We are enthusiastic home owners and DIYers, not professionals. Before anything we do, we research online and discuss with local professionals, gathering suggestions and important hints, tips and tricks of the trade. When we feel reasonably well-informed, we simply go for it. We build, repair and modify practically everything we are “legally” allowed to within the local regulations – it doesn’t matter if it’s inside, outside, around or on top of our house.
Our target is to build a beautiful home one mod at a time. On our way there, we hope to learn a lot so we can take care of our house by ourselves, making us independent and free to change whatever we want and to repair whatever is needed.
So far, this approach proved to be really useful, saving us tens of thousand of Euros! This allowed us to invest the saved money in better, high-quality materials and pieces, and to create spaces we wouldn’t have otherwise. If our courageous (crazy) attitude and well-placed motivation help inspire others to thread the same path, then we’d be double rewarded!
Some DIYers are born out of talent. Many are born out of need. The rest are just hardcore, hard-headed people who just kept trying till they got it right. What type are you?
Team
Zelda
Sleeps during most of the work but is happy to motivate the team at any time. Her light-weight is ideal for testing the cement dryness, while her internal clock keeps everyone sharp for snack breaks.
Why DIY?
Customizations
When you do it yourself, you are free to do what and how you want it. If you love freedom and creativity, and you are not afraid of work, DIY is the way to go.
Big Savings
The amount of money you save by doing it yourself is a major motivator. And if you don't have a large budget, DIY is anyway your only option to get great results.
Personal Achievement
Doing something for your family and loved ones are memories that last forever. But It's the feeling of enjoying something you built yourself that makes it all worth it.
“When the going get tough, the tough get going“
When the budget is small, when the subcontractor didn’t show, when no one ever does it exactly as you want it… don’t break your bank. Don’t keep waiting on others. And never, EVER settle for less than what you dreamed for your home. You can get it done. Even if you have to do it twice! So get up and get going!
I won’t lie, it’s hard work. But it feels good when you look back at it and see how far you came. It’s an amazing feeling to build something with your own hands and get to live in a space you designed yourself.
At the end of the day, if it doesn’t look perfect, don’t give up! Try it again until you make it! Every art requires practice. We could fill a whole page with lessons learned but we could also fill a whole book with accomplishments we are proud of. Well, we can even make a whole website out of it…
Address
Hotzenwald, Germany