Oh that's something I've been meaning to ask folks in Germany (and/or Switzerland, Austria, etc.)! Deutschewelle is the only thing we get here in German. We get shows from Italy, Norway, Sweden, France... but no Germany. What is up with that?

Anyways, what I want to ask is: Are there any German mystery or other tv shows that anybody likes to watch? I was thinking if only I could get a title, I could find something online...

[Update: 24th September 2013]

[Previously: Post 3 | Post 2 | Post 1]

Some day I'll return to my regular daily dose of YLF -- and will respond to those messages that are sitting in my inbox -- but in the meantime, off-line life somehow swallows my day... but it's OK.

Things are moving along.

The main thing is, we are very pleased with the progress on the building site.

We stop by every so often after we pick the kid up from school and watch the progress. The outside works are almost all done. We need to make the official appointment to check things inside - that is yet to be arranged. Helmets, boots, hi-vis vests...the gear... still thinking whether to post that WIW or not

1. st photo :: 31st July - That big splodge of concrete is where our living/dining room will be.
2. nd photo :: 9th August - Last visit to the site before the holiday. The walls, the walls, yay!
3. rd photo :: 1st September - Returning from the holiday, but before heading to the apartment, we stopped by the building site, with just enough evening light left to see that the groundfloor and the first floor are done. Ours house is the one with that yellow pipe sticking out.
4. th photo :: 6th September - The scaffolding is up for the final stage and I even caught the start of the works. The workman is preparing the spot where the guest bathroom will be.
5. th photo :: 16th September - Back of the house. The roof is done.
6. th photo :: Red Robin (Image from the internet, credits here)

What about the bird?
Our address will be Red Robin Way Yup, red as in my favourite colour.
And our house number will be no.5. When we started living together, our first address was also on no.5, so to say I was overjoyed when we found out our future address is a bit of an understatement.

And now the best part...
We already know our first neighbours, no.3 and no.7 and they are lovely families. The elder girl from no.3 went to the same kindergarden and group as our son and the younger girl from the same family and I share birthdate. (Plus, if I didn't misunderstand something, the family from no.1, who are already friends with no.3, have a wedding anniversary on the same date -- so three houses will possibly be celebrating together next year. How's that for fun facts?)

Additionally, the families from two hoses in front of ours also have girls in our son's old kindergarden. An amazing coincidence and it was fun how we were all learning about each other over the past few months. It also shows that the neighbourhood was targeting the young(er) families market, which reaffirms our old conclusions which played a significant role in our decision to buy, that this area is likely going to be family-friendly surrounding.

We also happen to be in an unusual position that our son is the first child from this new area who is going to the local school. Testing the waters We're meeting new people through the school as well and it's exciting and fun and fingers crossed all the past tension and (ongoing) stresses will be a small price to pay for the possibility of life richer for more interesting and good people in what shows sings of being a close-knit and open-minded community.

(To be continued...)

Such a pretty house
I am so waiting for the final result!!!

What a lovely address. And it's great that you already know your future neighbours and they seem to be nice people. I second Ramya, I can't wait to see the end result!

[Update: 04th October 2013]

A friend of ours took this aerial shot for us during one of the recent flights in his glider Our house is at the back row where the smaller one of two cranes is.

And on Wednesday we went to see the finished structural works.

I'm sure I missed this thread because I've been so busy this week! Congratulations on the house. I am sure it's a process and a lot to navigate but it's SO satisfying in the end. DH and I are hoping to get rid of all of our homes before the end of the year -- so I am on the opposite end of the spectrum. I especially love the family photo in #3!

I missed this thread before! Love to read you "haus" story.
I hope things are getting more under control with every passing day.

What came to mind is how different the construction is from America! Here you won't see block houses unless they are multistory apartments and everything is built very fast because of the framing method...but somehow I like the solidity of your house construction better

Looks like things are progressing well. I love the aerial shot. It looks a great spot close to the woods. Fingers crossed for you that it completes on time.

So exciting! I love the aerial shot, and look at how fab you are in a hardhat!

I love your new address. It might sound weird, but 5 is my favorite number. And Red Robin Way might just be the cutest street name I've heard since we discovered our house's address (Sweet Pea Path).

This was such a great journey to read, thank you, Ornella! I can't wait to hear more, and the inside will be really fun to find out about.

