Hello,
My girlfriend and I are now seriously starting to focus on building a house. We mentioned it during our financial consultation, and the planning is slowly beginning. Regarding our finances: our combined net income is about 3500€ (approximately $3,800). We have equity of around 55,000€ (about $60,000). The maximum budget for the house, including the plot and all additional costs, is 400,000€ (about $435,000). Our house is planned to have roughly 150m² (1,615 sq ft) of living space, plus a basement and a double garage. The plot will cost about 60,000€ (around $65,000).
I have been a construction technician for three months and work at a structural engineering firm. Before that, I worked as a bricklayer for 11 years. That is why the house will be largely built as self-construction.
Regarding the planning, I am still undecided whether to involve an architect for the initial steps. I actually feel confident enough to plan our single-family home myself, and according to the regional building code, I am allowed to do so up to a certain size. However, I do have no experience in estimating the cost plan, which is why I am hesitating.
Does anyone have experience with a similar case or useful advice?
My girlfriend and I are now seriously starting to focus on building a house. We mentioned it during our financial consultation, and the planning is slowly beginning. Regarding our finances: our combined net income is about 3500€ (approximately $3,800). We have equity of around 55,000€ (about $60,000). The maximum budget for the house, including the plot and all additional costs, is 400,000€ (about $435,000). Our house is planned to have roughly 150m² (1,615 sq ft) of living space, plus a basement and a double garage. The plot will cost about 60,000€ (around $65,000).
I have been a construction technician for three months and work at a structural engineering firm. Before that, I worked as a bricklayer for 11 years. That is why the house will be largely built as self-construction.
Regarding the planning, I am still undecided whether to involve an architect for the initial steps. I actually feel confident enough to plan our single-family home myself, and according to the regional building code, I am allowed to do so up to a certain size. However, I do have no experience in estimating the cost plan, which is why I am hesitating.
Does anyone have experience with a similar case or useful advice?
M
michisa868887 Nov 2014 14:52Bauexperte schrieb:
This means:
Land: 60,000 EUR
Single-family house built to KfW 70 standard: 248,000 EUR
Basement for utility use: 50,000 EUR
Detached garage 6 x 6 meters (20 x 20 feet): 13,000 EUR (including strip foundations; constructed as reinforced concrete with sectional door)
Additional construction costs: 35,000–40,000 EUR
Painting work in DIY scope: 10,000 EUR
Floor coverings in DIY scope: 10,000 EUR
External landscaping in DIY scope: 10,000 EUR (only the essentials)
Reserve for extras: 10,000 EUR
Total effort with "normal" handling, i.e., building through a general contractor/general builder, approximately: 451,000 EUR
You probably mean that’s why you can act as your own construction manager 😉
I’ve provided you with figures above in case you want to contract a single provider conventionally. You can already see from these numbers that your budget is too low for your project—even when contracting individual trades; you can find current experiences with individual trade contracts and time efforts here:
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/das-alte-leid-schlüsselfertig-einzelvergabe.11013/
Best regards, BauexperteAre there now guideline values for how much I can save through self-performed work? For example, labor costs for the shell construction are often estimated at around 40%.
Hello!
I can already imagine that, as a mason or a new structural engineer, you can design a house.
With your practical skills, you could also contribute a lot of the labor.
Well, having fixed working hours is usually the problem – you won’t be flexible, you’ll need to be reachable during work hours every day, and possibly supervise your workers on the construction site during the day.
We built a turnkey house and sometimes had to visit the site spontaneously between breakfast and lunch breaks to answer questions from the tradespeople. Not every boss is okay with that 😉
When we contributed our own labor, everyone else was already off work for a well-deserved rest – which didn’t make the construction process any easier.
Best regards,
Yvonne
I can already imagine that, as a mason or a new structural engineer, you can design a house.
With your practical skills, you could also contribute a lot of the labor.
michisa86888 schrieb:
And I’m aware that the whole process takes a lot of time, but you just have to get through it. Work-wise there are no problems since I have fixed working hours.
Well, having fixed working hours is usually the problem – you won’t be flexible, you’ll need to be reachable during work hours every day, and possibly supervise your workers on the construction site during the day.
We built a turnkey house and sometimes had to visit the site spontaneously between breakfast and lunch breaks to answer questions from the tradespeople. Not every boss is okay with that 😉
When we contributed our own labor, everyone else was already off work for a well-deserved rest – which didn’t make the construction process any easier.
Best regards,
Yvonne
B
Bauexperte8 Nov 2014 11:04Good morning,
There are all kinds of different figures circulating; I have even seen estimates of 70% for painting work. You will only know the exact amount once you compare the initial estimate with the actual final calculation. In my opinion, these percentage figures are not very useful; if financing is involved, the bank will require a complete offer. That means you should get a quote both for the basic shell construction and for a fully finished turnkey house.
I didn’t share the link to the neighboring thread with you for nothing. If you follow it, you will see that in the end, you won’t really save money; the finish level will most likely be higher quality, but that’s about it overall. Homebuilders who dream of significantly reducing costs through self-performance and intend to handle all trades themselves are often disappointed in the end. The temptation of upgrade options is just too great 😉
Where you can really save money – I agree with you – is on the shell construction. BUT only if you have very good connections to a building materials supplier (not a hardware store) – or even better, a manufacturer – AND the time to actually build the shell yourself; every helper costs money and liability insurance. Since you are a trained bricklayer, this should be possible for you, but whether you have the necessary time is another question; and whether your employer will allow it as well 😉
Regards, Bauexperte
michisa86888 schrieb:
And are there now any guideline values on how much I can save with self-performed work? For example, labor costs for the shell construction are often estimated at around 40%.
There are all kinds of different figures circulating; I have even seen estimates of 70% for painting work. You will only know the exact amount once you compare the initial estimate with the actual final calculation. In my opinion, these percentage figures are not very useful; if financing is involved, the bank will require a complete offer. That means you should get a quote both for the basic shell construction and for a fully finished turnkey house.
I didn’t share the link to the neighboring thread with you for nothing. If you follow it, you will see that in the end, you won’t really save money; the finish level will most likely be higher quality, but that’s about it overall. Homebuilders who dream of significantly reducing costs through self-performance and intend to handle all trades themselves are often disappointed in the end. The temptation of upgrade options is just too great 😉
Where you can really save money – I agree with you – is on the shell construction. BUT only if you have very good connections to a building materials supplier (not a hardware store) – or even better, a manufacturer – AND the time to actually build the shell yourself; every helper costs money and liability insurance. Since you are a trained bricklayer, this should be possible for you, but whether you have the necessary time is another question; and whether your employer will allow it as well 😉
Regards, Bauexperte
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