A visit to the Olschewski family’s prefabricated house
Anyone thinking about building a house has to make many decisions. And since one doesn’t usually build that often in life, some decisions can be understandably quite difficult. After all, how is one supposed to have the necessary knowledge? The Olschewski family from Rheinland-Palatinate was in a similar situation – at least to begin with.
Describing the high expectations she and her husband had, homeowner Michelle Olschewski notes, “We were looking for a partner for our construction project with whom we could just sit back and confidently say, ‘You do it!’” Her husband Stefan adds: “Of course, we wanted to have an excellent product. But understanding each other and feeling that we were in good hands was just as important for us as the technical data. With such an investment, everything has to fit perfectly.”
During their tour of the Hanse Haus factory and show homes, and during the sampling in Oberleichtersbach, it quickly became clear that they had found what they were looking for.
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| House series | Variant |
| House name | individual planning |
| Use | Single-family house |
| Roof inclination | 25° |
| Living space | 215,00 m² |
| Number of floors | 2 |
| Year of construction | 2015 |
| Level of completion | Turnkey houses |
sampling
“What totally convinced us was Hanse Haus’s offer to do a preliminary sampling. We had often read on the internet that people building their home with other prefabricated house manufacturers didn’t know exactly what was included as standard in the building specifications until the actual sampling took place. Often the surprise during these sampling appointments was big – or, to be more accurate, small... Hanse Haus is totally transparent with its preliminary sampling, and we were pleasantly surprised that we were happy with almost all of the fixtures that were offered,” remembers Michelle Olschewski.
The clients were also impressed with the topic “Safety at Hanse Haus”. “My brother works for the police, and every time we talked about building a house, he urged us to think about burglary protection. But we didn’t have to – Hanse Haus had already done so,” the homeowner laughs.
With the standard security fittings on doors and windows from Hanse Haus’s in-house production, homeowners really don’t have to worry about it.
Customised planning for your prefabricated home with Hanse Haus
planning
The house planning was also quite relaxed: “The many home designs, which we could use as a basis for planning, were highly practical. Together with the Hanse architect, we were able to redesign everything in a way that suited us and the building plot the best,” says Stefan Olschewski, adding with a smile: “Of course, there were still enough decisions that we had to make or were allowed to make. But we always had the good feeling that we couldn’t make any really bad decisions.”
It’s been a couple of years now and the family is now obviously comfortable in their home.
Large window surfaces connect living space to the garden
terrace
Undoubtedly, they have the best view of their new home from the large garden. Surrounded by fruit trees, the two-storey house with pitched roof literally shines out of the greenery of the garden with its pure white plaster and dark window frames.
“We love to end the day comfortably on the terrace. With the terrace facing southwest, we can enjoy the evening sun to the last ray,” the couple rejoices.
But a great time can be had not only on the terrace: the feeling that you’re in the garden transitions smoothly into the house as well. In the living and dining area, large windows let plenty of light and air into the interior and visually combine it with the garden area.
A kitchen with a sliding door as the perfect solution
separated
When planning the kitchen, many homebuilders today rely on an open kitchen connected directly to the living and dining area. Whether to have the kitchen open or as a separate room is ultimately a matter of personal taste.
“Of course it’s nice to have large and open spaces. But it’s also nice if you’re not constantly reminded to do the dishes after a leisurely meal with friends or family, but can simply shut the door to the kitchen,” smiles homeowner Michelle Olschewski.
With the large sliding door that divides the kitchen from the dining area, the homeowners found their ideal solution.
Have you thought about barrier-free access in the future?
for the future
If you wish to live comfortably in your own home in old age as well, you can lay the foundation for this now with clever house planning for the future.
That’s exactly what the Olschewski family did.
“Although we already attached great importance to barrier-free access to the house and garden as well as wider doors, a decisive and very useful tip on this topic came from Hanse Haus:
Thanks to the barrier-free guest toilet with shower on the ground floor, the current study can later be converted into a bedroom. Then living on one floor will be possible – without climbing any stairs. That was only a small effort today, which will be priceless later on,” says Stefan Olschewski about this planning option for old age.
Reassured throughout all four seasons with a gas condensing boiler, ventilation system, solar heating system and fireplace
technology
While the clients quickly came up with an accurate conception of the layout during the planning phase, the decision on heating technology was not so easy at first.
“In the beginning we were really uncertain,” says Stefan Olschewski about the choice of heating technology, and adds: “The advantages and disadvantages of different heating technologies can be seen and read about everywhere. However, Hanse Haus doesn’t just look at one technology by itself but presents different overall concepts – we liked that a lot.”
The clients decided on a combination of a gas condensing boiler, a ventilation system and a solar heating system. An ideal addition to this is the fireplace in the living area. Although it provides pleasant warmth and a lovely atmosphere even in the dead of winter, it is so popular with the owners that they can basically turn off the underfloor heating all year round in the living area, the hallway and the kitchen. Thanks to the heat recovery of the ventilation system, the heat of the fireplace is transferred to the incoming fresh air.
“Now we have a few winters behind us and are very satisfied with the technology. Comfort high, consumption low – that’s how we imagined it,” the client laughs.
But money is saved not only on heating, since most of the electricity is self-produced by a photovoltaic system.
“With our electricity storage system, we can store the electricity we produce during the day and use it in the evening, when everyone is home. During the day, electricity can be used directly for charging an electric car or for a washing machine, dishwasher etc.”
