Hello, a small family from Bavaria dreaming of their own home... A few years ago, I wanted to renovate a house from the 1970s, completely gut it and update it to modern standards (trained HVAC technician)... Nowadays, I believe (due to house prices) building new almost comes out the same price and you get something brand new... We are considering building a solid (masonry) house fully finished (Turnkey), (Town & Country, etc.)
The land is quite secure...
The question is turnkey or shell house (more money vs. more time invested)
Doing work yourself is definitely a must for me, every tradesperson understands that... (either way, the question is to what extent)
Plumbing, heating, electrical would be no problem... I can also do tiling, drywall, have a screeding contractor, master electrician, and plasterer available...
I also think that with self-building you can avoid poor workmanship by observing drying times, selecting materials carefully, etc.
My question is, who has already extensively completed a shell house themselves...
Is there a comparison to a turnkey offer? (savings)
Does anyone have a list of all the tasks for self-performed work in a shell house? (for budgeting)
Would anyone later prefer to build turnkey with some self-performed work?
You don’t read much here about shell houses... but maybe there is a tradesperson here who has wrestled with the same considerations...
...
We don’t really have any time pressure as we currently live rent-free, but we want something of our own, and if that’s the case, we would spend every free minute working on it. Of course, no one can replace the time you then don’t get to spend with your family...
I’m looking forward to your answers!
The land is quite secure...
The question is turnkey or shell house (more money vs. more time invested)
Doing work yourself is definitely a must for me, every tradesperson understands that... (either way, the question is to what extent)
Plumbing, heating, electrical would be no problem... I can also do tiling, drywall, have a screeding contractor, master electrician, and plasterer available...
I also think that with self-building you can avoid poor workmanship by observing drying times, selecting materials carefully, etc.
My question is, who has already extensively completed a shell house themselves...
Is there a comparison to a turnkey offer? (savings)
Does anyone have a list of all the tasks for self-performed work in a shell house? (for budgeting)
Would anyone later prefer to build turnkey with some self-performed work?
You don’t read much here about shell houses... but maybe there is a tradesperson here who has wrestled with the same considerations...
...
We don’t really have any time pressure as we currently live rent-free, but we want something of our own, and if that’s the case, we would spend every free minute working on it. Of course, no one can replace the time you then don’t get to spend with your family...
I’m looking forward to your answers!
hegi___ schrieb:
In my experience, hiring a general contractor isn’t worthwhile if you want to do a significant amount of work yourself. It’s better to hire an architect who doesn’t charge according to HOAI and manage the trades yourself. Where else do you get more self-performed work than with a shell house? …except for doing the masonry and roofing yourself.
Ragnarök schrieb:
There is quite little discussion here about self-build homes... but maybe there is a tradesperson here who has struggled with the same considerations.This might be because most people here earn more in an hour at their workplace than they can realistically save by doing the work themselves. An amateur, even a self-proclaimed "all-around" tradesperson, takes two to three times as long as an experienced professional, wears out their car getting materials, strains and injures their body, and takes on all the responsibility without any guarantee. Others, in addition to the now standard DIY installation of flooring and painting, also do doors or loft conversions themselves.
Ragnarök schrieb:
Screed layers, certified electricians, plasterers on hand,...This again points toward a custom architect-designed house. The question is what exactly you mean. Tradespeople have to make a living, including those you know personally. So savings are minimal. And there are no warranties if done informally.
Banks are also reluctant to finance if the construction is planned to be done bit by bit and as a self-build.
Have you already asked Town & Country to what extent they allow this? General contractors usually work on a mixed calculation basis...
Having Town & Country build only the shell should be feasible. A friend of mine did the same.
I’m not sure if the same contractor is working with Town & Country in MSP as with us. Here, there are no negative reports about Town & Country.
You have to provide the materials yourself. I don’t think you actually save money that way.
The huge amount of self-work should not be underestimated. Roughly estimated, about 1800 to 2000 working hours were necessary for the interior finishing on our project. That would be one full year working full-time 40 hours per week.
Some acquaintances have been spending every free minute on the construction site for almost a year, including their father, father-in-law, and friends. What started as a lot of spare time became a move-in at the construction site. In principle, it is possible. Several people here do it.
Every paid hour for a craftsman reduces your savings.
Not every craftsman delivers poor quality, just as not every self-performed task is error-free.
I’m not sure if the same contractor is working with Town & Country in MSP as with us. Here, there are no negative reports about Town & Country.
You have to provide the materials yourself. I don’t think you actually save money that way.
The huge amount of self-work should not be underestimated. Roughly estimated, about 1800 to 2000 working hours were necessary for the interior finishing on our project. That would be one full year working full-time 40 hours per week.
Some acquaintances have been spending every free minute on the construction site for almost a year, including their father, father-in-law, and friends. What started as a lot of spare time became a move-in at the construction site. In principle, it is possible. Several people here do it.
Every paid hour for a craftsman reduces your savings.
Not every craftsman delivers poor quality, just as not every self-performed task is error-free.
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