Project Case History Aims Challenges Hurdles House build Conventional Saving Energy Passive House Alternative optimacasa Construction Site Cas Concos Details Constr. Plans Description Ground Floor First Floor Second Floor Basement Front Elevation Side Elevation Plot with Garden Visualization Services Sponsors Suppliers Services Diary Highlights The Beginning Calendar Can Descans Contact Who I am Contact

Home > Diary > Beginning

Diary - from the Ground-Breaking Ceremony back to the Beginning

17. Sept 2008

Ground breaking ceremony! Today is the big day and official start of the construction. Well, TV was not invited, but the chief magistrate of the community, Gabriel Tauler, and representatives of the press. Mr Tauler could not make it personally, but sent two representatives of the community instead: Antonia Rosselló and Guillermo Rosseló. So we met at 10 o’clock in the morning at the site and after a little speech of me and Joan Forteza the site is inaugurated with a strong cut with the spade. After work is done, we take an aperitif and take advantage to have a chat with representatives of the press, the community and some curious neighbours. An article is released in the Mallorca Zeitung the following day.

12. Sept 2008

On Friday evening the old garage is broken down and until the upcoming Wednesday the building rubble should be disposed.

11. Sept 2008

The prearrangements of the ceremonial ground breaking are running high. The big billboard for the site will be ready tomorrow. Food and Drinks are chosen and will be provided by a catering service and invitations have been sent. Today, Miguel began with the levelling and uprooting works on the site and again we visited all involved neighbours. The interest in the village is very high and with my building project I am a topic of conversation.

7. Aug 2008

Much paperwork. Insurances have to be contracted, the building must be announced at the office of Economic Security and the social assistant office and I pick up the construction license from the community, the red board that has to be set good visibly at the site.

01. Aug 2008

Swiss national holiday seems right to take this important decision. Kick off, which means ground breaking and beginning of excavation should be on 17th of September 2008. I am planning to celebrate this event and will invite press and TV. The president of the community accepted already and I was joking that we will have to ask the police to regulate the traffic when the big outside broadcast vans are coming to Cas Concos :-).

30. Jul 2008

The die is cast. I decided for a building company and now I have the thankless task to call off the other two companies. Now I have the most important suppliers and can think about the starting date. With the demolition of the garage and the preparation of the ground I authorised a company from Cas Concos.

18. Jul 2008

30, 30A, 26 or maybe 28? At the community centre there are several ideas for the house no. of my allotment. To me it is not important, but the application for the power used on site could not be filed, because obviously there is already power on allotment 30A. After being a pain with asking at the community, the no. 26 appears. This is not right either; the land registration says that it should be no. 28. I hope there will be a solution soon.

17. Jul 2008

Once it worked out fast. The "Proyecto Executivo" was permitted within a month. What happened at the community?

Juni 2008

The whole month of June I ask for offers of different performing maintenance groups and have three building companies to choose from.  The real estate crisis is good for me: Now it is easier to find a construction company and it seems as if the companies are spoiling their clients a little bit more again.

17. Jun 2008

The "Proyecto Executivo" is filed at the community authorities.

20. Mai 2008

The ground analysis is ready. Like we thought, the underground is full of stones but not from rock only.

24. Apr 2008

The insurance dictates that the construction ground has to be analysed and a trial drilling has to be done. Joan is looking after this and today is the day. A special drill machine takes a drill kernel from 16 metres depth. This analysis also is precondition for the grant of the definitive building license, the "Proyecto Executivo".

01. Apr 2008

February and March there have been several appointments with possible suppliers. I have offers for all doors, windows and shutters now. The concept of the kitchen is ready. Today I have an appointment with the installation company. I tell my thoughts and think I will receive the first offer in May.

18. Mar 2008

First concept of the description of the construction is ready. A good amount of work is done again. (At the moment only in German, sorry)

21. Feb 2008

The concept of the bathrooms with all sanitary facilities is ready. Also the design of the taps has been chosen.

21. Jan 2008

16:00 h until 19:30 h. Meeting with the construction engineer Llorenz Sureda. My head is aching and my knowledge of the Mallorquin language is tested heavily. Architect an engineer try to talk in Spanish but go into the Mallorquin again and again and I try to understand what is happening. The setting of the allotment and therefore the alignment of the house are base for the calculation of the solar radiation. It is not the winter with its low temperatures but the heat of the summer what is a problem. Because we are building between two other houses, the construction of the 3-shelled brickwork will not be easy. Where ever possible, we will try to use ecological material. For example cork instead of Styrofoam or wood instead of concrete. This means many additional clarifications, and each one of us gets his duty book for the next meeting. Llorenz gives us some good ideas referring the shadowing of the terraces and the placement of the cistern.

30. Nov 2007

The architect and I have a first appointment with Llorenz Sureda, the leading engineer for ecological building on Mallorca, in his office in Manacor and he likes our project. The upcoming holidays (and there will be some in the next four weeks) imply that only in January the planning could be started but I told myself to take things easier. I have a positive impression of Llorenz and in January we will see, what will happen.