In 1975, when I was 9, my family bought a new home, unbuilt. I have such happy memories about visiting the house every Sunday in the various stages of construction. We have pictures of all of us standing on the concrete slab, looking at the framing and smelling the fresh new wood, mapping out the garden in our heads. Once the outside was built we would have a meal there, unbeknownst to the construction team who were all gone on Sundays -- in fact we never saw another soul on the whole development. We would bring fried chicken and concord grape soda, and sit on folding lawn chairs we brought from home. I also remember sitting alone for the first time on the concrete slab in my very own room (used to have to share with brother), by my very own window, and dreaming of my future in that sweet little house. Thanks for bringing those wonderful memories back to me!

[Update: 21st October 2013]

Thank you for reading and commenting and being with me on this journey and offering your stories and experiences. I am determined to look at the whole process as an useful, joyous life lesson and also a way to look deep into myself. It is always wonderful to hear different related stories too.

Where was I?

Ah, the customer service. Yeah... it leaves s lot to be desired for. A lot. Too much in fact.

We are not building the house independently, but though a company which runs the entire project. At first we thought that was perfect for us (single point of contact, no need to chase various tradesmen, rather defined deadines - all in the circumstances where we are not fluent in the language and the customer manager speaks English and her assistant speaks out mother tongue).

Oh man! Every. Single. Stage. Of. The. Process. So. Far. Has. Been. Painful.

I am talking poor communication of the information we ask for, poor communication of the plans and dates (we are normally given a week to make costly decisions), draconic charges for any changes we want and which are outside the standard products. The customer manager is close to useless. How many ways are there to ask her to send us complete information of certain pricing, not just chunks or fragments or stuff we did not ask for? Man!

No, we have no chance to change her. We can only write things down and complain to the superiors when the right time comes. We are blessed that her assistant is both reasonable and shows understanding for the levels of our frustration (and we have learnt in the meantime that we are no different than any other customer, everyone seems to go insane at some point).

And I make detailed calculations of every single change we ask for, because that's the only way to communicate at this point: this is the figure we came up, please explain the differences?

Which, of course, is nothing unusual, you have to have control over the expenses, but somehow the atmosphere in which we have to do it has reached the point of frustration and battling. Not what you expect when you dish out a lot of money for bricks!

Last week I went to bed at 3a.m. two nights in a row because we had to return some info and were given short notice, as we were discussing, making decisions, I was writing emails. Crazy.

Still, there are so many positives. They outweigh even this enormous stress.

When we went to visit the site, all walls were up. Last week the windows were put on, which means that all the internal works may commence and unless the winter is too harsh (preventing drying and proper settling on of the built in components), we are looking at a spring as the time of completion.

Spring 2014!!!

We were in shock when this information came up. Of course, one would expect to know the building plan by now, but why answer 3 or 4 of our emails asking that - just ignore them. So, we were forced to make very conservative estimates of the completing being around October 2014, which seem to be entirely wrong.

This changes a lot of things for us, positively of course. But, I am somehow cautious.

The best of the best is - still - the people. Our son loves his school and we are thrilled. The people we met through school are just lovely.

And our neighbours! Yesterday we had a brunch with the family who'll live next door, this was our second meeting. We are smitten. So nice, kind, warm. Such strong characters too. Knowing we'll have such people nearby is a treasure. It really makes all the annoyances much easier - we simply refocus on the finishing stages and moving in!

It also helps to know they are experiencing the same issues with the customer service as we do. We've exchanged a lot of useful information and plan to move forward probably even together in some points to get the level of service we all expect.

We're also looking into the final offers for our kitchen, which we need to order sometimes soon if we'll be moving next spring. With being so stressed on one hand, I'm not allowing myself to relax fully, but it's looking good. We've designed the space ourselves and were very fortunate to be given useful advice by our friends who recently went through their own house redesign to really consider our lifestyle and what we want, because that calls for some compromises and we should be clear what can go and what must stay. That was useful and timely advice.

1. st photo:: entrance hallway leading to the living space.
2. nd photo :: guest room.
3. rd photo:: a view from the terrace
4. th photo:: the windows are on.

(To be continued...)

Ornella, I know what you are talking about. Buying a house in foreign country is not easy.
Getting one constructed !!! Man I wouldn't dare . I love your updates on this. And I am always waiting for you to post one.

But you know the best moment I had with this? The first day we got our house keys, we spent the night there. We had a bed and some furniture.

Waking up in the morning and eating a bowl of cereals and having a cup of tea. Though , my home was not fully decorated, that moment will forever be in my mind.

Ramya :: I know I'll forget about all the annoyances. I have a coffee cup a friend gifted me years ago and it has this saying on it "Some day you'll look at all this, and it will all seem funny!" I guess staring at it every time I drank tee really made it sink deep into my sub- and consciousness, because I take it as one of life truth.

