but low and behold the paint wouldn't take and kept cracking and peeling. Comes out there was Schlemkreide on the ceiling. What a pain in the butt to wash off. Good luck with your project.
Hire an architect to oversee the project. If you're brazen enough to do it on your own, read up on the steps of renovation, so you save time and money. AND: The craftsmen did not recommend the waterproof paint because they ALL contain silicone. It seals your wall and the cold air and moisture from in and out trapped in and on top of your wall can cause MOLD... Which you usually want to avoid at all cost... Wallmart paint or not.
Als Hausbesitzer der schon sein Leben lang in einem alten Hauis lebt ein paar Tipps, zur Farbe, die Pigmente sind immer gleich teuer wenn du also billige Farbe kaufst trägst du nur mehr Wasser mit nach Haus und musst doppelt streichen. Wenn du glaubst je ganz fertig zu werden dann träum weiter. Wenn du etwas selber machst hole dir zu mindest den Rat eines Fachmannes ein und vor allem, hör auf ihn. Eine Handwerksausbildung in Deutschland ist ungefähr so wertvoll wie (d)eine Masterprüfung an der Universität und ein Meister ist durchaus mit einem Doktortitel gleichzusetzen. Auch wenn es in der Bevölkerung leider nicht immer so gesehen wird. Aber wie heisst es so schön, sag dem Webdesigner bau den Beuler wieder ein und er kommt ans Ende von seinem Webdesign. Und ja, ich habe mein Haus schon mind 3 mal von Kopf bis Fuss renoviert, ich weiß wovon ich spreche und ich bin selber "Handwerker". Ach und lass die Finger von, Gas, Wasser und Stromleitungen. Die Versicherung wird, ohne Rechnung, sonst nicht zahlen!
Yeah I get it, everyone is a specialist in Germany. It takes time. My Aunt in Hamburg once had her small one bedroom apartment painted and a small bathroom reno done. These guys were literally on site for 6 weeks. Of course all the wood trim had to be sanded etc etc. Very meticulous - but six weeks. Wow I feel your pain.
@@lifeingermany_ Hi Jenna, dann weißt du jetzt ja auch, warum der Generalunternehmer soviel teurer ist😂. Du musst halt sehr viel Zeit und Lauferei investieren, das lässt er sich bezahlen. Wenn Du ein Einfamilienhaus ohne Generalunternehmer baust, kannst Du durchaus 100000 € einsparen ( je nachdem, wie viel Eigenleistung Du einbringen kannst ). Der Vorteil ist dann, dass Du Dir mindestens ein Jahr keine Gedanken um deine Freizeitaktivitäten machen musst.
Well, I don't know how long it usually takes for the building authorities to give their approval but do to covid everything takes longer right now. But I know for a fact that in the US and also in England you'll also need an approval and it can take quite some time, sometimes many months. Official craftsmen working for companies are usually pretty expensive and it takes months until you'll find someone who has time. For electricity you'll need a professional but for everything else it is good to know someone who is handy and buys everything in a Baumarkt, which is a lot cheaper as well.
🤪 Welcome to Germany Jenna! All sounds pretty much par for the course. I have heard about a paint that doesn’t require Raufaser, but it isn’t something standard.
Any joiner will be happy to build what we call "begehbarer Kleiderschrank", those dry-wall people ("Trockenbau") are not the ones to be contacted, if you ask me.
Hey! Regarding the paint, mate finishes tend to always get scuffed up much easier. If you want low maintenance paint, it best to go with Eggshell or a paint with some sheen.
Glückwunsch zum Einzug ;) Ich muss aber noch ein par fachliche Dinge zu deinen Problemen mit dem Farbanstrich sagen. 1. Rauhfaser war und ist durchaus auch heute noch beliebt, weil man damit schnell und günstig leicht strukturierte Oberflächen herstellen kann, denn diese haben nicht die Probleme, die glatte Flächen haben, sind aber natürlich derzeit optisch nicht mehr sehr beliebt. 2. Geputzte Wände und Decken ( besonders Decken ), die nur gestrichen werden sollen, machen vor allem eines, viel Arbeit. Gerade bei großen Fenstern im Raum sieht man im Licht nach dem Anstrich jeden Pickel und jede Delle auf der Fläche. D.h. viel Spachteln und Schleifen notwendig. Ich rate da immer dazu ein gutes Glattvlies ( Papier oder Glasfaser ) vor dem Anstrich zu verkleben. 3. Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, dass die günstige Farbe in Canada sich sehr von der waschbeständigen Dispersionsfarbe bei uns unterscheidet. Wobei das die Einstiegsklasse ist ( Klasse 3 ). Bei großen glatten Flächen würde ich jedoch immer zu scheuerbeständigen Wandfarben greifen ( Klasse 1/2). Diese sind zwar teurer, punkten aber bei der Reichweite, der Oberfläche und (ganz wichtig) bei der späteren Ausbesserungsfähigkeit, wenn mal ein Fleck doch nicht mit Wasser entfernt werden kann. In Fluren und Küchenbereichen stoßen aber matte Farben irgendwann auch an Grenzen, da sind seidenmatte Wandfarben auf jeden Fall besser zu reinigen. Hoffe ich konnte etwas helfen. Danke für Deine tollen Videos ;)
I bought a house an renovated last Dezember and January. Replacing all power inlays for child security and all cover plates and putting cat7 network with network infrastructure and electrified window shutters plus four cameras around the house was about 1500 for 130m3. If you let someone build a normal Installation from scratch it’s about 5000-6000€. But it depends on what you want to have.
Oh, I feel you! I'm also a foreigner living in Germany, I am planning to buy a house, I wanted to change the floor plan of the house, Trying to change a floor plan in Germany is like navigating a maze blindfolded while juggling bratwurst! 🌭🙈 I mean, who knew 'flur' could be so demanding? Maybe the bathrooms are secretly aspiring to be ballrooms? 💃🚽🕺 I was all gung-ho about extending walls, but after searching for the elusive 'all-in package,' I was ready to declare myself the 'Indiana Jones of House Renovation.' 🏠🕵♂ And as for assembling a team of experts, I thought I was creating the Avengers of Home Improvement! 🦸♂🔨🦸♀ But, yeah, 'specialists' seemed to be a different breed. Thanks to your wisdom, I've decided to live with my house as is. Who needs a renovation adventure when you can have a cozy, quirks-and-all abode? 🏡😅
We’re just starting the renovation of our 1810 house in Saarland and the different parties involved is exactly our issue as well! There are websites like construyo and around my home that can help you. Everything starts with a Statiker, an engineer who is extremely expensive.
