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  • COMMAIK
    • Contact Form
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    • 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
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  • Converting a pool – dismantling an old steel wall pool

    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

    Our steel wall pool is already a few years old. The oval pool has a size of 6.23 x 3.60 x 1.5 meters. The almost 30 m³ of water is heated to a pleasant 30°C automatically and weather-controlled via a solar system. The pool was built on a solid concrete base plate. On the sides, 2 walls of concrete formwork support the sides of the pool. I had shuttered the curves and also filled them with concrete. This pool is now being dismantled. I am building a new pool from concrete formwork blocks at this point. In this article, I write about the removal of the old steel wall. I…

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    Exposed wooden beams and metal pipes of a building under construction or renovation, with a partially demolished wall near the future terrace and scattered debris on the ground. Sunlight casts shadows across the scene. www.commaik.de

    Building a new pool – dismantling BPC decking and pool technology

    12. March 2021
    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
    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
  • Dry out the cellar yourself – infrared heating is used

    Plastic bottles attached to a pipe run along a brick wall in a basement or garage, probably part of a drainage system. Nearby is an easel or a whiteboard on blocks with several cables hanging above it. The floor is made of concrete. www.commaik.de

    In order to make the basement rooms of our over 100-year-old city villa usable, I first have to dry them out. The house is partially built into the slope. On the east side the basement floor is at ground level and on the west side about 200 cm below ground level. I have already used various methods for draining. I am currently creating a new watertight horizontal barrier in the masonry using chemical agents such as injection liquid, injection sticks and injection cream. I have already drained the eastern part of the cellar. Now it is the turn of the western part of the building. This time I let my…

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    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

    Build your own party room in the basement

    14. March 2014
    A compact kitchen countertop with a black round washbasin, black faucet, sponge, dish soap, stainless steel electric kettle, and a Bosch dishwasher below, set against a gray textured wall with two power outlets. www.commaik.de

    Install granite washbasin with tap yourself

    3. February 2020
    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

    Drainage – retrofitting a horizontal barrier yourself

    24. January 2024
  • Lawn Irrigation – Connect 4 Rain Bird Valves to Hunter X-Core Computer

    Close-up of a Rain Bird mechanical irrigation control box with exposed cables, pipes, valves and connections, surrounded by gravel. The sunlight illuminates the area and highlights the various electrical and sanitary components. www.commaik.de

    I am still in the process of converting my existing Hunter lawn irrigation system. From the current 3 sprinkler circuits with 4 sprinklers each, I will build 6 circuits. I will then install 3 sprinklers per circle. For the blasters, I have so far relied on models from Hunter. My 1st valve box is also a Hunter product. Now the 2nd box is to be installed. Here, however, I rely on solenoid valves from Rain Bird. Rain Bird, like Hunter, is one of the top dogs in the irrigation equipment market. Price-wise, the valve box was even a little more interesting than Hunter’s box.

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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
    Sprinkler system components and hoses are laid out on a bin next to a green lawn and a hedge, ready for irrigation installation in the garden. www.commaik.de

    Build your own automatic hedge watering system

    11. June 2020
    An irrigation control system with pipes, valves, and wires is installed beside a stone-filled trench near a raised bed in the garden. Purple flowers and soil are visible in the background. www.commaik.de

    Building a raised bed on a slope with gabions and automatic irrigation

    2. August 2020
  • Hunter X-Core control computer for garden irrigation program yourself

    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

    In one of my last blog posts, I described the installation and connection of the Hunter X-Core irrigation computer. I have explained how to connect the solenoid valves to the irrigation computer. However, I only briefly touched on the programming of the Hunter X-Core. In this article I will write in detail how I programmed my Hunter X-Core irrigation computer.

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    Two black Rain Bird lawn sprinklers spray water in multiple streams across a vibrant green grass lawn on a sunny day. www.commaik.de

    Lawn Irrigation Comparison Hunter MP Rotator vs. RainBird R-Van

    13. September 2020
    Sprinkler system components and hoses are laid out on a bin next to a green lawn and a hedge, ready for irrigation installation in the garden. www.commaik.de

    Build your own automatic hedge watering system

    11. June 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
  • 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 gabion filled with stones forms a small retaining wall next to an evergreen bush and concrete blocks in a sloping, leaf-covered garden. The sunlight casts soft shadows on the scene. www.commaik.de

    Build your own carport – safely stabilize slopes with gabions

    4. October 2020
    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

    Build your own party room in the basement

    14. March 2014
    Concrete blocks are laid in a straight line to form a shuttering stone wall foundation, with a spirit level, wooden plank, and hammer on top; yellow guide lines ensure alignment. Soil and rocks can be seen in the background along the gentle slope. www.commaik.de

    Build your own carport – secure slope with shuttering blocks

    26. August 2020
  • 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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    Close-up of a heavily rusted and corroded basement metal girder with jagged edges showing considerable decay. A blurred ladder and a bright background can be seen through a large hole in the metal. www.commaik.de

    Renovate basement ceiling yourself – safely replace steel beams

    25. October 2020
    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 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

    Build your own party room in the basement

    14. March 2014
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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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