26. Nov 2007

Full of joy, an employee of the construction authorities hands me the document, I have waited for so long. Even fuller of joy comes the invoice, to be paid directly. I do not have a clue what for I should pay again this rather big amount of money. These are the taxes for the construction. Ah, beginning of construction is not set yet but I should pay in advance. Remark: The accountancy of Felanitx is working fine. The Proyecto Basico is permitted. The community proved over the last 9 months, that height, depth and width of the construction are within the standards and gave permission to build. That is all, the paper is saying. Now, the fine tuning begins. Statics, isolation, building etc. have to be set and with this plan of the construction the definitive application, the Proyecto Executivo, can be filed. Overall I am told that this new permission will come much faster. I save my comment and I am in for the surprise. It is clear-cut that the beginning of the construction will not be before summer 2008.

Nov, 16 2007

My first way after my holiday leads me into the bureau of the architect. Full of joy I step into the office. Even bigger was the disappointment. Nothing happened and again I have the feeling… well, at this point I do not want to phrase it. Immediately I walk to the communitys construction authorities and really, because of various delays, indispositions, maybe because of the tooth aching of the niece of an employee it did not work out but now everything is on its way and should be solved in a few days.

Oct, 26 2007

Another time to meet the construction authorities and finally I get a positive message. Promised, at the beginning of November it should be done. First two weeks of November I will be on holiday, so I tell the architect that he should work on a fast continuation while I am not here.

Sep, 14 2007

End of summer, Mallorcas elections are over and after the end of the summer vacation in August normal life came back. Companies and authorities are working normal again, a good chance to ask directly at the community for the permission. Big disillusion, even my worst forecasting are beaten and a nice but obviously over-worked clerk at construction authorities tells me that it will last some more days. When I asked him why it is like this, he told me that the applications from last year still have to be worked on. My application was done in the middle of March, that are six months till now and still the applications from January have not been worked on! A little counting makes me think that it will take another three years for the permission.

Jul, 05 2007

Finally it starts working. My architect spoke with the community administration and we have been promised that the construction permission should come within six weeks. Without being impatient – now it is for over three months after we asked for the permission and things should start by now.

Jun, 22 2007

Good news: I found a partner for the heat- and cooling system. The company named “IMMOSOLAR” convinced with their concept. Right as it should be: Capable consultancy, good price-performance ratio, fast reaction and brilliant know how. I am looking forward to a good collaboration.

May, 31 2007

Frank Feldmeier from the "Mallorca-Zeitung" comes to Felanitx. He has another interview with me and a new article is published in the newspaper.

May, 20 2007

Since the last entry in the diary there was a lot of work done. Many contacts with al sorts of suppliers.

Mar, 29 2007

By now, there is as well a forum integrated in the website. Of course in three languages.

Mar, 28 2007

The chamber of architects in Manacor gave its ok for execution. We now can ask for te proyecto basico at the community.

Mar, 19 2007

"Thank you Tania!" No way, that without your help the spanish site could have gone online today

Mar, 14 2007

Meeting with Joan, my architect. Just a few little modifications more and then we can forward the plans to the building commision to ask for the first construction permision, called "projecto basico".

Mar, 02 2007

The english version of the website goes online. "Thank you Robert for the great job you did!"

Feb, 28 2007

The new revised plans have been sent to me by PDF. With this version, it is now possible to begin with exact ideas for insulation, heating and cooling needs.

Feb, 27 2007

The new website goes live. Few bits missing but main elements are all there.

Jan, 26 2007

The first plans appear from my architect. The realization of my ideas really pleases me and we have a basis to work on.

Jan, 05 2007

Together with Mr Frank Feldmeier, Editor of the Mallorca Zeitung, I visit Mr Sureda from the Ministry of Energy in Palma. My guess is correct, there is no comparable project on the island. The Mallorca Zeitung is interested and on the 11 January a first article about my project appears. (in german only, sorry :-)

Dec, 19 2006

Another 6 weeks and various meetings later and we are getting somewhere. Today is a meeting with the notary and as of tomorrow I am the proud owner of a piece of land in Cas Concos. Planning starts now and the ideas are coming together to build a unique house in Majorca.

Oct, 27 2006

Almost a year later, the estate agents get back in touch with me. ‘All sorted and the papers are fine’. Confidence is a good thing. The case has not been sorted but at least there is a light at the end of a tunnel.

Nov, 11 2005

It was whilst driving through Cas Concos that I took a side street and saw the ‘se vende’ sign in a local estate agents. Whilst it seemed nothing special at first glance, it soon struck me as a site full of potential. We quickly agreed on a price, a contract was prepared and the money for a deposit was sorted at the bank. ‘Everything is as clean and smooth as a baby’s bottom!’ (Original quote from the estate agent) As is often the case in Majorca, a pitfall was just around the corner. My accountant realized on closer inspection that the owners were at loggerheads and the case was up before a judge. On the reassurances of the estate agents, it would only be a short delay of a few weeks and a deposit was advisable, which I didn’t deny. Shame, this would have been such a great opportunity.