A typical american closet is called "Wandschrank" - and it is not very common in Bedrooms in most of Europe, but most flats have them for coats or as a linen closet. When you ask for a ""Wandschrank" in your Bedroom, everyone will know what you want.
The timming perspective is really true... The government authorities take so much time to process requests.. That it's insane.. Most of Germany still runs on paper and they do not optimize their existing processes... It's frustrating.. It's not only in the field of regulatory work but also I've observed this in regular offices as well...
Who would be the person (i.e., the name of the job) whose job it is to OVERSEE / MANAGE an entire reno, in German? Also, about the washable paint, when we were living in America we thought, OMG why do people in Europe not use this?? I agree it’s th absolute best, I painted my walls here in Germany and I can’t even look at them, they’re already dirty
Oh my goodness, I can’t believe how difficult this home renovation journey has been for you 😳 Please make another video about this subject! How much does it cost to redo the electric for instance. Are you allowed to do any demolition and renovations on your own and not hire outside professional help?
Oh I know that paint you are talking about. It has been used in Germany 80 years ago, especially in hospitals and care homes. Perhaps that is where the bad reputation comes from. But actually woodchip paper aka Rauhfaser, is out because it tends to go moldy. You could use mineral paint, clay paint or chalk instead. But you need some propper plaster first.
Woodchip wallpaper (or Raufaser) is, if processed correctly, a fine thing: You can paint it over several times, and one day easily remove it and start anew. Or, say, you once had the dark blue phase in your life, and now it's light yellow. Overpainting a dark color with a light one is tricky, if even possible. Or imagine you have children. If you have wallpaper, let them paint the wall, no problem. They can help ripping off the paper when they're older.
Sorry, but it's really ugly and makes everything look really cheap. Go to any high-end space anywhere in the world. Flat walls. This type of wallpaper looks like the cheap option to hide the more expensive work of good plater.
I am German but I completely get what you are talking about by saying you want simple, clean walls and Einbauschränke. Especially since I had been living in the US for a while, I was wondering about those things and annoyed as well.
Thanks for this video, we are living also in Dusseldorf and consider to renovate a denkmal house, and i think i will drive us crazy. as it is already starting to be. we are in the stage of architect, in time to hold...
the reason why you have to hire so many different companies is : gewährleistung (warranty). i dont know how it works in canada or other parts of the world, but when you as a craftsman in germany can get fu**ed up by the law easy when something going wrong. particular as an electrician it can end very hard even when some other did a part, the last who toutched it have to proove that everything is ok. im personaly ok to pay a little more and have the warranty instead of going with a cheap all in one handyman. cause most of them know only a little of everything but nothing right. im glad im a craftsmen myselve and can fix a lot by myselve.
That's why some people hire someone to do all that for you. It's quicker and you just have to pay. Plus, if things go wrong, you know who to blame. It's never your fault. ;) Thank God, where I live the company all work together. You just give them the ok to work with there usual partners and then things work out pretty well. And if you have specialists, things work very well in the end and you have a guarantee as well. Good luck with your project.
Just ask for Dispersionsfarbe, you will get it everywhere. Sometimes when renting a home the landlord demand that one does not use Dispersionsfarbe, as it is not breathable and more fuss to apply other wall paint when new tenants move in. If it is your own home it is your decision. Generally speaking, Latexfarbe is more resistant and is breathable. Neither Dispersionsfarbe nor Latexfarbe should not be applied to cellar compartments of old houses as they could further problems regarding moisture. The fuss the craftsmen are creating on the subject is mostly because of the construction materials of the building (which differ from building to building) - often they are planned to take in moisture and slowly release it again over time, which regulates the interior climate and helps the well-being. When painting Dispersionsfarbe, basically plastifying your walls, you are obstructing this function of your walls. So you need either to air your rooms more often or use air conditioning to regulate the moisture. If it is applied only on small portions or inside walls it does not matter anyway. I just guess in Canada one usually has air-conditioned houses and therefore the moist regulation ability of walls is not necessary anyway.
About the paint, can you ask for/order(?) eggshell or satin finish? Can you order it from the paint website directly? Sherwin Williams? Lowe's? Home Depot? Unfortunately, this may cost a fortune! live in the US. I couldn't imagine my husband not being able to get whatever we needed to do whatever we wanted to our house. Wow! Best of luck!
that's what happened when you try to take someone else job. it would be so easier for you if you hired and architect to make of all the work, its his job but you try to do his job! btw: I'm architect and live in Germany :) viel Spaß
Thank you for explaining the wall paper thing! That was the first thing I asked when looking at apartment: can that wall paper be removed and have just the walls with a primer and paint? It seemed like a shock to them haha
Oh goodness! That entirely depends on what needs done and so so so many other factors! In Düsseldorf, a lot of my friends and family have spent between 150-300,000€ on renovation costs!
Hi Jenna, we just bought a house in Bavaria an now I'm digging into subsidies for renovation. Before I do a deep dive into Energieberater selection, KfW vs LfA vs others, do you have any experience? I scanned through your videos but didn't see anything, but possibly just blind 🥴
Den Unterschied zwischen mit und ohne (Rauhfaser-) Tapete wirst Du merken wenn Du das Echo nicht mehr los wirst und Du immer wie in einer Fußgängerunterführung klingst.
Das mag für "Wehrmachtsbunker" aus Stahlbeton gelten, ein schnuckliges Holz-Ständer-Haus produziert auch ohne Tapete Null-Echo. Und Bücherregale, Teppiche und Bilder schlucken auch noch massiv....
Hi Jenna thank you so much for this video! i am beginning the journey of remodelling the flat - I want to remove a guest WC from the layout, which entails taking down the partition walls, all bathroom appliances and tiles etc, but the most important question is, do i need some kind of permit to remodel the interior, like from the building developer? You mentioned you had to submit the architect form to Bauamt for approval and I am wondering if I need to do something similar. many thx
You may need approval… but a lot can be done without Bauamt approval. I would highly suggest getting an architect in though to help figure out if and what Walls van be removed. Some require approval & some are simply not allowed to be removed at all! 😬 there are many supporting walls in our place which the architect could tell us if we could or couldn’t remove them 🙃
Paintttt omg! I dont understand why wall paper is the go to here! When we moved into our apt four years ago here in Germany, it was an unpainted apartment. We thought, easy-peasy, we know how to paint. ... But I ran into the same problem!! I wanted paint that can be washed. I have four kids ya'll. You can tell where they lay their small little fingers on a daily basis! It drives me nuts! I paint our wall over every year or so. 😑 What I noticed is that some places only use water proof paint up about half way from the floor. So weird.
