Hello dear forum members,
A few weeks ago, you already helped me with some good advice. It became clear that building a house for 400,000€ without significant equity in rural Baden-Württemberg would be quite challenging. However, some of you encouraged me.
Now, surprisingly, I have acquired 100,000€ in equity through an early inheritance. I plan to build in 3 to 4 years and, based on my total income, I could afford a project between 500,000€ and 550,000€ (approximately 540,000 to 595,000 USD). I also intend to save a bit more during that time.
Since my family background makes me a real nerd... all of us in my family always have a strong desire to get the very best possible value for our hard-earned money. This is not always an advantage... And because we think we are good at something, we prefer to do it ourselves... .
So now I am specifically reaching out to the “nerds” among you. Who has built a house with an architect (possibly only phases 1-5) and with individual trade contracts while also contributing a significant amount of own labor? How long was the planning period? And what was the pure construction time?
In the next 12-24 months, I want to find a plot and, during and after that time, thoroughly consider what I want and need. For me, this includes intensive research in many areas (technology, architecture, building materials, etc.). Additionally, I have support from family members, as we are currently lifting and almost fully renovating a house ourselves.
Thanks to the long lead time, I am hoping to have plenty of time to make decisions, secure tradespeople, and so on.
Now, let’s be honest. Who has built like this? Were you able to save money by taking this approach? A general contractor or a prefab house is not really an option for me. I want the freedom to choose and make decisions myself, especially regarding materials and fittings.
Oh, and I understand everyone who doesn’t want or can’t build this way! I would personally feel very limited by a general contractor. The same goes for model home selections in prefab houses. Some people just want a house, and that’s perfectly fine! So I especially hope to get answers from homeowners who are as crazy about this as I am.
Thank you!
A few weeks ago, you already helped me with some good advice. It became clear that building a house for 400,000€ without significant equity in rural Baden-Württemberg would be quite challenging. However, some of you encouraged me.
Now, surprisingly, I have acquired 100,000€ in equity through an early inheritance. I plan to build in 3 to 4 years and, based on my total income, I could afford a project between 500,000€ and 550,000€ (approximately 540,000 to 595,000 USD). I also intend to save a bit more during that time.
Since my family background makes me a real nerd... all of us in my family always have a strong desire to get the very best possible value for our hard-earned money. This is not always an advantage... And because we think we are good at something, we prefer to do it ourselves... .
So now I am specifically reaching out to the “nerds” among you. Who has built a house with an architect (possibly only phases 1-5) and with individual trade contracts while also contributing a significant amount of own labor? How long was the planning period? And what was the pure construction time?
In the next 12-24 months, I want to find a plot and, during and after that time, thoroughly consider what I want and need. For me, this includes intensive research in many areas (technology, architecture, building materials, etc.). Additionally, I have support from family members, as we are currently lifting and almost fully renovating a house ourselves.
Thanks to the long lead time, I am hoping to have plenty of time to make decisions, secure tradespeople, and so on.
Now, let’s be honest. Who has built like this? Were you able to save money by taking this approach? A general contractor or a prefab house is not really an option for me. I want the freedom to choose and make decisions myself, especially regarding materials and fittings.
Oh, and I understand everyone who doesn’t want or can’t build this way! I would personally feel very limited by a general contractor. The same goes for model home selections in prefab houses. Some people just want a house, and that’s perfectly fine! So I especially hope to get answers from homeowners who are as crazy about this as I am.
Thank you!
Small general contractors could also fulfill your requirements.
Find an architect. Good, flexible, and suitable ones are not easy to come by.
Visit model homes, bathroom and tile studios. Look at magazines, trade articles, etc.
Take walks through new housing developments and talk to homeowners. Some general contractors also offer construction site tours.
At first, it’s about gathering information and deciding what you want. Then you can go into more detail.
Find an architect. Good, flexible, and suitable ones are not easy to come by.
Visit model homes, bathroom and tile studios. Look at magazines, trade articles, etc.
Take walks through new housing developments and talk to homeowners. Some general contractors also offer construction site tours.
At first, it’s about gathering information and deciding what you want. Then you can go into more detail.
Well, what do you want to hear? Of course, it can be done!
We did it too. Apparently, we got through it well, looking at some acquaintances. Sometimes the structural builder delays by two months, and then the separately contracted carpenter adds a significant extra charge. Companies don’t arrive on time or only show up slowly, and everything takes longer than expected.