But I want to learn from this stage too. I learn, a lot. And I am grateful for all the luck and the good people this process had brought on our path and in our lives.

I remember the same feeling you're talking about very well. When we bought our house in England several years ago, after years of living in furnished rentals, all we had was clothes, dishes, computer, books and CDs, and our own bedding. The first several weeks, until the furniture started being delivered, we slept in the sleeping bags and ate from the improvised "table" made of cardboard boxes and covered with clean table cloth. And we did not care at all. It was fun. It was wonderful. It felt good and promising and open to possibilities. We hosted our friends and sat on the floor. We called it "camping under the roof". But it was our own roof.

I don't worry about later. Once you are inside, things naturally start falling into place. But getting IN -- with my sanity intact -- now that's a challenge

Oh Ornella, I can COMPLETELY relate! I've been quite absent from the forum, but had to log in to give you my resounding empathy. Our home was supposed to be completed in November, now it's looking like it won't be done until the end of February! We sold our home to be closer to our son's new school and we are living in a tiny little apartment, trying not to trip over one another and all the while the delays are constant and aggravating and the sheer volume of decisions to be made is overwhelmeing!

We've had to be at the site every day to make sure that things are being done correctly, changes we've already paid for are being implemented and even caught errors on items that we've not changed at all and should have been built to spec! We found out this morning that the framing crew for some reason decided not to enlarge a room per our (already paid for) change order - now they have to do all kinds of work to get it fixed! Not to mention the multiple other issues that have gone wrong...Argh!

Like you, I've tried to remain positive and we've also met some truly terrific people that will be neighbors and I'm sure will become good friends. But yes, the stress of it all is enormous!! Best of luck and someday we'll be sitting in the comfort of our new homes and realize that it was all worth while...Hopefully that someday is sooner rather than later!

Christy :: I've been thinking about you and your House 21 a lot these days, it is November. So sorry to hear about your troubles and delays. Let's just hope that the fact it will all be finished one day is still enough to offset the unplanned, unpleasant events. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to implode and thank heavens my husband is strong, focused and sensible in all this. He keeps saying "Don't get upset by all these things, keep in mind our final goal". The more complicated (and expensive) things get, I seem to crumble under it and he is stronger for it all.

You are right - the sheer volume of decisions is enough to drive one to the edge. The electrical sockets alone - we don't have most of the big furniture yet (we only moved our favourite pieces from England, so that shopping is ahead of us!), how was I supposed to know where I want all the sockets one year before the house completion? We had to design the kitchen (of all spaces) months ago so the installation plans could be made - something I planned to spend months on had to happen within a matter of weeks. We had to learn to be everything on this project: architects, plumbers, electricians, you name it. We simply can't - can't - trust any stage will be done without us fully understanding what exactly is going on. We are both very analytical and that is sometimes not helping at all, we always think of possibilities that lead to endless questions. Our project management office is in another city, so everything goes via emails or phone - it takes so much time. And I think our project manager is going insane too from all of our questions - but then again she is not giving all the information we're asking for straight away, so the correspondence about the shower installation alone went on for 4 emails. Etc, etc.

The small apartment, tripping over everything, it's crazy. I know. Welcome to my life. We don't even call this current place a home, we call it The Big Waiting Room.

But, this too shall pass. This time next year we will both be under our own new roofs

This was a very moving read (all the updates) It sounds to me like there are so many good signs that things will fall into place, even though it sounds like the stress of trying to get the house construction under control is nearly unbearable right now. You know, despite all of the difficulties you describe I can't help but read this with a twinge of envy as I wait for the opportunity to know I am settling somewhere and not just perching for a couple more years. I guess that shows how badly I want it if I can overlook the madness you are describing I know I would be stark raving mad in your shoes by now. It is so nice to hear that you are already meeting so many people and forming meaningful connections, and that it sounds like the experience brings you and hubs closer.

ETA: Also am I the only one who finds it easier to speak than to understand when learning a language? I got so frustrated in my German class at some point when I felt I was learning all the fine points of grammar but still couldn't understand the people on the street! Well dialects make it all harder too.

Hi Scarlet,

Sorry for getting late to this thread. I completely get what you're saying about settling in. As mad as it sounds I (we) would do everything again. It's natural I think. Except that maybe we know we would have been able to do this whole thing all on our own100%, language or no language, we've learnt so much over the past year. Whenever you decide to do anything I'll be happy to pass all our experiences if they would be of help.