Es wäre einfacher gewesen ein Tischler zu beauftragen denn der macht Wintergärten ! Aber wenn man weiß das Deutsche planen dann macht man das auch schon ein Jahr vorher damit die Handwerker ihre Termine machen können . Jetzt weiß auch warum in Canadischen Buden soviel Schimmel haben , die pinseln Latexfarbe auf die Wände bis die nicht mehr atmen können und Feuchtigkeit im Raum hängen bleibt .
Building and renovating in Europe is way more complicated and more expensive than in the US. Buuuut... Houses last! You may want to change cosmetic stuff, but you won't see a 50yo house with rotten wood beams that put the house at risk of collapsing. My parents still live in the same house that was my grandma's aunt's home! It has been renovated and expanded, but in the US or Canada it would be a historic home (if still standing). Built in closets also waste a lot of space imo, I couldn't stand them in the US :D it's much better to have a big organized custom built wardrobe (kinda like an Ikea Pax, but less cheaply built). Bureaucracy sucks though, that's for sure
I haven’t 😔🙈 I’m still on the search myself! There are places like www.blauarbeit.de and www.my-hammer.de though where you can search for one that’s right for you!
@@lifeingermany_ Hello again, I have two more questions, sorry 😅 1. How long does it take to get refrigerator, dishwasher and washing machine installed in our apartment in Germany? 2. Which brand are your electric appliances? (Bosch maybe?)
He was right... Now you sealed your walls and your house cannot breathe therefor you might get mold. Why it's not the same in Canada? Because your houses arent built our way and aren't as well insulated as over here.
Hi Jenna. Ich sehe oft deine Videos und finde Sie auch gut. Aber dieses, hättest du lassen sollen. Ich bin selbst Fliesenleger von Beruf. Da ich selbst sozusagen, im Baugewerbe arbeite, kann ich die Dinge verstehen, weshalb Dir, von Deinen Handwerkern, bestimmte Dinge abgeraten wurde oder von Vorgewerken nicht akzeptiert wurde, welche Du in deinem Video kritisiert hast. Mag sein, das dein Vater "handwerklich" begabt ist. Das heisst aber noch lange nicht, das er es richtig macht. Heimwerker, die der Meinung sind, sie müssten alles selber machen und denken, das sie es gut machen, gibt es auch in Deutschland zu Hauf. Auf großartige Details möchte ich jetzt gar nicht eingehen. Wenn man keine Ahnung hat, sollte man so ein Video gar nicht erst machen. Nur bei der Bürokratie, würde ich dir bedingt zustimmen. Wobei ich kein Beamter bin und nicht weiß, warum die Prozedere hier so laufen, wie sie laufen und nicht anders. Vielleicht, sehen dieses Video Personen, die in diesem Bereich arbeiten und klären uns alle auf. Diesmal, gibts leider keinen Daumen nach oben, aber auch keinen nach unten. Da es ja deine Meinung ist und ich mich somit neutral verhalte.
Ooommmggg... 😟😰 We asked an architect before buying house that can we put big doors in place of small once n put windows on roof he said yes it will cost an average 10000 € a door n it's easy but never mentioned that we hv to take permission n it will cost extra😟😰 I had plan to putting 5 😶🌫️
Make sure you watch "Werner Beinhart" before you hire some Handwerker. :-) (i'm also, there is a nice German word..... called... Maschinenbaumeister...^^) have a great time here. Greets Stefan
If you can't do it by your own.... than you feel real german workskills and rouls. Best way is bring all the guys together, so they can talk direct to each other. Auf dem Lande brauchst du den ganzen Kram auch so nicht - es ist schlicht viel einfacher. Hol den Tischler (der macht auch die Fenster/Türen) und den Dachdecker... und auf dem Lange kennen die sich auch noch.. einfach halt. wenn man aber in Düsseldorf ..... na ja.
The Bauamt it really frustrates me like wtf I'm not building the house from the ground there are tons of projects I can do it myself why would I have to ask for permission and all of this it sounds like they do it in purpose so no one can afford to renovate
I am looking to buy an old house with some character to renovate, but sadly, everything in Germany has suffered prior renovations that removed beautiful moldings, panelling, real wood floors in place of sterile empty boxes. But hearing what it takes to renovate, I understand why everyone chooses to just go with a plain white box. Anything more complex or charismatic breaks their brains. Echt schade.
It seems that you have no craftsmen in your extended circle of friends who could have advised you a little beforehand on what to look out for. Or friends who went through a similar event not so long ago. That could have helped you to better assess what is in store for you.
Sadly I had both! 5 of our bestfriends going through same experiences, and a number of handymen friends who couldn’t advise us on how to find a reliable contractor 😔 #covidfail
@@lifeingermany_ You're really unlucky. Usually something like this is discussed in a circle of friends who can recommend which craftsmen as reliable. In a comment one wrote that everything is much more difficult in the big city than in the country where everyone knows everyone. There, handymen cannot afford to miss deadlines or work poorly because your reputation will then be bad.
The handymen were right and you possibly ruined your house. The walls need to breathe to prevent mold. By painting all walls with Latexfarbe or waterproof paint you cut the breathing down to zero. You will soon realize that the air in your apartment will either get as dry as the Death Valley and/or as moist as the Amazonas.
Handyman. Germans think of a man with a mobile phone. German: "Handy" But that is a mistake, he is a "Handwerker" mit "handwerklichem Geschick" = handy
Ich hasse auch Raufasertapete. Ich kann nicht mehr in eine Wohnung mit dieser Tapete einziehen, oder sie nicht wegmachen. Die ist so schlimm und überall. Ich kann auch nicht nachvollziehen warum man sich die antut. Es gibt allerdings auch andere, glatte Tapete. Das verbindet den Vorteil eines anderen Kommentars, dass weniger Arbeit bei der Arbeit an der Wand anfällt um sie glatt zu machen und den Vorteil, dass es leichter auszutauschen ist.
