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

    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

    The stairs for the slope in front of our house are finally being tackled. The path from the parking lots will be much shorter in the future with a staircase made of old town cobblestones, which I will build directly into the ground. But first I have to excavate the slope and lay concrete kerbs.

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    A large empty pool under remodeling, featuring unfinished walls, a rolled-up white liner in the center, scattered debris on the floor, and a wooden ladder leaning against one side. www.commaik.de

    Converting a pool – dismantling an old steel wall pool

    8. March 2021
    Three lawn mowers and a bag of lawn fertilizer lie on green grass next to a green area with white stones and a small palm tree. www.commaik.de

    Perfect winterizing of lawn and irrigation system

    11. November 2020
    A close-up of a sprinkler spraying water over a lush, green lawn on a sunny day showcases the benefits of planning lawn irrigation, with a stone wall and some trees in the background. www.commaik.de

    Plan and install lawn irrigation yourself 2 – Calculating the water connection

    13. May 2020
  • Build your own parking lot with gabions and lawn grids

    A paved driveway with a grid of black plastic or rubber honeycomb cells installed next to a brick walkway, likely used for parking lot ground reinforcement or drainage. A wire mesh retaining wall is visible in the background. www.commaik.de

    In order to park the cars safely and securely, the next step was to build a parking lot in the garden. But what is the best method for this, especially on clay soil? In search of answers, I created a new parking space immediately after the paving stone path to the side entrance was built. My goal was to offer the office’s customers a convenient parking lot on the property. Although the parking area in front of the house was already in use, it consisted only of compacted loamy earth, which was very unpleasant in wet weather.

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    A close-up of gabion wire mesh panels forming a fence or retaining wall, with a black cable looped through the grid. Gravel and dirt are visible on the ground, and a white material lines the inside of the structure. www.commaik.de

    Securing a slope with gabions – fleece water conduits

    11. June 2020
    A long gabion retaining wall made of wire cages filled with rocks stands beside a dirt path, showcasing the strength and durability of gabion construction. Some building materials and houses are visible in the background. www.commaik.de

    Securing a slope with gabions – 1. initial situation and preparation

    20. April 2020
    A construction site with a stone retaining wall and gabion wire mesh reinforcement in front of a modern house; soil and building materials are scattered in the foreground. www.commaik.de

    Slope stabilization – stack gabions safely on top of each other

    21. August 2020
  • Drainage of the house – installation of drainage and water pipes.

    Three drainage pipes—one black and two orange—are embedded in gravel and surrounded by soil in a trench, highlighting ongoing drainage or construction work. www.commaik.de

    Drainage from the house foundation with a drainage system became more and more important due to the heavy rain and continuous rain. Due to the slope of our property, the surface water always flowed to the house and seeped into the walls. A little later, the floors in the basement became wet and and in the lower basement the water was standing. I could not achieve much by drying the walls – before that, the cause of the dampness had to be eliminated. Drainage should remedy the situation.

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    3D floor plan of a rectangular room with grey walls, labeled dimensions, a curved front wall, built-in shelves on the left, and a person standing outside for scale. The approximately 6x4 meter room could easily fit a small indoor pool. www.commaik.de

    Plan your own pool and create a 3D floor plan

    25. May 2021
    A close-up of a sprinkler spraying water over a lush, green lawn on a sunny day showcases the benefits of planning lawn irrigation, with a stone wall and some trees in the background. www.commaik.de

    Plan and install lawn irrigation yourself 2 – Calculating the water connection

    13. May 2020
    A fire barrel with flames rising from the top stands outdoors on dirt, with stacked firewood neatly arranged in the background. www.commaik.de

    Build your own smoke-free fire barrel: DIY instructions from a 200 L oil drum with secondary ventilation

    17. October 2025
  • Cleaning WPC decking boards with high pressure

    A sunlit wooden deck with a hose and pressure washer on the floor, potted plants along the railing, and outdoor furniture with a white cloth in the background showcases durable WPC decking boards for a modern outdoor retreat. www.commaik.de

    Our WPC decking is now in its 3rd year and still looks great – and there are no haptic defects either. The floorboards are still splinter-free and undamaged. Only the green algae coating on the shady parts of the terrace was a nuisance during my tour in spring. Last spring, I had already sprayed the WPC decking with my Kärcher high-pressure cleaner and removed the dirt and algae deposits. It worked, but it left these ugly streaks on the wood.

