Hello everyone!
My wife and I have been searching for a home for quite some time. Since we haven’t found anything suitable yet, we are currently considering building a new house more seriously. The plot of land is not an issue, and we have an architect friend who would design the house (according to his information, we should budget around €1250 per m² (about $116 per sq ft) of living space plus 12% additional building costs).
Our "dream house" should have a living area of 150-170 m² (about 1,615-1,830 sq ft), 4 rooms (bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, and an office), a small conservatory, a pitched roof, and meet KfW 80 or 70 energy standards — these are the main points.
Since we currently earn around €2900 net (about $3,190) per month and don’t want to work only to pay off the house for 30 years, we are considering building a large part of it ourselves.
We could either build a solid masonry house or a timber frame construction. With a masonry house, we could save around €20,000 (about $22,000) by laying the tiles and laminate flooring ourselves and doing the painting. For the timber frame house, there would be an additional saving of €10,000 (about $11,000) if we install the insulation ourselves.
My father is confident that we could also build the shell by ourselves. He is a very skilled craftsman and has already built two extensions and a garage (so far, nothing has collapsed). I’m just concerned that many regulations and requirements have changed over the past few years.
Is it really possible to build the foundation and shell by ourselves, and how much could we realistically save? I would leave the roof, windows, and doors to the professionals—mainly because of the warranty. The electrical work could be done by my father-in-law, who is an electrical engineer.
Is it feasible to skip insulation if we use thicker building blocks?
I still have so many questions, but I’ll stop here for now.
I hope you can help me.
Thanks!
Best regards
My wife and I have been searching for a home for quite some time. Since we haven’t found anything suitable yet, we are currently considering building a new house more seriously. The plot of land is not an issue, and we have an architect friend who would design the house (according to his information, we should budget around €1250 per m² (about $116 per sq ft) of living space plus 12% additional building costs).
Our "dream house" should have a living area of 150-170 m² (about 1,615-1,830 sq ft), 4 rooms (bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, and an office), a small conservatory, a pitched roof, and meet KfW 80 or 70 energy standards — these are the main points.
Since we currently earn around €2900 net (about $3,190) per month and don’t want to work only to pay off the house for 30 years, we are considering building a large part of it ourselves.
We could either build a solid masonry house or a timber frame construction. With a masonry house, we could save around €20,000 (about $22,000) by laying the tiles and laminate flooring ourselves and doing the painting. For the timber frame house, there would be an additional saving of €10,000 (about $11,000) if we install the insulation ourselves.
My father is confident that we could also build the shell by ourselves. He is a very skilled craftsman and has already built two extensions and a garage (so far, nothing has collapsed). I’m just concerned that many regulations and requirements have changed over the past few years.
Is it really possible to build the foundation and shell by ourselves, and how much could we realistically save? I would leave the roof, windows, and doors to the professionals—mainly because of the warranty. The electrical work could be done by my father-in-law, who is an electrical engineer.
Is it feasible to skip insulation if we use thicker building blocks?
I still have so many questions, but I’ll stop here for now.
I hope you can help me.
Thanks!
Best regards
P
Polle 196710 Oct 2014 09:58Building your own house takes a lot of time.
We completed two renovations and one new build over seven years, and even renovations should not be underestimated in terms of time. Our previous new build (entirely self-managed) took 1.5 years until we moved in. At that time, the basement wasn’t completely finished yet, even though we worked on the construction site every day, including Sundays, until the very end. Even if you say you will have help, don’t count on it— the longer the project takes, the fewer people will be available to assist.
For our current new build, we are having a company handle the main structure. Of course, we will still do some work ourselves, but we are now 18 years older than before, and some of the helpers from back then have unfortunately passed away.
I don’t know how old your father or father-in-law is, the one who would do the plastering, but construction work is very physically demanding. I would seriously consider whether doing everything yourself is a good idea.
What good will it do if you are completely exhausted at the end?
