Building a house in Ukraine

[Carlusha]

The neighbours are revolting 

More at www.kievlife.co.uk

[misterb]

The neighbours are revolting 

More at www.kievlife.co.uk

Unreal that the simpletons next door don't understand that you're trying to hook up your house. We had a similar case last summer when our cable and pole were looking like they had made it through the great war, so we shut it down to trench it in and we could hear the screams 4 houses down. We shouted back over a cold one in good fun.

[Carlusha]

The neighbours are revolting 

More at www.kievlife.co.uk

Unreal that the simpletons next door don't understand that you're trying to hook up your house. We had a similar case last summer when our cable and pole were looking like they had made it through the great war, so we shut it down to trench it in and we could hear the screams 4 houses down. We shouted back over a cold one in good fun.

I got the impression it affected the entire street! That is worth a lynch mob at the very least in such heat!!!

However, you're quite correct - Ukrainians don't do patience! 

[Kord]

It was fully designed by a structural engineer and architecturally designed by me (with the help of an International architectural company).  We had proper topo and geological survey as it is on a slope and we had no idea of the ground conditions.

1. Would you mind to post the soil info? Like how many PSF the soil will support? Maybe in your soil report it has units of kPA? Also, is your foundation slab on grade or did you need footings?

2. I am impressed you spent the money for topo & geo - you don't mess about )
Did your Engineer bring in a sub-contractor to prepare those documents?

3. For your design {good job Mr. Architect} did you sketch up by hand then input in to a CAD drawing or give paper design to the Engineer?
Did your Engineer use CAD drawings or hand drawn? Did he need to use STAAD or w/e finite element analysis software they use in these here parts, to prepare calculations? Or did he calculate by hand? What codes are used here? IBC?

4. Did you have the option of installing a septic system or are homes required to tie in to city seweage?
Same question for water. Could you have installed a well?

5. Are you a Rennaissance Man or something? 

The engineer ended up doing the foundations and then he evolved into the overall contractor although we are now employing specialists direct - underfloor heating - and a single company used to doing shop fitting for the finishing.

Current all up price for the 230 sqm is running at $809 psm inc finishing and (some) service connections. This will rise as I need to bribe GASK pay for my commissioning.

Does this $809 figure include the cost of your land plot?

We started in late April - target for moving in is November. 

I can only imagine the stress-level this project has impacted on your life. Your must be Job reincarnated. )

[Glyn Thomas.]

That's a lot of questions!

1. Would you mind to post the soil info? Like how many PSF the soil will support? Maybe in your soil report it has units of kPA? Also, is your foundation slab on grade or did you need footings?

Every plot is different - we were fortunate in having quite high load bearing sand - many land plots are not much more than swamps - Ukraine generally has a high water table - and Kyiv surrounds especially. Our Foundation is a ground bearing slab cast as a box with the rear wall a retaining wall - a concrete diaphragm box.

2. I am impressed you spent the money for topo & geo - you don't mess about )
Did your Engineer bring in a sub-contractor to prepare those documents?
It was subbed -  a geo tech truck and auger did two boreholes. The engineer did the report and structural drawings

3. For your design {good job Mr. Architect} did you sketch up by hand then input in to a CAD drawing or give paper design to the Engineer?
I sketched it by hand and it was then entered in Autocad. Then I changed it from a pitched to a flat roof.. added a spiral.. and a raised section over the stairwell so I get a chimney - and probably wont need AC.


Did your Engineer use CAD drawings or hand drawn? Did he need to use STAAD or w/e finite element analysis software they use in these here parts, to prepare calculations? Or did he calculate by hand? What codes are used here? IBC?
No idea - all drawings were CAD though.


