Hello
We are planning to build a single-family home. We also want to contribute some self-performed work, but aim to assess this realistically rather than optimistically to avoid financing shortfalls and the frustration of having to borrow an extra 10,000 or 20,000 euros.
The plan is for a single-story bungalow in solid construction, designed by an architect, with 130 m² (1,400 sq ft) of living space and about 30–40 m² (320–430 sq ft) of unheated storage space (boiler room, laundry room, etc.). So, no basement.
Unfortunately, it’s not like 30 years ago when my parents built their house. Back then, neighbors and relatives still had a lot of free time, so sometimes there were seven masons working on site together.
Therefore, we plan to have the shell of the building erected by professionals, but we want to do other tasks ourselves and now want to estimate these efforts realistically.
As dedicated workers, we are 1 + 0.5 + 0.5 persons...
The 1 refers to my father, a recent retiree who can spend the whole day on site, and the 0.5 designations are my brother and me, as we have to work in the mornings. In addition, there are 1–2 of my father’s retired colleagues, but I do not want to count them as fixed labor. The same goes for my neighbor, who might help occasionally when available (office worker, unfortunately), since we have helped him before. Then there are the women (mother, sister, partner), but they mainly take care of catering and cleaning tasks.
Regarding the trades:
The shell must be built as mentioned, either masonry or glued construction—we cannot manage this alone.
Exterior and interior plastering also need to be contracted out, as well as screeding.
We would contract out roof truss construction and roofing, but plan to apply insulation boards ourselves.
We will do all electrical work ourselves since two trained electricians (my brother and father) are available. Plumbing and underfloor heating installation will also be done by us.
Using a mini excavator for excavating the foundation slab will only cost us fuel and a snack for the neighbor.
We will also do ceiling cladding ourselves, as well as wallpapering and tiling.
How can we realistically estimate the money saved by doing these tasks ourselves, compared to contracting out the trades? It’s not about saving time, since it’s clear that a small team of two or three will take longer than a professional crew. But since we are not bound by rent (living in my parents’ home), it’s okay if it takes a bit longer.
Thanks for your assessments.
We are planning to build a single-family home. We also want to contribute some self-performed work, but aim to assess this realistically rather than optimistically to avoid financing shortfalls and the frustration of having to borrow an extra 10,000 or 20,000 euros.
The plan is for a single-story bungalow in solid construction, designed by an architect, with 130 m² (1,400 sq ft) of living space and about 30–40 m² (320–430 sq ft) of unheated storage space (boiler room, laundry room, etc.). So, no basement.
Unfortunately, it’s not like 30 years ago when my parents built their house. Back then, neighbors and relatives still had a lot of free time, so sometimes there were seven masons working on site together.
Therefore, we plan to have the shell of the building erected by professionals, but we want to do other tasks ourselves and now want to estimate these efforts realistically.
As dedicated workers, we are 1 + 0.5 + 0.5 persons...
The 1 refers to my father, a recent retiree who can spend the whole day on site, and the 0.5 designations are my brother and me, as we have to work in the mornings. In addition, there are 1–2 of my father’s retired colleagues, but I do not want to count them as fixed labor. The same goes for my neighbor, who might help occasionally when available (office worker, unfortunately), since we have helped him before. Then there are the women (mother, sister, partner), but they mainly take care of catering and cleaning tasks.
Regarding the trades:
The shell must be built as mentioned, either masonry or glued construction—we cannot manage this alone.
Exterior and interior plastering also need to be contracted out, as well as screeding.
We would contract out roof truss construction and roofing, but plan to apply insulation boards ourselves.
We will do all electrical work ourselves since two trained electricians (my brother and father) are available. Plumbing and underfloor heating installation will also be done by us.
Using a mini excavator for excavating the foundation slab will only cost us fuel and a snack for the neighbor.
We will also do ceiling cladding ourselves, as well as wallpapering and tiling.
How can we realistically estimate the money saved by doing these tasks ourselves, compared to contracting out the trades? It’s not about saving time, since it’s clear that a small team of two or three will take longer than a professional crew. But since we are not bound by rent (living in my parents’ home), it’s okay if it takes a bit longer.
Thanks for your assessments.
Egon12 schrieb:
You can also call the real estate appraisal committee to ask for the standard land value. It might not be updated in Boris; for our area, it still shows €75 (about $80) but it sold for €120 (about $128)... That’s why it’s called a standard value—it’s not set in stone.
The land value map is adjusted based on recent sales in the respective area. Since the sales in the relevant development zones are already 2 years old, the land value maps should have been updated long ago.
I have personally worked on the appraisal committee (in a different state), so I am surprised by how low the land value zone is here.
I have personally worked on the appraisal committee (in a different state), so I am surprised by how low the land value zone is here.