ᐅ Contracting Trades Individually vs. Using a Solid House Builder
Created on: 18 May 2020 09:35
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XAMMAX2
Good morning forum,
does anyone here have experience with how much you can actually save if you take on the house construction yourself and hire the trades separately?
Here is the scenario:
We have basically found a suitable partner, a well-known company in Germany that builds with aerated concrete blocks. Building a city villa of about 9 x 10 meters (30 x 33 feet) would cost around 300,000 € (without basement and without tiles/laminate).
Now a friend suggested getting an architect and requesting quotes from the trades separately.
Assuming I take a plan and hire the trades separately (earthworks, roof structure, electrical work, windows, heating, screed – to name the main points), how much can you realistically "save"?
Thanks for your answers.
does anyone here have experience with how much you can actually save if you take on the house construction yourself and hire the trades separately?
Here is the scenario:
We have basically found a suitable partner, a well-known company in Germany that builds with aerated concrete blocks. Building a city villa of about 9 x 10 meters (30 x 33 feet) would cost around 300,000 € (without basement and without tiles/laminate).
Now a friend suggested getting an architect and requesting quotes from the trades separately.
Assuming I take a plan and hire the trades separately (earthworks, roof structure, electrical work, windows, heating, screed – to name the main points), how much can you realistically "save"?
Thanks for your answers.
Grantlhaua schrieb:
I don’t think I had a single contract for our house. You mean no written contract.
Grantlhaua schrieb:
The rest was done by handshake. That is a contract as well.
Grantlhaua schrieb:
I don’t think I had a single contract for our house. The closest thing was a signed quote; the rest was done by handshake.
However, if you hire an architect who manages everything up until handover, you probably won’t save a penny compared to a general contractor. I partly agree with that. Although I think it also depends on the number of custom requests.
If you have many specifications and high demands and hire a general contractor whose standard differs significantly from your needs, using an architect and separate contracts is often cheaper. Conversely, a general contractor whose standard closely matches your wishes can often be more cost-effective.
That doesn’t necessarily mean a low standard. It mainly depends on the number of deviations and how the general contractor handles them.
G
Grantlhaua18 May 2020 11:58Tolentino schrieb:
That is also a contract.Understood, but not one that I can have reviewed or even wanted to have reviewed. I am still a fan of honesty, partnership, and common sense.
Grantlhaua schrieb:
I'm simply still a fan of honesty, partnership, and common sense.Yes, that’s best, but unfortunately, you can’t really rely on it. You can only judge business partners by what’s on the surface, not what’s behind it. And when it comes to the sums involved in house construction...
Of course, when broken down into individual trades, it’s not such a large amount all at once, but it is still more than what people usually spend on anything else.
That’s why it’s helpful to have recommendations from people you know.
From what I've heard so far, it is extremely expensive to hire an architect who basically acts as a project manager. In terms of cost, it might be just as reasonable to work directly with a company that delivers everything as a turnkey solution.
The plan would be to have the house designed (planning drawings, etc.) and then start a sort of bidding process. For example, sending requests to 3 civil engineering companies, 3 companies that build the roof structure, and so on.
The plan would be to have the house designed (planning drawings, etc.) and then start a sort of bidding process. For example, sending requests to 3 civil engineering companies, 3 companies that build the roof structure, and so on.
G
Grantlhaua18 May 2020 12:53XAMMAX2 schrieb:
The plan is to have the house designed (floor plan, etc.) and then start a kind of tender process. For example, sending requests to 3 civil engineering companies, 3 requests to companies that build the roof structure, and so on.How skilled are you with hands-on work? Can you evaluate the quality of work from the different trades, or do you have someone (father, father-in-law, brother, etc.) who can do that?
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