In einer meiner früheren Wohnungen war weiße Raufaser an der Wand. Man durfte und musste die auch nur in weiß streichen laut Mietvertrag. Sowas ist praktisch, wenn dort ein Kettenraucher wohnt.😂
Hi. Really everything is slow in NRW???? I thought you would have the world's best Ministerpräsident und Kanzlerkandidat, who's running the whole state like nothing by himself and "mit links". Ja, many things are not running smoothly in germany. And if the clowns squad is not only in parliament, but on local level, too: then you have pulled the "Arschkarte".😂 Keep cool Bye
For the electrician not touching your project: I don't know how that works in Canada, but in Germany, if he touches your installation and finishes his work, he may be held liable for stuff the other guy did wrong. So, it makes perfect sense that he won't touch an installation where he thinks things were done wrong previously, especially if he's not allowed to redo them.
Wallpaper is really useful because you don't have to work as cleanly with the plaster. Basically, with wallpaper, the plaster has to be flat, but not smooth. Without wallpaper, you have to put extra effort in to get a smooth plaster surface. That's why wallpaper is popular here: It's simpler. Also, it's easier to swap out, if need be.
As for the paint: The painters did understand what you were talking about, but they also made a very good point: Waterproof paint may be nice for your cleaning, but it's terrible for the room climate, because it obviously doesn't allow for any humidity regulation through the walls (i.e. the walls can't "breathe").
I have latex paint in my apartment in most rooms. It's not an issue overall, but the point the painters made is still correct.
He is only held liable for the stuff he does. So if he has good records about what he did, that should not be a problem. It could be that he is not allowed to use some old cables to put some new ones behind, but that are legal requirements.
It is always the last one who puts his signature under the papers when the job is done who is then held liable and responsible, and in case of aspects where life and health of the clients are concerned such as electricity, gas, stovepipes/heating (carbonmonoxide is a silent killer) that means that your contractor will not touch any "botch" that an amateur has left him with.
I also had the same problem with painters. It is true you don't want to lock in moisture, but it is not necessary to go the wall paper vliestapete way. You can plaster the walls with Uniflott , about 35 euros a bucket (learn how to do it right to reduce sandig), let it dry out, then use a large circular sander (90 euros) with hook up to a shop vac to get it flat and smooth. Dust it off well with a large fine soft brush. Then you can paint with a 2-in-1 Gipskartonfarbe paint (includes primer) that breathable and also suitable for plastered walls.
European walls are thick brick or concrete walls, not thin drywalls. So different paints are used to allow for some air exchange through the walls. If you ignore that you might have issues with the room climate and problems with moisture buildup and mold in the walls. You therefore can't just use American building methods in Europe. It just won't work because the building methods are completely different. The same goes for the other points you raised. It's just not how any of this works. Watch out, you may have massive problems down the lane...
As we tend to say: Building a house is one of the very last remaining real adventures in Germany.
The love for wallpaper stems from the fact that you usually have stone/concrete walls in Germany and not the wood/sheetrock walls you tend to have in North America. Without wallpaper, the room acoustics become rather echoey. That has nothing to do with having waterproof vs. non-waterproof paint. You can have either in both cases.
We did exactly as you advise (years ago) and included walk-in closets in our house design. Much better than old-style Kleiderschränke....
When my parents bought a fairly old house a few years back, they fully renovated it and added a good portion to it. I did a lot of stuff there as well, but mostly menial tasks. We had a BLAST! Very enjoyable from beginning to end, and it couldn't have gone smoother. There are a few reasons I can think of for this:
1) We had most things done through a general contractor (Generalunternehmer, GU), but they were mostly in an advisory role. We still did all contracts with all the companies ourselves, but many of them already at least knew of the others due to having worked for the same GU in the past.
2) We usually asked them to do stuff like they would do for themselves, even if that meant not keeping deadlines, but asked them to give us ther REAL estimated time frame so we could properly book following companies. We also promised not to make a fuss about it. At first they were sceptical, but word seemed to have travelled that we were indeed trustworthy. We also made clear that we don't expect everything to be super duper perfect. (Impossible in a 100+ year old house anyways.) Just good enough to look nice, and technically sound. Being pedantic is a big downer. (Not saying you are, just general advice!)
3) To avoid issues at "interfaces", we asked the respective companies to come together before doing any work, and let them duke it out on their own. We only wanted things to be done, in decent quality and to spec. Details were for them to communicate. Worked like a charm, and I haven't heared one bad word between companies the whole time.
4) Food. My mom always had a well stocked fridge with a variety of drinks, always freshly brewed coffee, an assortment of candy bars and such, and brought cake or belegte Brötchen for "meetings". Free of charge of course. The dudes LOVED it.
5) A lot of the companies came from the eastern border regions. I don't want to shit on all other workes in Germany, but these people somehow still have a different and much more productive way of doing things and conducting themselves. There was a pride in their work I rarely see from other German construction workers.
For the bureaucracy parts, it prooobably helped that my mom was a friend of our city's Baudezernent's wife =) And since we definitely needed an architect for the added parts (essentially doubling the house), these things were covered. But not cheap, that IS very true. But even our architect was an amazing dude. Gave off dadish vibes and was very down to earth and chill.
People always look at us in utter disbelief when we tell how our renovations went. I guess we had all the luck one could have with this one. I hope your project gets more enjoyable soon!!
Wallpapers are a regional thing in Germany. I grew up in North-Rhine Westfalia (at the northern edge of the Ruhr Region/Ruhrgebiet) and we always had wallpapers on our walls. Only a few walls were plastered and painted. But here in Bavaria, close to Munich, where I'm living now, more or less all walls are plastered and just painted. Hence, it depends on where you are living in Germany.
Wallpapers are out of fashion in Germany these days, the same are carpets and tiles ( especially wall tiles in the bathroom ).
How I feel you! I have been in this situation for almost two years. We decided not to do a full renovation when we moved in, instead we took it slow and renovated one bit at a time. Oh man! The problems, the number of specialists we had to contact! Everything seems so complicated and expensive in Germany!
We bought a 1937 house that was in ill shape. 50,000 euros later it was fit to live in for the rest of our lives. We had a mason, a carpenter, another joiner/carpenter for new doors, a roofer, an electrician, a plumber, a glazer, someone for the heating and our tiled stove, a painter/decorator, someone for new wall-to-wall carpets, someone for the floor tiles. Work started in mid-September, we moved in end of November and the custom-made doors came in December. There was a period when all of them who worked at the site the same day had only one workable electric plug to share. Most of our cables still were the 1937 ones that ran in metal pipes within the walls, easy to replace.