The mood can be quite low (it was like that for us at times), because every single Friday and Saturday you have to go to the construction site instead of sleeping in. I used to sit at the breakfast table frustrated because the first task of the day was a call to a company to clarify details. And there are many details. By the way, in this forum we would be counted among the "do-it-yourselfers," while our friends would probably call us more of the "outsourcers."
We selected materials and finishes gradually. In my experience, anyone who loses track of their budgets over time and has a tendency toward the “visually nicer” options usually ends up spending more than they initially expected.
You also need to be aware of how much time a build takes for coordinating, planning, and decision-making—even without doing the work yourself.
So, as I said, it’s doable. Among the other “more hands-on builders,” however, our construction time is several months to sometimes a year shorter—simply because someone was sick and couldn’t work or a company didn’t deliver as expected...
We did it too. Apparently, we got through it well, looking at some acquaintances. Sometimes the structural builder delays by two months, and then the separately contracted carpenter adds a significant extra charge. Companies don’t arrive on time or only show up slowly, and everything takes longer than expected.
The mood can be quite low (it was like that for us at times), because every single Friday and Saturday you have to go to the construction site instead of sleeping in. I used to sit at the breakfast table frustrated because the first task of the day was a call to a company to clarify details. And there are many details. By the way, in this forum we would be counted among the "do-it-yourselfers," while our friends would probably call us more of the "outsourcers."
We selected materials and finishes gradually. In my experience, anyone who loses track of their budgets over time and has a tendency toward the “visually nicer” options usually ends up spending more than they initially expected.
You also need to be aware of how much time a build takes for coordinating, planning, and decision-making—even without doing the work yourself.
So, as I said, it’s doable. Among the other “more hands-on builders,” however, our construction time is several months to sometimes a year shorter—simply because someone was sick and couldn’t work or a company didn’t deliver as expected...
hampshire schrieb:
True, it’s time-consuming. You have to be able to set priorities.
Then there’s the non-builder who tirelessly paints a doubtful picture of craftsmen, refuses to believe positive experiences, sees consensus as a weakness, and imagines calm builders to have deep pockets. His advice to not take everything so seriously is valuable in that sense.Hello Hampshire,You’re mistaken... I do believe in the positive experiences! Unfortunately, there are simply too many negative experiences to ignore them.
Besides, good experiences wouldn’t even need to be mentioned because they should be taken for granted! Just like paying is taken for granted.
Sadly, one hears and reads far too much about the negative aspects of building. And it’s always the same problem!
Poor workmanship has been done and no one wants to take responsibility... It was always the previous trade. This way, the “next” trade can always play the time pressure card, and the builder accepts the poor work of the supposedly preceding trade in order not to delay the next trades and cause corresponding costs. The tactic is outdated...
It’s always been like this. However, right now it’s too extreme. Even the lobbyists from the “pro-expensive-build-now-at-any-cost” camp won’t be able to change that.
By the way, I don’t need to step into every pile of sh*t to know that it’s sh*t.
We only commissioned phases 1-4 of the project and are building with a friend who schedules the trades. I plan all the details myself, and he provides advice and refines the planning.
We started in mid-October 2018 and plan to move in by July 2019.
Would I recommend this approach? Never! Our situation regarding the trades was simply different. The tradespeople have known each other since childhood and have been working together for years in the same combination of trades, building for their own families or investment properties such as single-family homes, semi-detached houses, or multi-family buildings.
We began planning in May 2017 because of the sloped site. Since site development took until June 2018, we had plenty of time to plan the details in advance.
We have not planned any DIY work. Painting will be done for us, and even flooring will be installed in the bedrooms.
The only thing we did ourselves was laying the insulation for the floor, as there were two weeks left before the screed was poured.
Why would I not recommend this approach? Building a house is too complex; there are so many details to consider. For an average person, coordinating trades is impossible—unless you are friends with them, so they will prioritize you over other clients and come when you ask, of course with sufficient notice. Fortunately, this was the case for me.
Studying up on the subject will hardly help, because it will inevitably remain superficial. I prepared myself beforehand as well. But experience is simply different.
I understand the desire to contract trades individually and would recommend this to anyone with enough budget. I personally would always build this way again with this arrangement. Tradespeople who only want your money and don’t care that every mistake could threaten their financial existence? Not for me. But as a layperson, you can’t filter out such tradespeople and can only hope for the best.
We started in mid-October 2018 and plan to move in by July 2019.
Would I recommend this approach? Never! Our situation regarding the trades was simply different. The tradespeople have known each other since childhood and have been working together for years in the same combination of trades, building for their own families or investment properties such as single-family homes, semi-detached houses, or multi-family buildings.
