ᐅ Shell construction of a detached single-family house with extensive self-performed work
Created on: 21 Aug 2023 10:17
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Ralf1980Hello.
I am new to the forum and have already done some reading.
I already have a building plot and want to build (or have built) a single-family house there. Solid construction, with or without a basement depending on the costs.
Through my family’s farming background, I (certified electrician) have some experience with construction work, as we always did everything ourselves in the past: pouring concrete slabs, masonry, formwork, plastering, operating excavators, electrical work, plumbing, roofing, windows, roller shutters, and so on.
I own a scaffold, a plastering machine, and a small wheel loader myself, and I can rent an excavator from a friend. I also have some civil engineering experience with water and wastewater systems.
However, due to lack of time and personnel, I probably won’t be able to do the concrete slab pouring, masonry, and exterior plastering myself, so I would like to have the shell construction (slab, masonry, roof truss erection) done by professionals. There will still be plenty of work later on.
-> There is no rush; this can be a multi-year project.
I have already visited various prefab, shell construction, and kit home suppliers and have looked into all of that.
At some point, there will be a decision to make about which path to take:
Option 1: A main contractor handles the shell construction based on plans created by the contractor, and I continue from there. The contractor also takes care of planning and obtaining the building permit/planning permission.
Option 2: An architect creates plans up to the stage required for building permit/planning permission, and then I look for local contractors with good reputations. Do these companies even have interest in working with private clients, or are they so busy with contracts that they won’t offer me a good price?
How should one proceed if the goal is to save as much money as possible and time is not an issue?
Will I get taken advantage of by construction companies, which might come back with all sorts of additional costs later, even though I could have had it done by them from the start?
If I start with an architect myself, won’t there still be many unknown costs that I haven’t considered yet?
Thirty years ago, my family built a project like this, but the tradespeople I knew then are all too old for such a project now.
Back then, an excavator contractor from the neighboring village did the excavation, and it just took as long as it took until it was finished. No soil survey beforehand, just start and settle the bill afterward. But I guess that’s no longer so easy today.
Best regards,
Ralf1980
I am new to the forum and have already done some reading.
I already have a building plot and want to build (or have built) a single-family house there. Solid construction, with or without a basement depending on the costs.
Through my family’s farming background, I (certified electrician) have some experience with construction work, as we always did everything ourselves in the past: pouring concrete slabs, masonry, formwork, plastering, operating excavators, electrical work, plumbing, roofing, windows, roller shutters, and so on.
I own a scaffold, a plastering machine, and a small wheel loader myself, and I can rent an excavator from a friend. I also have some civil engineering experience with water and wastewater systems.
However, due to lack of time and personnel, I probably won’t be able to do the concrete slab pouring, masonry, and exterior plastering myself, so I would like to have the shell construction (slab, masonry, roof truss erection) done by professionals. There will still be plenty of work later on.
-> There is no rush; this can be a multi-year project.
I have already visited various prefab, shell construction, and kit home suppliers and have looked into all of that.
At some point, there will be a decision to make about which path to take:
Option 1: A main contractor handles the shell construction based on plans created by the contractor, and I continue from there. The contractor also takes care of planning and obtaining the building permit/planning permission.
Option 2: An architect creates plans up to the stage required for building permit/planning permission, and then I look for local contractors with good reputations. Do these companies even have interest in working with private clients, or are they so busy with contracts that they won’t offer me a good price?
How should one proceed if the goal is to save as much money as possible and time is not an issue?
Will I get taken advantage of by construction companies, which might come back with all sorts of additional costs later, even though I could have had it done by them from the start?
If I start with an architect myself, won’t there still be many unknown costs that I haven’t considered yet?
Thirty years ago, my family built a project like this, but the tradespeople I knew then are all too old for such a project now.
Back then, an excavator contractor from the neighboring village did the excavation, and it just took as long as it took until it was finished. No soil survey beforehand, just start and settle the bill afterward. But I guess that’s no longer so easy today.
Best regards,
Ralf1980
Malle Zwabber21 Aug 2023 10:58Hello,
I went with option 2 and had a great experience. All the companies were local, and I would hire each of them again at any time. The construction period until moving in was exactly 1 year. However, the exterior plaster and landscaping were not completed by then.
There were no unpleasant surprises regarding the costs either. All the quotes were reasonable, and I did not encounter any unexpected charges on any invoice.
I went with option 2 and had a great experience. All the companies were local, and I would hire each of them again at any time. The construction period until moving in was exactly 1 year. However, the exterior plaster and landscaping were not completed by then.
There were no unpleasant surprises regarding the costs either. All the quotes were reasonable, and I did not encounter any unexpected charges on any invoice.
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Buchsbaum21 Aug 2023 11:07If I were you, I would build myself.
Not everything, but at least parts of it. The most important thing right now is to have a few motivated helpers who are willing to work a few weekends in a row.
I would have the foundation and the slab done by professionals. I would build the shell up to the floor slab myself. That’s not difficult, and with modern concrete blocks and adhesive techniques, it’s relatively easy. You can lay the blocks for one floor in about four weekends if the logistics are right.
I would also have the floor slab done by professionals, preferably precast concrete slabs. You can build the gable walls yourself. You can rent a block saw. You don’t really need much more than that. You probably already have a few buckets, trowels, an angle grinder, and so on.