Here in Germany the price of a flat/ appartement or a house is very much dependent on square meters and not number of bedrooms and bathrooms. The reason is most probably that we do not have so much space available like you hsve in the US and Canada. Furthermore rooms under a certain size do only count half or do not count at all when calculating the size of your property. Wasting space for walkable wardrobes let's your property look smaller as it actually is when your try to advertise and sell it.
I am currently binge watching Grand Designs UK and one of the mayor discussion points is always, that the people believe they can project manage their own build/renovations and recognizing later one, that everything would have been much quicker if they would have hired one. The german word for this job would be Generalunternehmer. This person has the responsibility to arrange the single builds, time as well as money. If you are not a handyman yourself and had to work again a tight schedule it is money well spend.
I've found that,as a half German living in Germany, the Handewerk automatically assumes I'm stupid and play stupid with me. Yesterday I had a Mauerer quote me 20.000euros to plaster a 4m x 5m room with low ceiling. I laughed so hard and he was "offended". They also wanted 11k for a front door... a basic wooden front door.😂
Oh the good old Rauhfasertapete 🤣 when my mom painted our apartment in Berlin she wanted to paint the ceilings but low and behold the paint wouldn't take and kept cracking and peeling. Comes out there was Schlemkreide on the ceiling. What a pain in the butt to wash off. Good luck with your project.
Hire an architect to oversee the project. If you're brazen enough to do it on your own, read up on the steps of renovation, so you save time and money.
AND: The craftsmen did not recommend the waterproof paint because they ALL contain silicone. It seals your wall and the cold air and moisture from in and out trapped in and on top of your wall can cause MOLD...
Which you usually want to avoid at all cost... Wallmart paint or not.
Als Hausbesitzer der schon sein Leben lang in einem alten Hauis lebt ein paar Tipps, zur Farbe, die Pigmente sind immer gleich teuer wenn du also billige Farbe kaufst trägst du nur mehr Wasser mit nach Haus und musst doppelt streichen. Wenn du glaubst je ganz fertig zu werden dann träum weiter. Wenn du etwas selber machst hole dir zu mindest den Rat eines Fachmannes ein und vor allem, hör auf ihn. Eine Handwerksausbildung in Deutschland ist ungefähr so wertvoll wie (d)eine Masterprüfung an der Universität und ein Meister ist durchaus mit einem Doktortitel gleichzusetzen. Auch wenn es in der Bevölkerung leider nicht immer so gesehen wird. Aber wie heisst es so schön, sag dem Webdesigner bau den Beuler wieder ein und er kommt ans Ende von seinem Webdesign. Und ja, ich habe mein Haus schon mind 3 mal von Kopf bis Fuss renoviert, ich weiß wovon ich spreche und ich bin selber "Handwerker". Ach und lass die Finger von, Gas, Wasser und Stromleitungen. Die Versicherung wird, ohne Rechnung, sonst nicht zahlen!
Ganz Richtig erklärt , bin deiner Meinung und stimme den 100% zu .
Yeah I get it, everyone is a specialist in Germany. It takes time. My Aunt in Hamburg once had her small one bedroom apartment painted and a small bathroom reno done. These guys were literally on site for 6 weeks. Of course all the wood trim had to be sanded etc etc. Very meticulous - but six weeks. Wow I feel your pain.
you missed to introduce a project manager with these arkitekten, fensterbaueren... He would have planned the timeline and your life would be easier.
That’s true! We didn’t go with a project manager because they work with specific people and charge waaaaay to much money for what our budget was 😖
@@lifeingermany_ Hi Jenna, dann weißt du jetzt ja auch, warum der Generalunternehmer soviel teurer ist😂. Du musst halt sehr viel Zeit und Lauferei investieren, das lässt er sich bezahlen.
Wenn Du ein Einfamilienhaus ohne Generalunternehmer baust, kannst Du durchaus 100000 € einsparen ( je nachdem, wie viel Eigenleistung Du einbringen kannst ). Der Vorteil ist dann, dass Du Dir mindestens ein Jahr keine Gedanken um deine Freizeitaktivitäten machen musst.
Well, I don't know how long it usually takes for the building authorities to give their approval but do to covid everything takes longer right now. But I know for a fact that in the US and also in England you'll also need an approval and it can take quite some time, sometimes many months. Official craftsmen working for companies are usually pretty expensive and it takes months until you'll find someone who has time. For electricity you'll need a professional but for everything else it is good to know someone who is handy and buys everything in a Baumarkt, which is a lot cheaper as well.
🤪 Welcome to Germany Jenna! All sounds pretty much par for the course. I have heard about a paint that doesn’t require Raufaser, but it isn’t something standard.
I totally understand you and one can feel your pain. Especially the German bureaucracy can drive you insane at times.
Any joiner will be happy to build what we call "begehbarer Kleiderschrank", those dry-wall people ("Trockenbau") are not the ones to be contacted, if you ask me.
Hey! Regarding the paint, mate finishes tend to always get scuffed up much easier. If you want low maintenance paint, it best to go with Eggshell or a paint with some sheen.
Yep, eggshell or satin finish, definitely.
Glückwunsch zum Einzug ;)
Ich muss aber noch ein par fachliche Dinge zu deinen Problemen mit dem Farbanstrich sagen.
1. Rauhfaser war und ist durchaus auch heute noch beliebt, weil man damit schnell und günstig leicht strukturierte Oberflächen herstellen kann, denn diese haben nicht die Probleme, die glatte Flächen haben, sind aber natürlich derzeit optisch nicht mehr sehr beliebt.
2. Geputzte Wände und Decken ( besonders Decken ), die nur gestrichen werden sollen, machen vor allem eines, viel Arbeit. Gerade bei großen Fenstern im Raum sieht man im Licht nach dem Anstrich jeden Pickel und jede Delle auf der Fläche. D.h. viel Spachteln und Schleifen notwendig. Ich rate da immer dazu ein gutes Glattvlies ( Papier oder Glasfaser ) vor dem Anstrich zu verkleben.
3. Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, dass die günstige Farbe in Canada sich sehr von der waschbeständigen Dispersionsfarbe bei uns unterscheidet.