4. Did you have the option of installing a septic system or are homes required to tie in to city seweage?
Same question for water. Could you have installed a well?
We are connecting to City sewerage but only for top of the house - lower floor drains to a tank and is then pumped to the main drain in the road at the top. Water is mains - we had option of well but costs are prohibitive at 200+m

5. Are you a Rennaissance Man or something? 
lol... Theres a phrase that a man should have a child, build a house and plant a tree. I've almost achieved them all

Quote from: ace123 on Yesterday at 12:33
The engineer ended up doing the foundations and then he evolved into the overall contractor although we are now employing specialists direct - underfloor heating - and a single company used to doing shop fitting for the finishing.

Current all up price for the 230 sqm is running at $967 psm* inc finishing and (some) service connections. This will rise as I need to bribe GASK pay for my commissioning.

Does this $809 figure include the cost of your land plot?
No - but it does include everything else.

Quote from: ace123 on Yesterday at 12:33
We started in late April - target for moving in is November. 

I can only imagine the stress-level this project has impacted on your life. Your must be Job reincarnated. )
I have a wonderful Ukrainian wife who has a full time job, is mother to our 2 year old and has rebuilt our dacha this year... but still battles with Kyivenergo and the rest of the monkeys - and keeps me in check. Helps that we don't argue - have the same taste and she indulges my whims. As our street is Raketnaya - Ukrainian for Rocket - I am currently trying to find one to suspend in the stair well. She just nods and says "good idea"

* Just modded this figure as I had not added in the roof waterproofing - I think if you allow $1000 you will not be far wrong taking into account reasonable fixed furniture costs.

[Kord]

That's a lot of questions!

Thanks a lot for your responses. An opportunity to "pick the brain" of someone who is actually doing what you are doing is very rare, at least for me. Hence all the questions  I'm the type of person that goes to building sites, not when the building is built, but while it is being built - to see how a building is built - of course, I can not just hang around the local building department to peruse building permitting processes etc. LoL. So when someone posts their experiences, its very interesting for me.

As for home building/buying: Most people from my neck of the woods find an RE agent, visit pre-built houses, and attempt to buy what they can afford {or not afford as the case may be}. I wish you continued success, though I imagine a guy like you makes his success - not just wait and hope good things just magically happen

Your efforts are far and away more ambitious than mere house-shopping. Kyiv is lucky to have a person like you in its' midst, though I am pretty sure most would probably not recognize your value.

[Glyn Thomas.]

More updates... The screeding has been done. 

http://kievlife.co.uk/

[BubbaGump]

Appreciate the update, Ace; please keep us posted...NOV is coming up fast!

[Glyn Thomas.]

Just found out that Kyiv Gas will only look at our application after GASK has commissioned the building and that wil only happen next week after the windows are fitted.

Kyiv Gas need 3 months to deal with the application.

So although all the house will have been built in 6 months .. The wonderful efficient state monopoly need half that time to shuffle paper.

And no.. Bribing them won't help. They are bribed already just to do their job.

[BubbaGump]

Would it not have been easier/simpler (Oh, what am I saying!  This is Ukraine!) to have bought a house and then retrofit everything?  Seriously?

[Carlusha]

Would it not have been easier/simpler (Oh, what am I saying!  This is Ukraine!) to have bought a house and then retrofit everything?  Seriously?

Британских / украинский мафиози don't go that route! Materials have to be spanking brand new and dwelling built from scratch on virgin soil.

[Glyn Thomas.]

Extrapolate it back and I may as well have built in UK... This is a bespoke house.

No plaster angels.

No metal cills .. Plink plink plink...

No steps oops crash .. Uneven .. Yeah we do them like. That.

Jeez. It's a brand new house.

Wtf do I need a lean-to barn with a wonky roof / walls to start with?

It's not easy... But we are doing it.

[BubbaGump]

Oh, don't misunderstand; I concur, wholeheartedly!  Just wanted to momentarily play "Devil's Advocate" out of curiosity! Thanks for the clarification! 

[Glyn Thomas.]

Spiral staircase arrives

www.kievlife.co.uk

[Ted]

Pink.