ᐅ Self-Performed Work – What Should You Do Yourself?

Since our property search is going terribly, we will probably go ahead with building next spring.

To assess our budget independently of contractors, I would like to know how much one can realistically save.

We both work full-time, so we are fully aware that we can’t perform miracles.

I was thinking that maybe we could do some insulation ourselves on a weekend?
We could also lay the tiles ourselves and install the interior doors.
We can do the paving ourselves.
And dig the trenches for the utility connections (is that financially even worthwhile?)
What other tasks could be reasonably done by someone with some DIY skills that make financial sense?
And of course, I am very interested in how much one could realistically expect to save by doing these tasks themselves.

We live in the middle of Lower Saxony (just in case anyone needs that for an estimate).

Roof insulation in a weekend?
If you only mean fitting the insulation without a vapor barrier and counter battens, then yes, otherwise more like three to four weekends. Double boarding, filling, and sanding will take at least 7 full working days for 2–3 amateurs, probably longer. You can save somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 EUR (gable roof, about 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) roof area, no skylights, no dormers). I did it myself and would have had to pay a professional a substantial amount for this quality.

Further savings are possible with drywall, floor coverings (except I would not do tiles myself outside of the basement), painting walls, filling in the basement, and so on.

One00 schrieb:
Roof insulation in one weekend?
If you only mean stuffing the insulation in without a vapor barrier and counter battens, then yes; otherwise, it will take about three to four weekends. Double drywalling, filling, and sanding will require at least 7 full working days for 2 to 3 novices, probably longer. You can save between approximately 2,000 and 3,000 EUR (gable roof, around 100sqm (1,076 sqft) roof area, no roof windows, no dormers). I did it myself and would have had to pay quite a bit for this quality from a professional.

Further savings potential exists in drywall, flooring (except for tiles outside the basement, I would not do that myself), wall painting, basement filling, etc.

Yes, I meant "stuffing the insulation myself."
We have a tiler in the family. So what would be the reasons against doing the tiling ourselves?

Basic skills for finishing a house – only on weekends and after work:

How long do you plan to work on your house? One has to consider whether you really save much if you have to cover the interest on standby loans or double financial burdens during that time.
I don’t think so!
Painting the walls doesn’t require any special machines… You will still spend your annual leave on it… but you save the cost of a painter, and you don’t disrupt the construction schedule.

If you have a tiler in the family, why not? You can take that trade out of the contract.
Insulation: the people I felt sorry for during my house build were the drywall installers who insulated the roof. Terrible work and unhealthy. They swore endlessly.
Is it really worth putting yourself through that and risking the blower door test?

Fortuna86 schrieb:
We have a tile installer in the family. So what would be the downside of doing the tiling ourselves?

Nothing, as long as he has 1-2 weeks available at the right time to tile the bathrooms, the floor, and possibly the basement, to install baseboards if needed, and to grout.
However, also consider how you will manage any potential defects "within the family."

Fortuna86 schrieb:
Yes, I meant "stuffing the insulation yourself."
We have a tile installer in the family. So, what would be the downside of doing the tiling yourself?

There’s nothing against it in principle. However:
If you want to do the tiling yourself, keep in mind that this usually can only be done after the building inspection, since at that point the responsibility shifts to you. Often, some trades are no longer offered afterwards (e.g., installation of door frames and doors). In that case, you might have to hire a professional again, potentially at a “high” cost.