ᐅ Contracting out individual trades yourself – what savings can this bring?

HilfeHilfe schrieb:
Forget it! When awarding the contracts for three houses, you don’t have nearly the purchasing power of large developers, who are always preferred by craftsmen both in terms of price and timing.

That is nonsense in all cases I know. An architect or project manager has their trusted companies because the project manager usually does not want to appear on the site multiple times to check the results. Anyone who thinks they can get better prices through an architect is, in my experience, mistaken.

In one specific, well-known case: the architect knows that for a single-family home project the budget is a bit more flexible since they also handled the financing plan and calculated their fees based on the total costs. In agreement with the construction company, the bill ends up as high as justifiable, so that everyone makes the most profit possible. One hand washes the other...

Silent010 schrieb:
The architect knows that with a single-family house project, the budget tends to be a bit more flexible since they have also handled the financing plan and calculated their fees based on the overall costs. In agreement with the construction company, the estimate is set as high as can reasonably be justified so that everyone involved can maximize their earnings. One hand washes the other...

That’s the impression I had as well. The total amount is agreed upon and fixed beforehand, and then the contractors split the "take" with the site manager.

Peanuts74 schrieb:
Of course, the trades involved have remained the same. But how do you expect to assess, with experience from 30 years ago, whether the materials used now are the right ones and are installed according to regulations?

With all due respect to your opinion that our experience seems amateurish and unprofessional. Thanks for the "kind words," especially without knowing us.

We have practically spent our entire lives building or having things built. Not just single-family homes, but also commercial buildings, garages, holiday homes, garden sheds, carports, and more.
And that continuously for the past 45 years, to put it another way.

kaho674 schrieb:
With all due respect to your opinion that our experiences seem amateurish and clumsy. Thanks for the "kind words," despite not knowing us.

We have practically spent our entire lives building or having buildings constructed. Not just single-family homes, but also commercial buildings, garages, holiday homes, garden sheds, carports, and so on.
And that is continuously from over 45 years ago up to today, to turn the tables a bit.

Well, to be honest: when reading your last questions and statements, it’s not exactly clear that there is expert knowledge behind them.
What goes around comes around.

Brief regards

Contracting trades means preparing proper tender documents. You get what you order. In my humble experience, this is not as simple as it sounds. Then you have to evaluate and compare the offers. Finally, negotiate and choose the “best” one.

Site management means ensuring that everything is at the right place at the right time! It is project management; there are good and less effective project managers. Additionally, you are responsible for technical supervision, so that the actual status corresponds to the planned one. Naturally, additional expertise should, can, and sometimes must be brought in. No site manager can fully oversee every trade. However, the more skills they have themselves… (Architects and structural engineers have certain advantages here compared to laypersons without a technical background).

Finally, the site management is also responsible for safety on the construction site, together with the client.

Here is a quote from an experienced colleague regarding my house building intention back then: The most important thing is the site manager! In retrospect, my experience is that everything that went wrong in our project can clearly be traced back to the site management.

Therefore, I would not try to save money in the wrong place.

@kaho674, these remarks are meant in general; I don’t know or judge your competence. In my opinion, the regional building regulations do not require formal certification either. But that should be assessed by others…

Regarding costs (potential savings): Find a construction supervisor or similar (in the Yellow Pages) and politely ask for an approximate price for your project. Your designer (architect?) will also be able to tell you what fees to expect if they stay involved until the end.

ypg schrieb:
Well, to be honest: when reading your most recent questions and statements, it doesn't really come across as being based on expertise. What goes in is what comes out.

Best regards in short

That's possible too. What exactly did I say wrong this time? Specifically?