Wobei das die Einstiegsklasse ist ( Klasse 3 ). Bei großen glatten Flächen würde ich jedoch immer zu scheuerbeständigen Wandfarben greifen
( Klasse 1/2). Diese sind zwar teurer, punkten aber bei der Reichweite, der Oberfläche und (ganz wichtig) bei der späteren Ausbesserungsfähigkeit, wenn mal ein Fleck doch nicht mit Wasser entfernt werden kann. In Fluren und Küchenbereichen stoßen aber matte Farben irgendwann auch an Grenzen, da sind seidenmatte Wandfarben auf jeden Fall besser zu reinigen.
Hoffe ich konnte etwas helfen. Danke für Deine tollen Videos ;)
Yes! Built-in closet! So much more storage and convenient!
I bought a house an renovated last Dezember and January.
Replacing all power inlays for child security and all cover plates and putting cat7 network with network infrastructure and electrified window shutters plus four cameras around the house was about 1500 for 130m3.
If you let someone build a normal Installation from scratch it’s about 5000-6000€.
But it depends on what you want to have.
Oh, I feel you! I'm also a foreigner living in Germany, I am planning to buy a house, I wanted to change the floor plan of the house,
Trying to change a floor plan in Germany is like navigating a maze blindfolded while juggling bratwurst! 🌭🙈 I mean, who knew 'flur' could be so demanding? Maybe the bathrooms are secretly aspiring to be ballrooms? 💃🚽🕺
I was all gung-ho about extending walls, but after searching for the elusive 'all-in package,' I was ready to declare myself the 'Indiana Jones of House Renovation.' 🏠🕵♂
And as for assembling a team of experts, I thought I was creating the Avengers of Home Improvement! 🦸♂🔨🦸♀ But, yeah, 'specialists' seemed to be a different breed.
Thanks to your wisdom, I've decided to live with my house as is. Who needs a renovation adventure when you can have a cozy, quirks-and-all abode? 🏡😅
We’re just starting the renovation of our 1810 house in Saarland and the different parties involved is exactly our issue as well! There are websites like construyo and around my home that can help you. Everything starts with a Statiker, an engineer who is extremely expensive.
A typical american closet is called "Wandschrank" - and it is not very common in Bedrooms in most of Europe, but most flats have them for coats or as a linen closet. When you ask for a ""Wandschrank" in your Bedroom, everyone will know what you want.
The timming perspective is really true... The government authorities take so much time to process requests.. That it's insane.. Most of Germany still runs on paper and they do not optimize their existing processes... It's frustrating.. It's not only in the field of regulatory work but also I've observed this in regular offices as well...
Who would be the person (i.e., the name of the job) whose job it is to OVERSEE / MANAGE an entire reno, in German? Also, about the washable paint, when we were living in America we thought, OMG why do people in Europe not use this?? I agree it’s th absolute best, I painted my walls here in Germany and I can’t even look at them, they’re already dirty
Oh my goodness, I can’t believe how difficult this home renovation journey has been for you 😳 Please make another video about this subject! How much does it cost to redo the electric for instance. Are you allowed to do any demolition and renovations on your own and not hire outside professional help?
For the closet talk to a Schreiner. Should be a very quick project to get this up and running.
Oh I know that paint you are talking about. It has been used in Germany 80 years ago, especially in hospitals and care homes. Perhaps that is where the bad reputation comes from.
But actually woodchip paper aka Rauhfaser, is out because it tends to go moldy. You could use mineral paint, clay paint or chalk instead. But you need some propper plaster first.
Nimm halt Vlies Raufaser
Woodchip wallpaper (or Raufaser) is, if processed correctly, a fine thing: You can paint it over several times, and one day easily remove it and start anew. Or, say, you once had the dark blue phase in your life, and now it's light yellow. Overpainting a dark color with a light one is tricky, if even possible. Or imagine you have children. If you have wallpaper, let them paint the wall, no problem. They can help ripping off the paper when they're older.
Sorry, but it's really ugly and makes everything look really cheap. Go to any high-end space anywhere in the world. Flat walls. This type of wallpaper looks like the cheap option to hide the more expensive work of good plater.
I am German but I completely get what you are talking about by saying you want simple, clean walls and Einbauschränke. Especially since I had been living in the US for a while, I was wondering about those things and annoyed as well.
Same here!! When we lived in the US we were impressed by how all homes we lived in had so many built-in closets and cabinets, it was the best!
Thanks for sharing! Next time could you show some of the work in progress?
I’m actually going to make a video soon on the before and after of it all 🤩
Thanks for this video, we are living also in Dusseldorf and consider to renovate a denkmal house, and i think i will drive us crazy. as it is already starting to be. we are in the stage of architect, in time to hold...
the reason why you have to hire so many different companies is : gewährleistung (warranty). i dont know how it works in canada or other parts of the world, but when you as a craftsman in germany can get fu**ed up by the law easy when something going wrong. particular as an electrician it can end very hard even when some other did a part, the last who toutched it have to proove that everything is ok. im personaly ok to pay a little more and have the warranty instead of going with a cheap all in one handyman. cause most of them know only a little of everything but nothing right. im glad im a craftsmen myselve and can fix a lot by myselve.
That's why some people hire someone to do all that for you. It's quicker and you just have to pay. Plus, if things go wrong, you know who to blame. It's never your fault. ;) Thank God, where I live the company all work together. You just give them the ok to work with there usual partners and then things work out pretty well. And if you have specialists, things work very well in the end and you have a guarantee as well. Good luck with your project.
I’m germany customer service is none existent. Everyone thinks you need them more than they need you.
Just ask for Dispersionsfarbe, you will get it everywhere.
Sometimes when renting a home the landlord demand that one does not use Dispersionsfarbe, as it is not breathable and more fuss to apply other wall paint when new tenants move in. If it is your own home it is your decision.
Generally speaking, Latexfarbe is more resistant and is breathable.
Neither Dispersionsfarbe nor Latexfarbe should not be applied to cellar compartments of old houses as they could further problems regarding moisture.
The fuss the craftsmen are creating on the subject is mostly because of the construction materials of the building (which differ from building to building) - often they are planned to take in moisture and slowly release it again over time, which regulates the interior climate and helps the well-being. When painting Dispersionsfarbe, basically plastifying your walls, you are obstructing this function of your walls. So you need either to air your rooms more often or use air conditioning to regulate the moisture. If it is applied only on small portions or inside walls it does not matter anyway. I just guess in Canada one usually has air-conditioned houses and therefore the moist regulation ability of walls is not necessary anyway.