The last 3 years were what I call transitional for us, that's way too much instability, uncertainty and all made more challenging because we now have a child. We're now looking at the next May as our ultimate goal. Get in and feel at home. Btw, last week we marked 13 years of moving abroad. You never know what life has in store - I *never* heard of the town we lived in back in England before we moved there, I never thought I'd live anywhere but some big city if I ever *even* consider Germany. In the end, what matters is the health, family, encouraging environment that helps you thrive in as many ways as possible and friends you make along the way. The other things get sorted.

And I completely don't get it's easier to speak German For me it's more difficult the more grammar I'm learning - before I had excuse to speak incorrectly, but now?? Anyway, I just tell people to not be afraid to correct me and that's it.

And if it's of any help, a lady I met said she felt very frustrated after learning but not understanding the language on the street - then she travelled somewhere else within the country and felt like her ears "had popped" - people speak different dialect and she realised she knew a lot more of the language than she thought. Go figure

[Update: 19th November 2013]

In short: That motion control sensor was a gigantic milestone. How I love it when I can say "I knew it!!!" And now, if only someone could actually refund me the hours spent writing emails, phoning and generally stressing over things that ! was right about from the word go. Life lessons drawn from this house build keep stacking up like those bricks!

~

Yesterday we went to the building site to talk to the electrician about installing some lights, which we wanted done in one way, were told it's ok but then it turned out it was not quite possible. It was a crucial day in the process so far. The bottom line is: the salespeople will always say you can have whatever you want, but when it comes to installing things - you need the technician's blessing. There is no two ways about it.

So, we planned and replanned, made new decisions, then we checked and rechecked... and we found some mistakes in how certain things have been built so far (nothing big, can be easily mended, but still), we got valuable advice from the engineers on site what solutions are the best.

The motion control sensor in one spot, which nobody in the sales and customer relationships team could explain to us (the actual purpose, the way it works, etc) was finally demystified. After months and months of asking and even our decision not to have it at all because we were not given sensible and complete explanation, it took one sentence from the chief installer to confirm what actual problem is solved by it - and now we're having it back. Why weren't we advised to talk to the technicians before, even though we had specifically asked to do so, is anyone's guess. It could have saved hours to so many people.

One thing that became crystal clear yesterday that everyone's warning how we have to be on the site as often as possible to check everything ourselves has to be taken seriously. I mean, how do you explain the fact the plumbers had the guest bathroom with only the shower drawn on it??

This time next year I'll have a good laugh about it all.

1. st photo: Homework, homework, homework.
2. nd photo: Mr O. and the construction workers.
3. rd photo: Entrance hallway.
4. th photo: Guest bedroom.
5. th photo: Incorrect plan of the guest bathroom (top right room) - missing everything but the shower. No washbasin, no toilet. Go figure.
6. th photo: A view from the terrace.
7. th photo: The terrace on top as seen from the outside (ours is the house in the middle).

(To be continued...)

What neat pictures!

There's an amazing amount of detail to keep track of when building... Have an overdose of architects in my family. My cousin tells this story about one site where the plumbing pipes ordered were wider than the walls... and the workers went ahead and installed both! Wavy walls!

Oh no Rachy! I laughed at the wavy walls, but I also felt absolute dread - I so don't need another thing on my list of what could possibly go wrong

We have to raise our game too, that's it. We've been on top of things so far, but after seeing that the obvious things like what normally has to go to the bathroom somehow managed to not filter down to the installer, I see that no amount of attention to detail from our end is too much. I feel so drained at times - there is no relaxing.

[Update: 14th February 2014]

I haven't updated this thread for a while, although a lot has happened.

Towards the end of November last years we had ordered the kitchen. Designing it was not a problem once we accepted it was relatively small space (we had no say in the overall architectural solution, nor we could move too many walls) so we spent a lot of time arranging things around and making the space suitable for the way we live. It pushed our creativity to the limit, but it was a fantastic experience. We did it all ourselves, but the key advice came from a friend who had recently done similar project and who sad that we should make every compromise we need to, in order to make the kitchen meet our lifestyle needs. And we did.

But, shopping was a different matter. I can safely say that for Germans the kitchens are almost like cars - seems like to most people it matters which model one has. To begin describing us the differences between various brands, many salespeople actually used the parallels with cars "This one is like BMW, this one like Audi, this is Volkswagen and this is Porche…" Hilarious. As we had no prior knowledge about all that nor we really cared, we simply fitted the best we could in the budget we had planned for the kitchen.

