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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
  • Contact Form
  • 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 heating box containing technical equipment, including a white plastic tank with a blue cap, wiring, and black components, is open on a stand in a workshop with wooden walls. www.commaik.de

    Build your own mobile heating box: The best DIY solution with an 8kW diesel parking heater

    6. January 2025
    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 stands in front of a backyard with a pool, thinking. Two Reolink Duo 3 security cameras—PoE and WiFi—are displayed, showcasing the latest in Reolink surveillance. The Reolink logo appears at the top right. www.commaik.de

    Reolink Duo 3 WiFi & PoE review: Smart UHD surveillance camera with 180° field of view

    29. January 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 metal heating box with hoses attached sits open next to a building, revealing machinery and a plastic container inside; the box appears to be an outdoor equipment unit or possibly a parking heater. www.commaik.de

    Installing a mobile diesel parking heater in the garden shed

    15. January 2025
    A man holds a roll of infrared heating foil. An arrow points to a thermal image revealing heat distribution on the floor. The words Infrarot Heizfolie are displayed above. www.commaik.de

    Efficient heating with infrared heating foil: installation, experience and tips for electric wall heating

    11. February 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
  • 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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    A man stands next to a mounted parking heater system with large pipes, wires, and controls—perfect for any workshop. Large text above reads, Diesel Heizung für die Werkstatt (Diesel heater for the workshop). www.commaik.de

    Install 8kW diesel parking heater safely in the workshop & garage

    9. May 2025
    Modern garden kitchen with a built-in grill, stovetop, drawers, and cabinets against a textured gray concrete look wall. Dark countertops and light concrete floors complete the style. A lantern and small appliances sit on the counter. www.commaik.de

    Designing a garden kitchen with a concrete look: Instructions for robust walls in the outdoor kitchen

    25. October 2024
    Two cats stand near a MOVA Z60 Ultra roller robot vacuum, its charging station, and the MOVA Z60 product box, all placed on a wooden floor. www.commaik.de

    MOVA Z60 Ultra Roller Complete test: Fully automatic cleaning with AI and hot water

    15. October 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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    An inflatable whirlpool filled with bubbling water with the bold lettering Whirlpool Sauna & Spa MSpa Alpine and a red border to emphasize the soothing whirlpool experience. www.commaik.de

    Inflatable whirlpool MSpa Alpine Tekapo – experience after 1 year

    7. November 2021
    A garden kitchen area with unfinished wooden walls and built-in stainless steel cabinets, drawers, and doors set against a concrete floor and countertop. www.commaik.de

    Build your own outdoor garden kitchen: Installing stainless steel BBQ furniture

    15. August 2024
    Screenshot of a solar panel monitoring app displaying the Statistik section. The background highlights blue solar panels, with the main heading reading Balcony Power System and a note showing it was last updated 5 minutes ago. www.commaik.de

    Balcony power station – Set up the Solarman app optimally

    29. October 2023
  • 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 man stands beside images of a backyard with a pool. A Reolink Trackmix PoE security camera is shown on the left, with the Reolink logo at the top right and smart home icons above the garden scene. www.commaik.de

    Reolink TrackMix PoE – 4K dual lens surveillance camera review

    20. July 2024
    A man with gray hair and a thoughtful expression stands in front of a textured beige wall with faded markings, while a large white arrow points to a spot where a horizontal barrier was installed for drying purposes. www.commaik.de

    Draining the basement with a new horizontal barrier – conclusion after 9 months

    8. November 2024
    A person in dark clothing stands by a white counter, holding a metal tube and a small rectangular device. Behind the counter is a white and black parking heater machine labeled Motour with various attachments and a red button. www.commaik.de

    Heating optimization: How to make your diesel parking heater quieter – pump and silencer in the test

    20. December 2025
  • 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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    The dreame a1 pro, a modern robotic lawn mower with a sleek grey design, operates on a grassy lawn, with a building and potted plants visible in the background. www.commaik.de

    Dreame A1 Pro in test – Cordless robotic lawnmower without boundary wire & RTK

    24. May 2025
    A man stands next to a mounted parking heater system with large pipes, wires, and controls—perfect for any workshop. Large text above reads, Diesel Heizung für die Werkstatt (Diesel heater for the workshop). www.commaik.de

    Install 8kW diesel parking heater safely in the workshop & garage

    9. May 2025
    A Lymow One robotic lawnmower with tank-like tracks sits on a well-manicured lawn, surrounded by green grass and some fuzzy bushes in the background. www.commaik.de

    Lymow One in test: Robot mower without boundary wire with RTK navigation and chain drive

    16. November 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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