We began planning in May 2017 because of the sloped site. Since site development took until June 2018, we had plenty of time to plan the details in advance.
We have not planned any DIY work. Painting will be done for us, and even flooring will be installed in the bedrooms.
The only thing we did ourselves was laying the insulation for the floor, as there were two weeks left before the screed was poured.
Why would I not recommend this approach? Building a house is too complex; there are so many details to consider. For an average person, coordinating trades is impossible—unless you are friends with them, so they will prioritize you over other clients and come when you ask, of course with sufficient notice. Fortunately, this was the case for me.
Studying up on the subject will hardly help, because it will inevitably remain superficial. I prepared myself beforehand as well. But experience is simply different.
I understand the desire to contract trades individually and would recommend this to anyone with enough budget. I personally would always build this way again with this arrangement. Tradespeople who only want your money and don’t care that every mistake could threaten their financial existence? Not for me. But as a layperson, you can’t filter out such tradespeople and can only hope for the best.
You can outsource individual contracting to a construction manager who takes care of the coordination for you. They are experts who understand how everything fits together and how to schedule the different companies accordingly. They might also be able to recommend reliable contractors or even have some on standby.
You retain maximum freedom but delegate the unpleasant details. Of course, you have to pay them, but when it comes to saving money, it’s a worthwhile investment that spares your nerves many times over.
I am definitely very glad to have my construction manager. If I had called myself, probably NONE of the companies would have shown up on site in a timely manner... but when he calls, they come. A prime example where I would have been completely overwhelmed was applying for utility connections (water and so on)—endless forms, drawing connection plans... is that something a layperson wants to deal with? He also pushed the municipal utility company, and after his intervention, they showed up the very next week instead of two months later... I probably would have been begging for a long time without success. The civil engineer was also on site the very next day because trenches still needed to be dug.
This was the best money spent on my entire project!
You retain maximum freedom but delegate the unpleasant details. Of course, you have to pay them, but when it comes to saving money, it’s a worthwhile investment that spares your nerves many times over.
I am definitely very glad to have my construction manager. If I had called myself, probably NONE of the companies would have shown up on site in a timely manner... but when he calls, they come. A prime example where I would have been completely overwhelmed was applying for utility connections (water and so on)—endless forms, drawing connection plans... is that something a layperson wants to deal with? He also pushed the municipal utility company, and after his intervention, they showed up the very next week instead of two months later... I probably would have been begging for a long time without success. The civil engineer was also on site the very next day because trenches still needed to be dug.
This was the best money spent on my entire project!
Altai, the "problem" is probably that the original poster wants to do a lot of the work themselves. In that case, in my opinion, it’s better to do without an external schedule coordinator, because you simply can’t keep up with the timeline a company would set (assuming you can’t take several months off from your job). It’s not worth the money to have weekly calls to check whether task X, which must be finished before company Y starts, will be completed by day Z or not.
However, coordinating schedules really took up a lot of time. You shouldn’t feel silly being a nuisance to the companies and calling daily if necessary to find out what’s going on.
We also did almost everything to accommodate the schedule proposals from companies, even if it meant extra evening shifts. How often were we asked why we didn’t postpone a company’s offered appointment if it was inconvenient for us? -> because it’s even less convenient for us to be postponed for months with excuses that they have enough other projects and will prioritize a big developer or a more profitable contract, pushing us down the list again if necessary.
Still, our best decision was definitely to assign the extended shell construction (earthworks, scaffolding, shell construction, carpentry) to a single contractor who also coordinated the schedule for these trades. Too many things have to interlock here, and the excellent start to construction (roof installed within 5–6 weeks, despite Easter holidays and late snowfall) made many things easier for the following trades.
However, coordinating schedules really took up a lot of time. You shouldn’t feel silly being a nuisance to the companies and calling daily if necessary to find out what’s going on.
We also did almost everything to accommodate the schedule proposals from companies, even if it meant extra evening shifts. How often were we asked why we didn’t postpone a company’s offered appointment if it was inconvenient for us? -> because it’s even less convenient for us to be postponed for months with excuses that they have enough other projects and will prioritize a big developer or a more profitable contract, pushing us down the list again if necessary.
Still, our best decision was definitely to assign the extended shell construction (earthworks, scaffolding, shell construction, carpentry) to a single contractor who also coordinated the schedule for these trades. Too many things have to interlock here, and the excellent start to construction (roof installed within 5–6 weeks, despite Easter holidays and late snowfall) made many things easier for the following trades.
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