We completed two renovations and one new build over seven years, and even renovations should not be underestimated in terms of time. Our previous new build (entirely self-managed) took 1.5 years until we moved in. At that time, the basement wasn’t completely finished yet, even though we worked on the construction site every day, including Sundays, until the very end. Even if you say you will have help, don’t count on it— the longer the project takes, the fewer people will be available to assist.
For our current new build, we are having a company handle the main structure. Of course, we will still do some work ourselves, but we are now 18 years older than before, and some of the helpers from back then have unfortunately passed away.
I don’t know how old your father or father-in-law is, the one who would do the plastering, but construction work is very physically demanding. I would seriously consider whether doing everything yourself is a good idea.
What good will it do if you are completely exhausted at the end?
B
Bauexperte10 Oct 2014 10:53Hello,
I am grateful that you described your experience so realistically. Thank you very much for that!
When I respond to similar questions from interested parties, I usually get facial expressions that can politely be called "disbelieving." It is hard for a layperson to imagine that self-construction requires time, money, and a great deal of patience. What you have accomplished in self-construction is generally the maximum I can recommend in good conscience to a potential homeowner—although if I feel I am talking to someone receptive, I try to restrict the self-construction to exterior work.
I very rarely encounter clients who want to take on more self-construction than necessary; but when they do, I agree with Silvia’s post. In the end—unless health is affected—most relationships lie in ruins in front of the homeowners. It is an enormous strain on a relationship to share life for a long time with the property and everything involved, and to bring work (mostly tradespeople who dare to take on such a massive project) into the private sphere.
I would not willingly accept this emotional rollercoaster just to be able to say, “I have a house ... built with my own hands.” However, looking closely, it quickly becomes clear that it is ultimately about the absolute determination to join the ranks of homeowners at all costs, stubbornly ignoring the possible consequences...
Best regards, Bauexperte
DerBjoern schrieb:
Taking on so much by yourself is quite an undertaking.
I am grateful that you described your experience so realistically. Thank you very much for that!
When I respond to similar questions from interested parties, I usually get facial expressions that can politely be called "disbelieving." It is hard for a layperson to imagine that self-construction requires time, money, and a great deal of patience. What you have accomplished in self-construction is generally the maximum I can recommend in good conscience to a potential homeowner—although if I feel I am talking to someone receptive, I try to restrict the self-construction to exterior work.
I very rarely encounter clients who want to take on more self-construction than necessary; but when they do, I agree with Silvia’s post. In the end—unless health is affected—most relationships lie in ruins in front of the homeowners. It is an enormous strain on a relationship to share life for a long time with the property and everything involved, and to bring work (mostly tradespeople who dare to take on such a massive project) into the private sphere.
I would not willingly accept this emotional rollercoaster just to be able to say, “I have a house ... built with my own hands.” However, looking closely, it quickly becomes clear that it is ultimately about the absolute determination to join the ranks of homeowners at all costs, stubbornly ignoring the possible consequences...
Best regards, Bauexperte
We also built our house as a turnkey project and only did the floor coverings, basement interior finishing (building partition walls, plastering, painting), and small tasks ourselves (installing doors, fitting lamps, painting walls in color, adding outlet covers, installing sanitary fixtures, etc.). Honestly, that was more than enough!
We actually spent almost the entire last year focused on the house—every weekend, every evening after work, and all vacation days were dedicated to coordinating with contractors, inspections, cleaning and tidying up, and doing our own work. This was despite having plenty of help from friends and family and employing our own building expert. Even after this year, I wouldn’t claim we’re completely finished; there are still plenty of small unfinished jobs (some baseboards, missing outdoor lighting, etc.).
I would never trust myself to build a house entirely on my own. For me, my nerves, time, and relationship are simply more important. Above all, I’d be worried about overestimating my abilities and having the whole process drag on endlessly!
We actually spent almost the entire last year focused on the house—every weekend, every evening after work, and all vacation days were dedicated to coordinating with contractors, inspections, cleaning and tidying up, and doing our own work. This was despite having plenty of help from friends and family and employing our own building expert. Even after this year, I wouldn’t claim we’re completely finished; there are still plenty of small unfinished jobs (some baseboards, missing outdoor lighting, etc.).
