Following the summer break, construction work at Dalslands Studio is clearly back on track. The first phase of construction is now behind us; we are now working on the second phase so that, as planned, we can obtain the next planning permission. This is the sort of work where it only gradually becomes apparent how the plan I developed with Hajo is turning into a real place: another new door, a foundation, water pipes in the ground, concrete, windows that have been ordered, and many small decisions that will hopefully seem entirely natural later on.
At the moment, there are a few new building sites again. But there’s something lovely about that, too. Rooms that previously existed only as an idea, a sketch or a planning application document are now taking on dimensions, materials, weight and an atmosphere of their own.
A door from Schöckingen
One particularly welcome improvement is the new door at the rear of the studio. It will serve as an emergency exit and, at the same time, provide access to a second, slightly shorter spiral staircase.
It was built and fitted by Volker, my old school friend. Volker is a master glazier and, together with his brother Armin, runs the family business, Luhr Fensterbau GbR, in Schöckingen near Ditzingen. The business was founded in 1966 by their father, master glazier Adolf Luhr; Volker and Armin have been running the company since 1996. As well as glazing and window fabrication, their trade also includes doors, renovation work and window fitting.
For our studio, Volker did not supply a standardised door, but built a handcrafted door in the traditional manner. In terms of its materials and finish, it complements the house and aligns with what we aim to achieve with the refurbishment: not just any technical addition, but a component that must be functional whilst also possessing character.
When people talk about doors today, they often think first of dimensions, thermal insulation, locks, escape routes and standards. All of that is, of course, important. But a door is also a threshold. It does not merely separate the inside from the outside; it connects them. It marks the moment when one steps out of one room or into another. The fact that this door was built by an old friend gives it an extra layer of history for us.
A second spiral staircase featuring cranes
A second spiral staircase will adjoin the new door. It will be smaller than the spiral staircase on the house, yet will correspond with it in terms of design. This staircase, too, will feature cranes, thus taking up a recurring motif that has come to mean a great deal to us.
The cranes symbolise movement, return, new beginnings and direction. They are part of Dalsland, of the seasons, of the sky above the lakes and forests. For us, they also serve as a reminder of Hajo, who ‘moved on with the cranes’ in May 2025. The new staircase will therefore not only be a necessary link between the door and the grounds. It will be a counterpart to the existing staircase on the house and a quiet continuation of this memory.
To ensure the structure remains stable in the long term, a concrete foundation was first laid. Whilst excavating, we came across a very large stone – as is so often the case when working around the house and on the grounds. Here in Dalsland, the landscape isn’t just beneath our feet; it reveals itself whenever we dig. The stone will not be removed. Instead, we will anchor the staircase into it. In this way, it will become part of the structure and provide it with additional stability.
This is perhaps a fitting solution for this house: not to build against the stone, but with it.
A floor for the guest flat
Work is also continuing in our small guest flat. First, the water pipes were laid. Next came the insulation with polystyrene panels, which thermally separate the floor from the subsoil and should help to make the room more comfortable and energy-efficient in future.
In the next step, the entire room was poured with concrete. The concrete was mixed with synthetic fibres, which are distributed throughout the material and help to increase its load-bearing capacity and reduce cracking. Now, above all, the floor needs time. Concrete looks finished immediately after pouring, but the curing process continues inside for weeks. So on a building site, patience is just as much a part of the trade as tools, a spirit level and a screwdriver.
The new floor is already transforming the space. Walls, finishes, lighting, furniture and much more are still missing. But it is no longer merely an interim stage. It forms the foundation upon which the rest of the interior fit-out can be built.
Doors and windows have now been ordered. They are due to be fitted before the cold weather sets in. If that goes to plan, the building will be enclosed and weatherproof – a key milestone in the construction process. Then the work can increasingly shift indoors: insulation, electrical installations, finishes, furnishings and all the decisions that transform a shell into a liveable and welcoming space.
Step by step
Construction progress is rarely spectacular when you’re right in the thick of it. A foundation will later disappear beneath the stairs. Water pipes vanish into the floor. The insulation will no longer be visible. Even the work that goes into a door or its careful fitting may only really be noticed when something goes wrong.
And yet it is precisely these steps that will ultimately determine whether a place is functional, safe, warm and durable. They form the invisible infrastructure for everything that is to take place at Dalslands Studio in the future: guests, conversations, seminars, small events, shared meals, work, tranquillity and new encounters.
It is therefore encouraging to be back on the building site after the summer months. The new door has been fitted. The foundations have been laid. The staircase is in place. In the guest flat, the pipework, insulation and fresh concrete are in place. Windows and doors have been ordered.
Progress is being made. We are confident that we will receive planning permission for the second phase of construction by spring at the latest – and that we will then be able to press ahead with the project.