A detached house built in Olomouc by RD Rýmařov

RD Rýmařov is one of the most important producers of timber structures on the Czech market. Due to the excellent thermal insulation properties of its current structures, its customers have begun utilizing electric direct-heating systems, which are currently being offered as part of the standard range of available options. The following article was taken from RD Rýmařov’s web pages.

Energy consumption load test!

Customer references say a thousand times more than a product manager can.

It is more or less certain that every company will lavish praise on its own products, whether they be cars, mobile phones, toys or detached houses. However, this places customers in a tricky situation. Just when they think that they have decided on the best option and everything is settled, some new information arrives which changes their view of the matter completely. Who should one believe - a company representative or a member of the public who has tried the product and wants to pass on their opinion?

Bearing this in mind, we have decided to publish a reference from Olomouc resident Pavel Reimer, who lives in a NOVA 101 house with his family. Read it carefully – it is intended for all those who are thinking about a new home and are still weighing things up.

"Just like everyone else who wants to build a house, we considered a brick house first. Our situation was that we were living in a block of flats and we wanted something bigger. With regard to the prices of larger apartments here in Olomouc, we decided that as we want something bigger, it might as well be a house because the price - including the land parcel - wouldn´t be much higher."

We found a land parcel as well as a company which built brick houses in the given locality. However, a financial problem arose. We couldn’t afford to take out a big mortgage and start paying it off while still paying for our flat and building the new home for at least half a year with an unknown building company. We started to think about timber houses. My partner had already had some experience with RDR during her previous marriage and her feelings were mostly positive. I started to take a greater interest in RDR’s houses and found that the “Okál” type of building which I used to know is a thing of the distant past. I dived into the characteristics of the individual materials which the company uses, the heating methods, the thermal insulation materials, and the overall characteristics of the house, and started to realize that it might not be a bad option at all. In fact, it was the opposite, as I was only able to find positive points with regard to our specific situation.

Arguments which convinced us:

1. The price, which is comparable to that of a brick house of the same size, or perhaps a bit lower. There’s no such thing as “additional work” during the construction process. What is signed for in the contract is valid. The company arranged the terms of payment taking account of our financial situation, and we didn´t have any problems with this after building completion.
2. The speed of construction. The house is ready within a month, or 5 weeks at most whatever happens. And when we say ready we mean completely ready, including the painting, tidying, etc. All that needs to be done is to move in. A strong argument for us. We have two small children.
3. The company’s reputation. RD Rýmařov has been involved in building timber houses for decades, and has a lot of experience, quality workers, well-thought-out details, top-quality materials. It is not an opportunistic “let’s just get rich quick” type of company.
4. The NOVA 101. It’s exactly what we wanted. Neither too big nor too small. It fits our land parcel perfectly. Simply ideal, with the option of individual customisation.
5. The perfect attitude of the sales representative towards us when we were just hesitant potential clients.

Differences between the standard model and our house

The first and essential difference was decided for us by the building authority, which decreed that the gable wall must face the street as in the case of other houses. We chose the option with a third large gable together with the designer. This significantly extended the top bathroom and bedroom. It also changed the appearance of the house considerably because the employees themselves didn´t realize at first sight that it was the 101 type. I think that it is still the only house like this in the whole country. We also extended the garage by 1.2m so we could situate a Hydrounit 300 l boiler for the heating of warm water there. Apart from that, we only made small changes, such as reducing the size of the kitchen and leaving only one terrace door in the living room.

We used our own source, Sapeli, for the sectional garage door, as well as the door to the garage and all interior doors. RDR had no problem with any of these deliveries. All our feelings about the house are positive. There were minimal flaws in the house - bad sealing in the shower corner, cracked plasterboard joints, a cracked tile in the bathroom, a faulty entrance door. Nothing which couldn´t be solved to our satisfaction as a repair under warranty, free of charge and relatively fast.