I would never trust myself to build a house entirely on my own. For me, my nerves, time, and relationship are simply more important. Above all, I’d be worried about overestimating my abilities and having the whole process drag on endlessly!
I share the same view on the issue. We are currently carrying out a major renovation of our house and are doing a lot of the work ourselves. It takes a tremendous amount of time and would not be feasible without help from friends and family. Usually, things don’t work out immediately, and when they do, it generally takes two to three times longer than initially estimated. There are so many details you don’t consider beforehand that end up taking a lot of extra time.
Another problem is often not having the right tools or the appropriate materials. Buying or renting tools can also become quite expensive. In the end, the main savings are usually just on labor costs.
I’m not sure if I would do it the same way again. But for now, we are committed to seeing it through.
Another problem is often not having the right tools or the appropriate materials. Buying or renting tools can also become quite expensive. In the end, the main savings are usually just on labor costs.
I’m not sure if I would do it the same way again. But for now, we are committed to seeing it through.
B
Bauherren201410 Oct 2014 13:41I can only agree with the critical opinions here. Don’t underestimate the work involved, as well as the mental and time demands. We also built a “turnkey” house ourselves, and it took my husband’s entire annual vacation and my current free time (with a small child at home) just to paint and install the flooring. On top of that came landscaping, installing lights and curtains, assembling the garden shed, and all the many small tasks that arise during and after the actual house construction. With two full-time jobs, realistically, much more is hardly possible.
Our neighbor decided to build his house himself. He works in construction, as do his father and brother. He also had friends with expertise and neighbors helping… so he managed to erect the entire shell, insulate it, install underfloor heating and screed, apply interior plaster, and complete the interior finishing except for the electrical work. Only the roof was done by a professional company. It has now been over a year, and the upstairs interior is still nowhere near finished, the exterior plaster is missing – he has spent every weekend, all his vacation days, and holidays on the construction site with his helpers. By now, he himself says he wouldn’t do it again, and the remaining work is mostly being completed by hired companies. This way, there is at least some time left for family and the children. They usually end up being overlooked in such situations. Moreover, he is physically feeling the strain clearly – and he’s only 35! So think it over carefully!
Our neighbor decided to build his house himself. He works in construction, as do his father and brother. He also had friends with expertise and neighbors helping… so he managed to erect the entire shell, insulate it, install underfloor heating and screed, apply interior plaster, and complete the interior finishing except for the electrical work. Only the roof was done by a professional company. It has now been over a year, and the upstairs interior is still nowhere near finished, the exterior plaster is missing – he has spent every weekend, all his vacation days, and holidays on the construction site with his helpers. By now, he himself says he wouldn’t do it again, and the remaining work is mostly being completed by hired companies. This way, there is at least some time left for family and the children. They usually end up being overlooked in such situations. Moreover, he is physically feeling the strain clearly – and he’s only 35! So think it over carefully!
An acquaintance (an electrician) built his house largely by himself with the help of his wife, his father, and occasional helpers. When he had no experience with certain tasks, he hired a company and worked alongside them as a helper. He studied the topics thoroughly and was willing to tackle everything. For example, he hired a mason and worked as the mason’s assistant. His wife handled the organization and cost planning (finding affordable companies and building materials) and actively supported the construction efforts. Both worked full-time jobs during the building phase and dedicated all their free time (after work, weekends, vacation) to the project. If someone needed to be on site during the week to supervise a company, his father took on that responsibility. Overall, they saved a significant amount of money this way, which they then invested in the house’s fittings and finishes. From purchasing the plot of land to moving in, 20 months passed. After moving in, finishing work like tiling the basement and landscaping the outdoor area were carried out… I followed the whole process and helped occasionally, and I can say it’s doable if you are determined. However, they did not have children, and they really had strong determination and skilled helpers for critical tasks (helpers you can rely on are important). It’s also worth noting that they already owned a condominium and did not have to pay rent, which might be an important factor regarding financing.
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