We had various experiences with the salespeople, which also determined where we decided to spend our money. In the end, we did not go for the cheapest offer as such, but for the entire package: the general experience, customer service, the gut feeling of what things will be like after-sale (I do expect stress during the period of installing it all) and for the nicest, most competent salesguy. When the whole thing is over, his boss will get a nice long letter detailing our impressions of him and his professionalism.

Throughout December the works on the house continued but we could not get inside as some things has to set in before the next phases could happen. But, from the outside we saw some progress, the entrance door being fitted and the isolation being put on the outside wall. It already looks safe against the arctic climate even

Today we finally went in after a while and saw the finished walls, all water installations in place and we could feel warmth from the heating - it had been switched on two days ago for the testing phase!

It is all beginning to take shape, I can see the end in sight and it is the right time for me to start feeling elated, because I am so tired and fed-up of the half-life in the current small apartment and the boxes and tiny kitchen, and I really needed today's visit to start noticing the light at the end of the tunnel.

In the meantime though, I am getting to know my future neighbours better, both those who will live in the houses around ours and the locals from that area, mainly those whose children go to school with my son.

We still don't have the date of the move and although the progress on the house is according to plans, it is a big project and who knows what may happen… The winter was exceptionally mild, which helped things immensely, so I can only hope this pace will be maintained for the remainder of the time and then we may look into May/June as the time to move. Fingers crossed!

1. st Photo :: Kitchen design
2. nd Photo :: The actual kitchen space
3. rd Photo :: The bathroom
4. th Photo :: Heute auf der Baustelle

I had to laugh at your kitchen/car story. Of course I've never bought a kitchen, but I remember that my parents went to a local business for theirs, it's more handcraft than brand name. The floor plan looks good, I think it's important to have some seating even in a tiny kitchen and the table/work surface is a great idea. Nothing worse in a kitchen than not having enough space to work.

(And you look really great in your puffer!)

Thanks for the update, Queen O! Kitchens are so much fun! Can't wait to see the finished product!

So glad to hear you can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I know all too well how tired you must be of too-small apartment life. You've obviously put a great deal of thought and time into the design of the kitchen - it will be well worth the time and effort. It was so thrilling seeing the kitchen and master bath come to life in our construction! And I remember quite clearly the day we walked into our house and it was actually WARM and heated! That felt like a true turning point for me.

If it helps any to know that at some point it will be done and you will have a lovely new home to move into, I can tell you that we (finally!) close on our house next Friday and the movers are scheduled for phase one of our move (from the apartment) the next day!! The second phase will be the movers bringing everything we've had in storage that following Monday. It's going to be like Christmas - we've had about two thirds of our possessions locked away and completely out of reach for six months! We had our final walk-through with the builder yesterday and there is a great deal of touch-up work to be done and still a few outstanding items, but it actually looks like a house! Carpets, tile, hardwoods all done. Kitchen and baths finished. Interior and exterior painted. Light fixtures in, pulls and handles on all the drawers and cupboards. Everything left to be done will be complete one week from today and then they hand over the keys!

Stay positive, keep on top of everything even when you feel ready to throw your hands up in despair. If your experience is anything like ours (and much of it had been similar so far!) there will be more frustrating and chaotic times ahead. Especially as you see the house take shape and all you want is for it to be DONE so you can finally move in! Just remember that it will all be worth it as you see your new home come to life with all of the choices and selections you've so very carefully made. It's so fun to go back and look at your photos of how the project has come along. Before too much longer you'll be posting a photo of your completed Projekt Haus 21! Stay strong!

Astrid :: local handymen would get a lot more of our business in earlier stages had the language not been an issue. I hope it will change soon. Btw, car parallels seem to be the easiest for the salespeople to explain what it is they want to sell you. It's a game. I must admit I get easily annoyed with the pushy salesmen, so I let them slide into the "but this is the BMW of the kitchens!" to which I reply "but I get around in the nice little Golf too just fine" and watch how they try to get out of it.

The coat IS divine. You can be sure I think of you and send my love & thanks every time I put it on!