Construction went like clockwork

If you haven´t seen and experienced the construction of an assembled house, it will be hard for you to understand. Mr. Lejsek´s team arrived exactly on time, at the hour agreed in the contract. The first lorries appeared and it all started. Everybody knew exactly what to do and where. I didn´t see anyone standing around with nothing to do. No one had to shout or swear - it was simply a well coordinated team. Not a single problem arose from the first day of construction until the last, apart from a few minor issues, and they were solved with a smile. Really. No arguing, haggling, negotiating, excuses. Impossible in the case of a brick structure. If we still wanted to change something during construction, everything could be arranged. All the workers were well motivated and behaved exemplarily. I have never seen anything like it.            

Electric heating – a leap of faith which we don’t regret

We were the first RDR customers to decide to use electric floor heating throughout the whole house. The system we chose comprised ECOFOIL floor heating foils and ECOFLOOR heating cables by Fenix Jeseník, with BMR central regulation. This was the hardest decision to make. Endless calculations regarding what is advantageous and what isn´t. I considered the acquisition costs, operating costs, service costs, simply everything possible. I examined all types of heating, ranging from a heat pump with warm-water floor heating, through radiators, a gas boiler, an electric boiler all the way to infrared heat panels. Electric floor heating still seemed to be the best option.
We were afraid of it but our worries were unsubstantiated. The heating system works absolutely reliably, fast and to our great satisfaction. Every room is regulated independently and exactly as it is set up to do. The table below shows electricity consumption including heating, the heating of warm water (we have two SunWing solar panels) and the complete consumption of the household, divided into months:

Note regarding the above table: The fixed payment for a 3 x 25A circuit breaker is 360 CZK/month, i.e. 4 320/year.
Values stated in kWh: Low tariff is 2.60 CZK/kWh, high tariff is 3.20 CZK/kWh.

The total price charged by electricity supplier ČEZ is 32 628 CZK, which is 2 719 CZK/month.

The entrance of the house faces the north-east, and therefore the sun goes around the house via its side wall and garden and sets by the garage. We heat the whole house to 22°C, except for the living room, where it’s 23°C. My wife was on maternity leave with our daughter until the end of January. We often air the house and a lot of heat escapes when entering and leaving the house – we put on and take off our shoes outside. We have standard equipment in our household => a washing machine, 2 fridges with freezers (both about 10 years old), 2 PCs, 2 TV sets, a microwave, an oven, an induction cooktop, and energy-saving fluorescent bulbs in the lights. We use the D45d tariff, i.e. 20 hours per day at the low tariff for the whole house, a monthly payment for 3 x 25A circuit breakers of 360 CZK, and an advance payment of 3 500 CZK/month.

Our sound insulation is pretty average. It is possible to hear the children chasing each other and jumping upstairs. Otherwise, I would say that the sound level in the house is absolutely fine. The windows don´t fog up either, and nothing is damp anywhere, even though we dry all our washing in the house. We wash clothes almost every day, sometimes even 2 – 3 loads. We dry the washing in one of the children´s rooms upstairs.

What we would have done differently

There are not many things but we would certainly welcome a larger entry foyer than the standard one we have. It is small and insufficient in the winter. The 1m width is not enough; 2 m at least would be optimum. Otherwise everything is fine for us. We didn´t want heat recovery ventilation or a central vacuum cleaning system and we haven’t noticed the lack of forced ventilation. We received the solar power system free of charge as a promotion when buying the house; if I had to purchase one now, I would choose a thermodynamic panel. It costs practically the same and it has several times higher efficiency.

What to conclude with? You needn’t be afraid of a timber home. It is not a paper house like it used to be. The thermal insulation characteristics are of a high standard, as is the quality of assembly. The fixed price, which doesn´t change during construction, is also a very strong argument for choosing this house type. RDR are great about the financial side of things and sympathetic regarding problems that arise with authorities and banks. There is also the speed of construction, as well as the individual customisation options and the possibility of purchasing certain equipment elsewhere.

I would simply say: “Do not hesitate to go for RD Rýmařov! The construction process will be a great experience for you, and your house will be a peaceful home."

This text was taken from the RD Rýmařov web pages.
You can find the original version of the text here.