Building our guesthouse from the ground up
To carry out the supported project, we made the decisions required for the permit in close cooperation with the architect, the local chief architect, the structural engineer and the building permit authority.
This required certain technical changes, which the Ministry has since approved – for example, placing the parking spaces in the courtyard instead of an underground garage, and creating a gym, sauna, changing rooms, a dining area and service rooms in the basement.
During these consultations we learned a great deal about the applicable regulations and the permitting procedure.
By 2022, both building material prices and construction labour costs had risen by about 40% compared with the price levels at the time of the application, so we decided to carry out the project under our own coordination, without a general contractor. This results in significant savings of around 40%. In the second half of 2022, the weakening of the forint made cost-efficient procurement even harder. Fortunately, by the second quarter of 2023 the exchange rate had returned to its 2021 level.
So far we have not faced any problems with timing or quality in sourcing materials or skilled labour. The mild winter weather helped the project progress, and we completed the structural works at the end of March 2023; the biggest challenge was building the basement and shoring the walls of the excavation pit.
The roof tiling and the thermal insulation of the façades have been completed. Our exterior windows and doors have been installed, and interior works began in June. We believe we can meet the contractual deadline and will even complete the project somewhat earlier.
To be continued...
