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  • COMMAIK
    • Contact Form
    • Imprint
    • Privacy Policy
  • The Villa
    • The top floor
    • The upper floor
    • The first floor
    • The cellar
    • The garden
  • Stories from the construction
    • irrigation
    • Photovoltaics
    • Pool and terrace
    • SmartHome
    • The planning
    • The demolition
    • The installation
    • Machinery
    • Restoration and working techniques
    • This and that
  • Videos
    • Build & Renovate
    • Irrigation
    • Carport
    • Gabions
    • Garden
    • Garden kitchen
    • Pool
    • Smart Home
    • Drying
    • Tutorials
  • TESTED & RATED
    • Heating solutions & energy
    • Outdoor & Garten
    • Pool & garden kitchen
    • Security & Smart Home
    • Tools & DIY
  • Commaik Music
  • Privacy Policy
  • Imprint
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  • Build your own garden kitchen – plan and install the electrics

    Partially built outdoor wall of white concrete blocks with exposed electrics, a level tool, and a hammer on top—ideal for a future garden kitchen. A canopy and stacked firewood appear in the background. www.commaik.de

    When building my garden kitchen, the electrics were one of the biggest challenges. In addition to the right cables for the power supply and the perfect positioning of the sockets, proper fuse protection was of course also necessary. It should also be possible to use a TV and a sound system in the garden kitchen at a later date. So I also had to plan for network and audio cables and install them in the garden kitchen.

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    A black Reolink NVR device is shown against a gray background. A large text in German reads "Hard disk retrofitting". The Reolink logo appears in the bottom left corner. www.commaik.de

    Expand Reolink NVR storage space – Installing and configuring hard disks correctly

    26. February 2026
    A person stands on a rooftop with solar panels and a balcony power plant, pointing toward a graphic showing a Zendure SuperBase energy storage unit. A modern house and trees are visible in the background. www.commaik.de

    Optimize balcony power plant – New modules and 220V battery storage for maximum efficiency

    26. July 2024
    A clear outdoor swimming pool with sparkling pool water reflects sunlight, surrounded by palm trees and neatly trimmed bushes on a bright, sunny day. The wooden pool deck features a depth marker reading 1.0 M. www.commaik.de

    6 steps to perfect pool water after the winter break

    14. February 2025
  • Renovating the garden terrace: switching from wood to WPC and aluminum profiles

    Close-up of a partially constructed wooden deck, ideal for a garden terrace renovation, with a drill, screws, hammer, and metal brackets on top of the decking boards; metal framing and groundwork visible underneath. www.commaik.de

    The renovation of our garden terrace has been in the pipeline for some time. The larch wood of the substructure could no longer withstand the loads and slowly disintegrated. So after ten years under the open sky, it was time to give our terrace a fresh update with WPC boards. In this article, we take you on a journey of renewal – from the initial idea to the finished result.

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    A 4K PTZ Reolink security camera monitors a man walking towards a large house at dusk. A digital overlay highlights the camera's facial recognition and zooms in on the man's face with a blue square frame. www.commaik.de

    The best Reolink 4k PTZ surveillance cameras in comparison: 823S2 vs 823S1 vs TrackMix vs TrackFlex in test

    27. February 2026
    A robot mower glides across a well-manicured grassy lawn bordered by white gravel, with a patio area and outdoor chairs visible in the background. www.commaik.de

    Robot lawn mower without boundary wire in test: The best models in comparison

    26. February 2025
    A man in a black jacket points to the inside of a black, box-shaped electronic device with wires, next to a similar device with the inscription "KROAK TB2" on a gray background. www.commaik.de

    Kroak TB2 diesel parking heater 8kW: Unboxing, test & possible applications

    22. January 2025
  • Laying, gluing and welding pool liners correctly

    An empty, bright blue swimming pool with a smooth pool liner, gray steps in one corner, and a circular drain on the wall. The outdoor pool is surrounded by unfinished ground and scattered greenery. www.commaik.de

    In this article, I describe how the new pool liner was laid, glued and welded to the walls and floor of our new pool. The pool steps and the sunbathing area in the water were lined with a special pool liner that makes the surface non-slip. The new pool in the garden was built with concrete formwork blocks and replaces our old steel wall pool. Before I can lay the liner in the concrete pool, some preparations are necessary. In this article I will show you every step.

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    Lawn care equipment, including a lawn mower, fertilizer spreader, and a bag of fertilizer, is arranged on a lush lawn near a palm tree and garden bed with white stones. Stacked firewood sits in the background. www.commaik.de

    The 5 best tips for a healthy lawn – lawn care in spring

    2. February 2025
    Open trench in a paved area with exposed cables, pipes, and a water pipe in the garden, surrounded by loose soil, bricks, and paving stones—signs of ongoing underground utility or lawn irrigation work. www.commaik.de

    Laying the water pipe in the garden: tips for connecting the water supply to the garden irrigation system

    10. March 2025
    Various X-Sense smoke detector products, their packaging, mounting stickers, and a fire extinguisher are arranged on a wooden table with tools hanging on a pegboard in the background. www.commaik.de

    Network wireless smoke detectors across several floors: How X-Sense Link+ protects your whole house!