About the paint, can you ask for/order(?) eggshell or satin finish? Can you order it from the paint website directly? Sherwin Williams? Lowe's? Home Depot? Unfortunately, this may cost a fortune! live in the US. I couldn't imagine my husband not being able to get whatever we needed to do whatever we wanted to our house. Wow! Best of luck!
that's what happened when you try to take someone else job. it would be so easier for you if you hired and architect to make of all the work, its his job but you try to do his job! btw: I'm architect and live in Germany :) viel Spaß
Just do it yourself. Sure the Wintergarten maybe not. But apart from high voltage electicity you are allowed to do everything yourself
We’re trying to as much as possible! 🙃🙌
Thank you for explaining the wall paper thing! That was the first thing I asked when looking at apartment: can that wall paper be removed and have just the walls with a primer and paint? It seemed like a shock to them haha
Hahaha my mom just arrived here from Canada and said the exact same thing too 🤣🤣
@@lifeingermany_ Any tips for me? I'm moving end of August near Essen and I already have to deal with no kitchen hahaha
Will you please tell me how much in total it is costing for renovation complete house
Oh goodness! That entirely depends on what needs done and so so so many other factors! In Düsseldorf, a lot of my friends and family have spent between 150-300,000€ on renovation costs!
I quite like your "blunt and wild" side. Let it all out. We all know this kind of 'Frust' too. 😉
Hi Jenna, we just bought a house in Bavaria an now I'm digging into subsidies for renovation. Before I do a deep dive into Energieberater selection, KfW vs LfA vs others, do you have any experience? I scanned through your videos but didn't see anything, but possibly just blind 🥴
Tja, in Deutschland hat alles seine Ordnung. Schließlich wurde die Ordnung in Deutschland erfunden.😂😉
Den Unterschied zwischen mit und ohne (Rauhfaser-) Tapete wirst Du merken wenn Du das Echo nicht mehr los wirst und Du immer wie in einer Fußgängerunterführung klingst.
Das mag für "Wehrmachtsbunker" aus Stahlbeton gelten, ein schnuckliges Holz-Ständer-Haus produziert auch ohne Tapete Null-Echo.
Und Bücherregale, Teppiche und Bilder schlucken auch noch massiv....
Hi Jenna thank you so much for this video! i am beginning the journey of remodelling the flat - I want to remove a guest WC from the layout, which entails taking down the partition walls, all bathroom appliances and tiles etc, but the most important question is, do i need some kind of permit to remodel the interior, like from the building developer? You mentioned you had to submit the architect form to Bauamt for approval and I am wondering if I need to do something similar. many thx
You may need approval… but a lot can be done without Bauamt approval. I would highly suggest getting an architect in though to help figure out if and what Walls van be removed. Some require approval & some are simply not allowed to be removed at all! 😬 there are many supporting walls in our place which the architect could tell us if we could or couldn’t remove them 🙃
@@lifeingermany_ i just had a consultation with an architect friend who gave me the green light to the new plan. the walls are going down!
@@jamieshi533 yay!!! That’s great! Happy renovating 🥰🤩🤩
Are you going to do a full house tour in the future like you did with your apartment? :)
I definitely can if you guys are interested! 🤗🤩🥰
eine Haustour wäre toll - I would love a house tour :-)
I love house tours too 🥰
The title should read:"I wish I had known this..."
Paintttt omg! I dont understand why wall paper is the go to here! When we moved into our apt four years ago here in Germany, it was an unpainted apartment. We thought, easy-peasy, we know how to paint. ... But I ran into the same problem!! I wanted paint that can be washed. I have four kids ya'll. You can tell where they lay their small little fingers on a daily basis! It drives me nuts! I paint our wall over every year or so. 😑 What I noticed is that some places only use water proof paint up about half way from the floor. So weird.
Es wäre einfacher gewesen ein Tischler zu beauftragen denn der macht Wintergärten ! Aber wenn man weiß das Deutsche planen dann macht man das auch schon ein Jahr vorher damit die Handwerker ihre Termine machen können .
Jetzt weiß auch warum in Canadischen Buden soviel Schimmel haben , die pinseln Latexfarbe auf die Wände bis die nicht mehr atmen können und Feuchtigkeit im Raum hängen bleibt .
After moving to Germany a year ago, the stereotype just sank for me: this is the most inefficient country ever!
Building and renovating in Europe is way more complicated and more expensive than in the US. Buuuut... Houses last! You may want to change cosmetic stuff, but you won't see a 50yo house with rotten wood beams that put the house at risk of collapsing. My parents still live in the same house that was my grandma's aunt's home! It has been renovated and expanded, but in the US or Canada it would be a historic home (if still standing). Built in closets also waste a lot of space imo, I couldn't stand them in the US :D it's much better to have a big organized custom built wardrobe (kinda like an Ikea Pax, but less cheaply built). Bureaucracy sucks though, that's for sure
Kopf hoch! Alles wird gut! 😉
We say, if you've got too much time on your hands you buy a house.
I missed the memo 😂😂😂
Could you please write where you found the right handymen?
I haven’t 😔🙈 I’m still on the search myself! There are places like www.blauarbeit.de and www.my-hammer.de though where you can search for one that’s right for you!
@@lifeingermany_ Thank you very much for your answer:) And good luck with that!
@@parhamrasouli1809 thanks so much! Trying a new one out next week 🙈 the question is always whether they’ll show up or not 😣
@@lifeingermany_ I see, that is really strange!! 😅
@@lifeingermany_ Hello again, I have two more questions, sorry 😅 1. How long does it take to get refrigerator, dishwasher and washing machine installed in our apartment in Germany? 2. Which brand are your electric appliances? (Bosch maybe?)
It really can be an exhausting experience 😅😅
Raufasertapete mit weißer wasserfester Farbe überstreichen und dann mit einem Schmutzradierer ggf. säubern
Your build in closet means in German language: begehbarer Kleiderschrank
A Einbauschrank is something what perfectly fits in a corner
He was right... Now you sealed your walls and your house cannot breathe therefor you might get mold.
Why it's not the same in Canada? Because your houses arent built our way and aren't as well insulated as over here.
