ᐅ Home Building for Enthusiasts – Looking for Experiences!

A construction manager relieves you of coordination tasks. However, if you want something truly custom, you will always remain involved.

Yes, managing the construction process can be overwhelming for a layperson. We assigned this task to the carpenter company, as they also offer turnkey construction and have the appropriate experience and resources.

Yes, anyone who wants a truly custom home will inevitably be involved down to the smallest detail. The same applies to those who want to build cost-effectively while maintaining quality. @Nordlys seems to me a perfect example of this. This level of involvement is a form of self-contribution.

Yes, selecting tradespeople is not easy. When building truly custom, each trade presents its own challenge and creates a potential reference project for the future. This way, you can find companies that are not only interested in the money but genuinely invested in the project itself. That often leads to better reliability.

Regarding effort and money: Problems that can only be solved with money should be solved with money. Problems that cannot be solved with money shouldn’t even be attempted to be solved that way. Construction challenges sometimes fall into the first category, sometimes the second. Those who directly contract the trades may face significantly higher communication effort. However, this does not necessarily make the project more expensive.

Creative freedom and risk go hand in hand. The more you take on and decide yourself, the higher the risk of having to face consequences—whether you foresaw them or not.

My conclusion: Direct contracting has both savings and risk potential. If things go well, it is ultimately better; if not, it turns out worse.

Camille1984 schrieb:

Unexpectedly, an equity of €100,000 in the form of an early inheritance has come up.

Congratulations!

Camille1984 schrieb:

Did you do a lot of self-performed work? How long was the planning phase? And the actual construction time?

rick2018 schrieb:

Contracting out tasks individually can save money, but above all allows for more personalized requests.

Don't confuse individual contracting with self-performance.

I believe some people in this forum have done self-performed work (SPW). Whether building with a general contractor (GC) or an architect: painting and flooring—usually done near the end of the construction—sanding walls or extending electrical work... If you want, you could even install interior doors yourself. Usually, you set aside a dedicated block of time, like three weeks off or discipline yourself to work four hours every evening, for example to expand electrical installations while other tradespeople are on site.

The problem is: building a house with an architect often takes longer than with a GC. In our neighborhood, all houses built with an architect and through individual contracting took around 18 months. Naturally, you then have to start repaying the bank earlier.

What you want is to replace many trades with self-performed work to save money or have the freedom to choose. But this will slow down construction significantly. Do you work? In trades or an office? I believe a house project is different from a garden project or renovating a single bathroom or room. Building a shell is not comparable to installing a kitchen—physically and logistically it’s challenging. Tradespeople you know who charge less aren’t necessarily available exactly when you need them.

Camille1984 schrieb:

Additionally, we have support from family since we recently lifted a house and are renovating it mostly by ourselves.

During a renovation, you tend to be more flexible. I don’t want to call this tinkering... and help?! Help usually means washing dishes while you still have to do the cooking yourself. Help is mainly a helper’s task.

hampshire schrieb:

To be honest: did this approach save us money? No. We definitely spent more. As you said, we weren’t tied to material specifications and often chose—not to say—the more expensive options. This resulted in significant additional costs that wouldn’t have occurred with a more pragmatic building approach.

I think the same way.

Maria16 schrieb:

As I said, it can be done. But compared with other “more DIY builders,” our construction time is shorter by months or even nearly a year; simply because someone was ill or a company didn’t deliver as expected.

Zaba12 schrieb:

Why wouldn’t I recommend this approach? Building a house is too complex; there are so many details to consider. For a normal person, coordinating trades is impossible.

Important points from Zaba and Maria!

Camille1984 schrieb:

I (and everyone in my family) have a strong desire to get the very best value for our hard-earned money.

Camille1984 schrieb:

I want the freedom to choose and decide, especially regarding materials and finishes.

Camille1984 schrieb:

I completely understand anyone who cannot or does not want to build like this! I would personally feel very restricted by a general contractor. The same applies to selections in prefab houses.

It’s a problem not to be able to delegate work or tasks. Usually, this leads to burnout and results in many unfinished jobs or partially completed projects where the lack of professional workmanship is obvious.

Even with a GC, you have choices: where should you start? Heating, layout, all kinds of finishes... For example, we have a washbasin with a budget countertop measuring 170cm (67 inches) installed by the plumber. Roof covering, roofing battens, plaster, and façade design... You should just pick a GC who works with the stone and insulation you prefer. Everything else is flexible. There are plenty of projects like built-in cupboards, sauna construction, garden, terrace, and entryway, which can add a personal touch to the house.

Our neighbor did a lot of work himself. Starting with Ytong walls, ending with the brick veneer façade after five years. He didn’t finish the window edges. The driveway is not paved, and the terrace is also missing. The house was just sold for around €200,000 (about $220,000), maybe less, who knows. In principle, you have to tear out everything inside again because the bathroom tiles were installed poorly, and it’s unclear if the surfaces were sealed.

Therefore, I would advise against substantial self-performed work. You don’t want a "do-it-yourself" house for your money, right?

The question was about working with an architect, separate contracting, and self-performance. My comment referred specifically to building with an architect and separate contracting. So please don’t confuse the two.

A lot of self-performance is exhausting. All your free time is consumed, and often there are time issues as well. And we haven’t even started talking about warranties.

rick2018 schrieb:

A construction manager relieves you in terms of coordination. But if you want something truly custom, you are always involved anyway.

I am also sufficiently involved. I can't even imagine the burden without my construction manager if I had to handle everything myself.
Outsourcing coordination (as well as supervision and quality control) is not contradictory to individual contracting.

I didn't say that either. I would never do it without a construction manager. Just from a knowledge perspective...
However, it’s not like you could completely take it out of the process (if you want a custom house).
Only the coordination effort becomes significantly less.