ᐅ Estimated Construction Duration

Hello everyone,

My husband and I will probably be assigned a plot of land by the end of June at the latest.
We are planning a solid construction. Everything will be done by professionals. Floors and walls will be like a financial burden. Now we have the opportunity for my husband to take another 2 months of parental leave and focus intensively on the house construction. However, the latest possible time would be during our child’s 13th and 14th month of life, which would be February and March 2017. Taking parental leave earlier might not be worthwhile (during the shell construction phase/drying time!?).

So, here is the actual question: Is it useful to be at home during this time? I am looking for a rough timeline to understand if it is worth giving up the income. Our idea was: 2 months of focused attention = saving construction time/reducing double workload.

Is it realistic to start the shell construction in October if the plot is assigned at the end of June 2016? We have already had some preliminary discussions. When would the shell construction likely be finished including the drying phase, and what is likely to happen in February and March?

I know this is quite difficult to answer, but you can probably assess it better than we can based on your experience.

Additional question: How realistic or naive is this plan?

End of June 2016 – plot assigned
Beginning of October 2016 – start of shell construction
End of November – start of drying phase
March – start of interior work

Hello,
Is this plot of land already serviced?
Are the floor plan and all designs for the house already finalized?
Building permit / planning permission?

I think it is difficult to assess this way. But I am also not a professional in this field.

Additionally:

With or without a basement?

Is a soil survey available?

Is soil replacement necessary?

and so on.

Have you ever done masonry before?

The shell construction phase does not have a true drying period. The only time the construction site is on hold regarding flooring work is while the screed is drying, which depending on the type of screed, may be just a few days.

For example, we started the shell construction at the end of September, had the topping-out ceremony on St. Nicholas Day, and worked more or less continuously until the end of February. Then the screed was installed and needed to dry – but after one week, work continued, for instance installing the mechanical ventilation system, stair lighting, Unitymedia, and so on.

Move-in was at the end of May.

We also had a relatively warm winter.

Winterkind schrieb:

Addition: How realistic or naive is this plan?

End of June 2016 land allocation
Beginning of October 2016 start of shell construction

Setting construction aside:
For us, it took six (6) months from the notarized purchase contract signing to the registration in the land registry...

Until then, construction would have taken place on "someone else's land"...

It doesn’t really make sense to take extended time off during the construction phase. Only once it’s confirmed that the plaster has fully dried will you need time to work on the walls.

Besides, you have no control over the schedule. Each trade follows its own timetable.