We didn't end up using latex paint, so no mold on the walls! 😀
LOL Jenna... welcome to the club;-)
You should talk to Antoinette Emily. they recently built a house in Germany
Hi Jenna. Ich sehe oft deine Videos und finde Sie auch gut. Aber dieses, hättest du lassen sollen. Ich bin selbst Fliesenleger von Beruf. Da ich selbst sozusagen, im Baugewerbe arbeite, kann ich die Dinge verstehen, weshalb Dir, von Deinen Handwerkern, bestimmte Dinge abgeraten wurde oder von Vorgewerken nicht akzeptiert wurde, welche Du in deinem Video kritisiert hast. Mag sein, das dein Vater "handwerklich" begabt ist. Das heisst aber noch lange nicht, das er es richtig macht. Heimwerker, die der Meinung sind, sie müssten alles selber machen und denken, das sie es gut machen, gibt es auch in Deutschland zu Hauf. Auf großartige Details möchte ich jetzt gar nicht eingehen. Wenn man keine Ahnung hat, sollte man so ein Video gar nicht erst machen. Nur bei der Bürokratie, würde ich dir bedingt zustimmen. Wobei ich kein Beamter bin und nicht weiß, warum die Prozedere hier so laufen, wie sie laufen und nicht anders. Vielleicht, sehen dieses Video Personen, die in diesem Bereich arbeiten und klären uns alle auf. Diesmal, gibts leider keinen Daumen nach oben, aber auch keinen nach unten. Da es ja deine Meinung ist und ich mich somit neutral verhalte.
Danke aber trotzdem für deine Meinung ♥️
Ich kann es vollkommen verstehen!
Hey ... if we wanna put a window in Dach or slanted roof.. do we need to take permission for that aswell???
Yes 😬
Ooommmggg... 😟😰
We asked an architect before buying house that can we put big doors in place of small once n put windows on roof he said yes it will cost an average 10000 € a door n it's easy but never mentioned that we hv to take permission n it will cost extra😟😰
I had plan to putting 5 😶🌫️
Most of the houses an flatsI know have build in closets - here in Germany - we have it here, what are you talking about ?
Make sure you watch "Werner Beinhart" before you hire some Handwerker. :-) (i'm also, there is a nice German word..... called... Maschinenbaumeister...^^) have a great time here. Greets Stefan
If you can't do it by your own.... than you feel real german workskills and rouls. Best way is bring all the guys together, so they can talk direct to each other. Auf dem Lande brauchst du den ganzen Kram auch so nicht - es ist schlicht viel einfacher. Hol den Tischler (der macht auch die Fenster/Türen) und den Dachdecker... und auf dem Lange kennen die sich auch noch.. einfach halt. wenn man aber in Düsseldorf ..... na ja.
The Bauamt it really frustrates me like wtf I'm not building the house from the ground there are tons of projects I can do it myself why would I have to ask for permission and all of this it sounds like they do it in purpose so no one can afford to renovate
I know ☹️😫
What do you think - why does Germany have the largest number of emigrants
in the world if everything is so great here?
I am looking to buy an old house with some character to renovate, but sadly, everything in Germany has suffered prior renovations that removed beautiful moldings, panelling, real wood floors in place of sterile empty boxes. But hearing what it takes to renovate, I understand why everyone chooses to just go with a plain white box. Anything more complex or charismatic breaks their brains. Echt schade.
It seems that you have no craftsmen in your extended circle of friends who could have advised you a little beforehand on what to look out for. Or friends who went through a similar event not so long ago. That could have helped you to better assess what is in store for you.
Sadly I had both! 5 of our bestfriends going through same experiences, and a number of handymen friends who couldn’t advise us on how to find a reliable contractor 😔 #covidfail
@@lifeingermany_ You're really unlucky. Usually something like this is discussed in a circle of friends who can recommend which craftsmen as reliable. In a comment one wrote that everything is much more difficult in the big city than in the country where everyone knows everyone. There, handymen cannot afford to miss deadlines or work poorly because your reputation will then be bad.
The handymen were right and you possibly ruined your house.
The walls need to breathe to prevent mold.
By painting all walls with Latexfarbe or waterproof paint you cut the breathing down to zero.
You will soon realize that the air in your apartment will either get as dry as the Death Valley and/or as moist as the Amazonas.
Jetzt weißt du warum hier soviele zu Miete wohnen!? 🤣
Momentan ist es noch schlimmer: kein Material und explodierende Preise
Hahaha 😂 Lustig wie "eingedeutscht" du schon bist. 😂🇩🇪👍
Handyman. Germans think of a man with a mobile phone. German: "Handy"
But that is a mistake, he is a "Handwerker" mit "handwerklichem Geschick" = handy
I like how you pronounce „Arschitekt“! 😉
Hahaha rant over? totally right with the wallpaper though.. Germany=langsam, langsam
Ich hasse auch Raufasertapete. Ich kann nicht mehr in eine Wohnung mit dieser Tapete einziehen, oder sie nicht wegmachen. Die ist so schlimm und überall. Ich kann auch nicht nachvollziehen warum man sich die antut.
Es gibt allerdings auch andere, glatte Tapete. Das verbindet den Vorteil eines anderen Kommentars, dass weniger Arbeit bei der Arbeit an der Wand anfällt um sie glatt zu machen und den Vorteil, dass es leichter auszutauschen ist.
In einer meiner früheren Wohnungen war weiße Raufaser an der Wand. Man durfte und musste die auch nur in weiß streichen laut Mietvertrag. Sowas ist praktisch, wenn dort ein Kettenraucher wohnt.😂
Wer lange fragt, der läuft lange irr! 😉
All i can say is, welcome to Germany ✌️
Without any kind of frustration, it's not Germany anymore.
You're such a cutie - nice video! :)
Hi.
Really everything is slow in NRW???? I thought you would have the world's best Ministerpräsident und Kanzlerkandidat, who's running the whole state like nothing by himself and "mit links". Ja, many things are not running smoothly in germany. And if the clowns squad is not only in parliament, but on local level, too: then you have pulled the "Arschkarte".😂
Keep cool
Bye
When you move to germany and realize theres no mexicans that can do everything for $2000 bux . 😂😂😂
Rollrasen?
Hey plz reply me i am your big fan and i am from nepal 💗💗
plz reply me
Thanks so much 🥰
@@lifeingermany_ oh my god 😮😮😮you replyed me i can't beleive it can you plz tell my name in your next video plzzz my name is jesika sapkota💗💗💗💗🇳🇵
Wait till she does a reno project in a 3rd world country