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  • COMMAIK
    • Contact Form
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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
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  • 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 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
    Two surveillance cameras are shown on the left and a network diagram for installing an IP camera is shown on the right. Below is written: Install Reolink surveillance cameras yourself. www.commaik.de

    Install surveillance cameras yourself – IP camera network explained simply

    16. January 2026
    A modern backyard with a rectangular pool, surrounded by gray tiles. There’s a covered terrace with bar stools, a small palm tree, and a blue shed in the background. www.commaik.de

    Build your own pool terrace with stone slabs on a slope

    8. June 2025
  • New submersible pump defective – draining the cellar

    A red pump, an orange bucket, two plastic bottles and a hose stand in front of a rough, stained concrete wall with visible drops of water and pipes. www.commaik.de

    Two months ago I built a sump pit with a sump pump in my cellar to collect the water seeping into it and further dry out my cellar. A submersible pump with an integrated float switch should then pump the water out via a hose. Unfortunately, things turned out quite differently. The new submersible pump in the pump sump was defective after just a few weeks. Read this article to find out why the pump was destroyed and how the draining process continued.

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    A man in a black jacket stands next to a Hunter X-Core irrigation timer, pointing at it. The X-Core’s display reads 4:22 PM and features green buttons and a central dial with labeled settings in German. www.commaik.de

    Hunter X-Core control computer for garden irrigation program yourself

    29. January 2021
    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
    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
  • Drying basement – pump sump | build septic tank yourself

    A photo showing construction tools and materials: two yellow buckets with gravel, an orange bucket, a red pump sump for drainage, a circular saw blade, a power drill, and a spirit level, all placed on a rough concrete floor. www.commaik.de

    I built a sump pump at the lowest point of my house to help drain my cellar in the long term. The water is collected there and pumped out automatically. In this article, I describe how I built the soakaway and what I had to pay particular attention to. I go into the advantages and disadvantages of this method of draining the cellar and of course also write about whether this method works. Drying out the basement of my 120 year old house has been going on for 12 months now. In the interior, I have previously used the injection method to dry out. The areas above the barrier layer…

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    In a damp cellar, plastic containers are inserted into holes at the base of a brick wall to dry out the room. A red dehumidifier and various appliances can be seen in the background. www.commaik.de

    Draining the cellar – 1 year later

    31. December 2021
    An inflatable, square whirlpool filled with bubbling water stands in the interior next to a window and a wooden wall with the MSpa brand on the front. www.commaik.de

    MSpa whirlpool for the sauna in the test

    20. December 2020
    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

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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