ᐅ Building Your Own House Completely by Yourself

The point is that a company has to approve your installation. For that, they first need to be willing, as they take responsibility for the work you have done.

Whether you need to request this in advance cannot be answered universally.

Hello,

Konder schrieb:
...What worries me is my flat roof, due to Paragraph 34. Can I even get a building permit / planning permission for my house in Germany?

Why not? This can be clarified with a simple preliminary building inquiry!

By the way, don’t let yourself be misled! I have completed two solid (masonry) houses myself with almost 99% DIY (owner-builder) work and today I support various self-build projects in my region.
However, there are some pitfalls for inexperienced builders, such as:

1. Time: For self-build, a factor of 2.5 to 4 times the usual duration should be expected, depending on your craftsmanship skills.
2. Declaration by qualified subcontractors!
3. Safety-related issues can only be completed by authorized professionals.
4. The greatest savings effect can be achieved with the “closed shell” stage (enclosed structure).

Conclusion: Self-build only after thorough consultation and construction supervision! Otherwise, it will become a money pit, and the originally expected savings will almost disappear, leaving only frustration!

Best regards

€uro schrieb:
Hello,

Why not, this can be clarified with a simple preliminary building inquiry (building permit / planning permission)!

By the way, don’t let yourself be discouraged! I have personally completed two solid construction projects with almost 99% self-performed work (owner-builder) and currently supervise various self-build projects in my region. However, there are some pitfalls for inexperienced builders, for example:

1. Time: In self-building, a factor of 2.5 to 4 should be expected depending on craftsmanship skills.
2. Specialist contractor declaration!
3. Safety-related issues can only be handled by "authorized" persons.
4. The largest savings are usually achieved with the fully enclosed shell construction.

Conclusion: Self-building only after thorough consultation and construction supervision! Otherwise, it can become a money pit, and hardly any of the originally expected savings remain, except frustration!

Best regards.

Thank you, I also have a feeling that most people I talk to are trying to talk me out of it.

Could you please explain to me in more detail what 2. Specialist contractor declaration means?
Is it some kind of permit for self-building?
If yes, how and where is this done?

And what do you mean here with

3. Safety-related issues can only be handled by "authorized" persons.

Which safety-related issues do you mean?
Structural engineering?

Thank you

Konder schrieb:
Thanks, I also have the feeling that most people I talk to try to talk me out of it.

There are reasons for this, some of which are justified. However, with self-building, you can save a significant amount (VAT, profit margins, etc. on installation services), provided that sufficient planning (construction, building services engineering) is in place. Self-building is more often hindered than supported in Germany! Why that is, everyone can consider for themselves.

Konder schrieb:
...Can you please explain to me in more detail what the second specialist contractor declaration is? Is it some kind of permit for self-building? If yes, how and where do you obtain it?

The required building inspection (which varies by region) requires that especially "safety-relevant" issues are confirmed by specialist contractors. This mainly concerns gas and electrical systems! How to handle this, feel free to contact me by private message!

Konder schrieb:
...Which safety-relevant issues does this concern? Structural engineering?

Building permit/planning permission, structural engineering, sound and fire protection, gas if applicable, electrical systems....

Best regards

We are also doing almost all the interior work of our house ourselves. But you have to know your limits – that’s my opinion. You simply can’t be good at everything. I originally trained in an electrical trade, but I have been out of it for several years now. To be able to do the entire electrical installation myself and comply fully with all the standards, I studied a book of around 600 pages – and I actually read about 75% of it. You can save a lot – I agree with that. But you can also make many mistakes. And on top of that: it’s better not to count the time spent!

On the other hand, I’ve seen a lot of poor work from tradespeople on other construction sites. When you do it yourself, as long as you follow the relevant standards, you can often achieve better results.

In short: I don’t want to discourage anyone, but you should be aware of the full scope of the task!

biologist schrieb:
We are also doing almost the entire interior work of our house ourselves.

Here is where the most common misconception begins. The biggest cost savings are achieved with the fully enclosed shell of the building! For the interior work, the competing demands of the various trades, as well as the time factor and the required expertise, have a disproportionately large impact.

biologist schrieb:
... You can save a lot – I agree with that. But you can also make many mistakes. And apart from that: it’s better not to calculate time!

Yes, you do need to calculate time, which is why many DIY projects naturally fall apart at this point!

biologist schrieb:
... On the other hand, I have seen a lot of poor work by tradespeople on other sites. If you do it yourself, provided you follow the applicable standards, you can often achieve a better result.

That is also true; the lack of perfect execution can be compensated for, but usually at the expense of more time!

Best regards.