MaryK :: kitchen is the heart of the home for me and I cannot wait to use our new one! I had awkwardly designed kitchen in the previous house which we had inherited, and we have a nightmare of impractical tiny space right now. I began to hate cooking. I am starved of a functional, practical and usable space.

christy :: I was hoping you'd have good news following your own previous update. I am so glad the end is in sight for you. Sometimes I feel like I forgot how to live normally - I cannot believe it's been two years since my husband signed the contract for his job, it feels like yesterday. Two years of catalogue of stresses: the sale of the old house, the move, the language barrier, the loneliness, the decision making about buying the house, the frustrations that followed... than this inadequate apartment which we did not want to change as it made no sense to uproot only to move again to the house in a short space of time... did/do I want to throw my hands up in despair more and more often... I do.
But, yes, feeling the warmth, seeing the walls, the spaces we planned come to life, has its magical effect. It keeps me going. Like when you're a new mother for whom the days and nights have been blurred and who doesn't have time to get a shower, but then the baby smiles for the first time and suddenly the wings and some new strength appear from nowhere.
Good luck with the closure and your move and thank you

[Update: 3rd May 2014]

Quick update for my own records, as the things are slowly but surely coming to the finishing stages since my last update. Each time we go to the building site we see significant progress, the works outside have been almost all completed and things are speeding up with the inside works.

We're also keeping busy with chasing furniture and planning the move...

1. st Photo :: Standard procedure - taking photo at the same spot each time we visit the site
2. nd Photo :: A view from the entrance into the living space
3. rd Photo :: The stars have been finished and covered for protection
4. th Photo :: Markings on the floor where the main furniture will be placed
5. th Photo :: The kid is (or is not) having fun at the furniture stores plus the sofa and dining table we chose

This is only what's been happening before the Easter break.

After our return, we have found out some exciting changes had taken place...

[Update: 6th May 2014]

Things are moving much faster at the moment - we see significant, visible changes every time we visit the site. One of the biggest milestones for me personally was the day when the scaffolding was taken down. The houses in our block suddenly appeared in all their white-ness and I was overwhelmed by the sight of it for a few minutes. It all looks much better than I had imagined.

Another milestone was bringing our son to the site. We were not taking him inside the house before for safety reasons, but we finally can and he can also now participate in 'planning'. He now know where his room will be, but for whatever reason he's most fascinated with the kitchen space and wants to know when it will be installed. I think he also misses cooking with me, we used to have a lot of fun in the kitchen before and it all slowed down considerably in the current rented apartment as we don't have adequate space. So, a lot of catching up and cooking fun ahead.

And of course, the dirt and rubble at the building site are a treasure trove for a little boy...

1. st Photo :: All is white, at last!
2. nd Photo :: In the living room
3. rd Photo :: Blinds, doors, tiles
4. th Photo :: Play time where the garden will be

SO EXCITING!!! The outside looks just beautiful!! And the inside... so full of promise!!

My dad was a building contractor and he used to take us to construction sites from time to time, and I well remember how much fun it was to sift through the rubble for treasures like those mysterious metal disks that were punched out of... something. Your boy must have been in seventh heaven!

[Update: 13th May 2014]

Since this has become the only place where I more or less regularly keep track of what's going on, I'll be adding weekly summaries of the progress counting the week of 31st July, until we have to move out of the rental apartment, as the Week 1.

Week 13 [5th May - 11th May]

• handed in the notice to end the lease by 31st July 2014;
• had the kitchen guy make final measurements on the spot for fine tuning of the plan before placing the actual order;
• the floors are in all bedrooms;
• the tiles have been delivered;
• the rubble from the garage space has being cleared;
• unofficial news from the workmen on the site that the first block of finished house will be handed over next week (May 14th).

Coming up:

Week 12 [12th May - 18th May]

Week 11 [19th May - 25th May]

...

Week 0 [27th July - 31thJuly]

Day 0 [31st July 2014] Where are we going to we be then?

[Update: 20th May 2014]

Week 12 [12th May - 18th May]

• the driveway has been paved
• the tiles are almost all in
• the kitchen has been ordered from the manufacturer
• started cleaning of the rented apartment in preparations for moving out

The photos of mostly works in progress:

1. st Photo :: The driveway
2. nd Photo :: Entrance hallway with the kitchen on the left
3. rd Photo :: Main bathroom
4. th Photo :: While we look for the furniture, DS7 gets comfy at the store for a game of Angry Birds
5. th Photo :: Interior designer or even architect in the making? You can never be too ambitious, right. Our son's proposal for the living space furniture arrangements, including the fireplace, "TiVi" and measurements in meters. Plus the stairs to the first floor and the bathroom
6. th Photo :: Just being silly on the construction site, messy hair, dusty boots, posing for my young photographer.

Next:

Week 11 [19th May - 25th May]

Week 10 [26th May - 01st June]

...

Week 0 [27th July - 31st July]

Day 0 [31st July 2014]