    21. July 2025
  • DIY ornamental bed with automatic Rain Bird drip tube irrigation

    An outdoor Rain Bird irrigation control box with wiring is surrounded by gravel, drip tube, and plants, indicating the installation or maintenance of a garden watering system. www.commaik.de

    For automatic watering, I again used the drip tube from Rain Bird. In combination with a valve box, solenoid valves from Hunter and automatic control by my irrigation computer, our ornamental bed is now thriving more beautifully than ever before. In this post, I’ll show you how I prepared the area. I show how I installed the automatic irrigation system with all its components. Accompanied by lots of tips and hints, I’ll show you the result of my work.

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    A red and black portable parking heater is displayed on a table with its components, including hoses, wires, a remote, clamps, a silver exhaust pipe, a vent, and a small black bottle in a wooden workshop setting. www.commaik.de

    Diesel parking heater for animal house, workshop and camper: My test of the Vevor 8kW heater

    3. January 2025
    Various X-Sense smoke detector products, their packaging, mounting stickers, and a fire extinguisher are arranged on a wooden table with tools hanging on a pegboard in the background. www.commaik.de

    Network wireless smoke detectors across several floors: How X-Sense Link+ protects your whole house!

    21. July 2025
    A terraced outdoor area features brick stair steps leading to a paved landing, bordered by gabion walls filled with firewood. Stacks of construction materials and lush green plants are visible nearby. www.commaik.de

    A paving stone staircase is built into the slope leading to the parking lot

    19. October 2014
  • Winterizing the pool – putting pool technology into operation and adjusting water values

    A small backyard swimming pool with clear blue water is surrounded by patio stones. The covered outdoor seating area, topped with solar panels, offers a perfect spot for winterizing the pool. A palm plant sits in the foreground. www.commaik.de

    Winterizing the pool is at the top of my to-do list in spring. The winter safety devices must be dismantled and the pool technology must be installed. The water values are checked and readjusted. The filter systems are also reactivated. So nothing stands in the way of a great swimming season. In this article, you’ll find out which steps are important and how I prepared my pool optimally for sunny bathing days.

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    A surveillance control room with six security cameras surrounding a Reolink recording device on a desk, monitors displaying blurred Reolink footage in the background. www.commaik.de

    The best storage solutions for Reolink surveillance cameras: recommendations & experiences

    31. January 2025
    Lawn irrigation system components, including pipes, valves, and wiring, are laid out on the ground next to an open valve box in a grassy area. A green garden hose and plastic cover are also visible. www.commaik.de

    Installing lawn irrigation: Valve box, Hunter solenoid valves and Rain Bird water distribution in detail

    1. March 2025
    A black Reolink NVR device is shown against a gray background. A large text in German reads "Hard disk retrofitting". The Reolink logo appears in the bottom left corner. www.commaik.de

    Expand Reolink NVR storage space – Installing and configuring hard disks correctly

    26. February 2026
  • Drainage – retrofitting a horizontal barrier yourself

    A gloved hand holds a white stick near a moldy wall. On the wooden floor, a silver packet labeled NOVUstick für nachträgliche Horizontalsperren contains 10 sticks for creating an effective horizontal barrier and improving drainage. www.commaik.de

    In addition to draining the outside of my villa, which was built in 1900, some of the basement walls also need to be sealed from the inside. The horizontal barrier in the 36 to 80 centimeter thick walls is no longer in tact. This time I dared to install a retrofit horizon blocker and used the NovuSticks for this. Here I describe my approach and my experiences.

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    A small backyard swimming pool with clear blue water is surrounded by patio stones. The covered outdoor seating area, topped with solar panels, offers a perfect spot for winterizing the pool. A palm plant sits in the foreground. www.commaik.de

    Winterizing the pool – putting pool technology into operation and adjusting water values

    29. January 2024
    A worn, empty concrete pit with rusty beams, exposed pipes, and draining buckets—one orange and one green—sits against stained, aged walls in a dimly lit basement-like area. www.commaik.de

    Draining and waterproofing basements: Effective measures against moisture and flooding

    24. November 2024
    Black pipes on a rooftop pool heating system in the foreground, with a backyard swimming pool, lawn, stone wall, blue shed, and covered seating area in the background on a sunny day. www.commaik.de

    Pool heating with ribbed pipe systems – Build your own solar heating for the pool

    13. April 2025
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Autor & Blogger

In this construction diary, we share our experience in the renovation and modernization of our Art Nouveau villa and hope to give a few suggestions and tips to some of you.

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