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    A close-up of a sprinkler spraying water over a lush, green lawn on a sunny day showcases the benefits of planning lawn irrigation, with a stone wall and some trees in the background. www.commaik.de

    Plan and install lawn irrigation yourself 2 – Calculating the water connection

    13. May 2020
    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

    DIY ornamental bed with automatic Rain Bird drip tube irrigation

    2. February 2024
    A small red excavator is digging a pile of dirt in a backyard or construction area, with wooden sheds, a carport, and a fence in the background. The machine is operated by a person inside the cab. www.commaik.de

    Build carport yourself – prepare building site

    26. August 2020
  • Build your own party room in the basement

    A stylish party room with black walls, a tan floor, and a wood-burning stove with firewood storage. A partial wooden divider with a large window opening separates the space from the cellar-style utility area in the background. www.commaik.de

    Due to the current mild winter, I’m torn as to whether I should start gardening or start building the party room in the house. My original plan was to work exclusively outside in summer and exclusively indoors in winter. However, the party room is firmly planned for this year as several events are planned. So I’m going to start converting the old cellar into a stylish and functional lounge.

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    A black Glide Gear camera rig stands on a workbench in a workshop, surrounded by various tools, toolboxes, and equipment hanging on a pegboard and scattered across the table—a true workspace for creative Glide Gear setups. www.commaik.de

    Glide Gear OH100 overhead camera platform in test

    27. January 2021
    A close-up of a black plastic pipe connected to a rusted metal fitting, surrounded by wet, muddy soil and remnants of an old clay pipe—evidence of recent underground plumbing or pipe repair work. www.commaik.de

    A new HT drain is tied into the old clay pipe

    2. January 2018
    A yellow excavator is digging earth along a muddy construction site, creating a steep dirt slope next to trees and residential buildings, where gabion baskets may soon be installed for added slope stability. www.commaik.de

    Securing the slope with gabions – preparing the ground with the excavator

    25. April 2020
  • Bad surprise – cable thieves strike

    Ein verwittertes Holztor mit zerbrochenen Bohlen steht vor einem schmalen gepflasterten Weg, umgeben von grünen Pflanzen und Bäumen. Das Tor ist leicht angelehnt und teilweise beschädigt. www.commaik.de

    The actual construction in the house began around October 2008. The plans were in place and the first walls had been removed or torn out. Little by little we had brought tools and materials into the house and stored them there. Our house was secured by a solid wooden entrance door but was now completely accessible inside. And so it happened, as it unfortunately has to happen far too often in our area. We experienced our first break-in. What happened? One Monday afternoon I drove back to the construction site straight after work, parked at the house and went to the door. Somehow I noticed that the lock on the…

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    A construction site featuring gabions—wire mesh walls filled with rocks—a wooden plank supported by concrete blocks, an orange bucket, bricks, and a wheelbarrow with building materials nearby. www.commaik.de

    Securing slopes with gabions – installing stones correctly

    19. August 2020
    A modern, white carport is illuminated at night with bright electric lights. Behind it is a stone wall, and in the background a crescent moon hangs in the dark sky. Building materials and equipment can be seen in the surroundings. www.commaik.de

    Optimally illuminate carport with LED light – install camera and motion detector

    27. September 2020
    Partially built garden kitchen with light-colored gas concrete blocks, open walls and unfinished columns on a concrete foundation. Trees and a wire fence can be seen in the background. www.commaik.de

    Build your own garden kitchen – brick and glue walls with aerated concrete

    13. November 2021
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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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