I would also have the roof structure made by professionals. Either take the plans to a timber framing center and assemble it yourself or have a carpentry company do it entirely. You can do the roof covering yourself. Installing windows and doors is also possible as a DIY project. Electrical work you can handle anyway. Plumbing and heating can be done by contractors.
So, you can build quite cost-effectively if you want to. But you do need some equity for purchasing materials and paying wages.
I also consulted an experienced master bricklayer who laid the first course of blocks on the slab for me. Very carefully and perfectly level. After that, it was very easy to stick everything else on. You can’t go wrong there. Lintels for doors and windows, integrating interior walls—none of that is rocket science.
When the blocks are delivered, place them directly onto the slab where they will be used. A few scaffold trestles and planks are more than enough for the ground floor.
I would also buy a used scaffold. It saves a lot of money in the long run and you can leave it in place for longer. You can also sell it easily after construction is finished.
Materials like blocks, roof tiles, timber, windows, and doors are currently available with decent discounts. Actually, it’s a good time to build yourself right now.
Not everything, but at least parts of it. The most important thing right now is to have a few motivated helpers who are willing to work a few weekends in a row.
I would have the foundation and the slab done by professionals. I would build the shell up to the floor slab myself. That’s not difficult, and with modern concrete blocks and adhesive techniques, it’s relatively easy. You can lay the blocks for one floor in about four weekends if the logistics are right.
I would also have the floor slab done by professionals, preferably precast concrete slabs. You can build the gable walls yourself. You can rent a block saw. You don’t really need much more than that. You probably already have a few buckets, trowels, an angle grinder, and so on.
I would also have the roof structure made by professionals. Either take the plans to a timber framing center and assemble it yourself or have a carpentry company do it entirely. You can do the roof covering yourself. Installing windows and doors is also possible as a DIY project. Electrical work you can handle anyway. Plumbing and heating can be done by contractors.
So, you can build quite cost-effectively if you want to. But you do need some equity for purchasing materials and paying wages.
I also consulted an experienced master bricklayer who laid the first course of blocks on the slab for me. Very carefully and perfectly level. After that, it was very easy to stick everything else on. You can’t go wrong there. Lintels for doors and windows, integrating interior walls—none of that is rocket science.
When the blocks are delivered, place them directly onto the slab where they will be used. A few scaffold trestles and planks are more than enough for the ground floor.
I would also buy a used scaffold. It saves a lot of money in the long run and you can leave it in place for longer. You can also sell it easily after construction is finished.
Materials like blocks, roof tiles, timber, windows, and doors are currently available with decent discounts. Actually, it’s a good time to build yourself right now.
When we built a similar house with a lot of DIY work 25 years ago, the price quoted by the architect was still greatly exceeded, even though we did the concrete work, masonry, plastering, and interior finishing ourselves.
Therefore, I’m not sure if I will actually save money by organizing everything myself.
Of course, it’s also difficult to say in advance what it will cost—that’s clear to me.
The general contractor (GC) also has their architect and wants to make a profit, but they probably also have better terms with the companies involved.
Therefore, I’m not sure if I will actually save money by organizing everything myself.
Of course, it’s also difficult to say in advance what it will cost—that’s clear to me.
The general contractor (GC) also has their architect and wants to make a profit, but they probably also have better terms with the companies involved.
Ralf1980 schrieb:
The general contractor (GC) also has their architect, The GC has their licensed architect or planner, unless they are the same person. This professional obtains the official approval stamp, nothing more. There are no quality improvements compared to self-planning.
Ralf1980 schrieb:
and wants to make a profit, but probably also has better conditions with the companies. Their markup usually corresponds to the risk involved, and the learning costs for self-managing clients are generally higher. The GC’s terms with subcontractors largely depend on their payment reliability. At the building materials supplier, personal discounts from individual staff can often be more significant than the GC’s purchase volume.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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Buchsbaum22 Aug 2023 12:14Although it was a few years ago, I still clearly remember my building materials supplier. He repeatedly offered really great deals on construction materials. He still does this today.
The roof tiles for an entire roof, engobed Creaton tiles, for 1000 euros. 36 cm (14 inch) Poroton plan bricks, the pallet for 65 euros including adhesive.
Tiles and patio slabs were also very, very affordable.
Floor tiles from Porsenalosa for under 10 euros. Well, these were always special clearance items that you could get at a really good price.
One pallet of 36 cm (14 inch) Poroton bricks contains 60 bricks. That covers almost 4 square meters (43 square feet) of exterior wall.
Fifty pallets are more than enough for a whole two-story house. Actually, 40 pallets are usually sufficient.
At 65 euros per pallet, we need 3250 euros for the exterior walls including VAT. Adhesive is included as well. Maybe add some transport costs and crane unloading.
This is just for illustration.
My wife and I did all the bricklaying and adhesive work ourselves, between Christmas and New Year’s. That worked out fine.
The roof tiles for an entire roof, engobed Creaton tiles, for 1000 euros. 36 cm (14 inch) Poroton plan bricks, the pallet for 65 euros including adhesive.
Tiles and patio slabs were also very, very affordable.
Floor tiles from Porsenalosa for under 10 euros. Well, these were always special clearance items that you could get at a really good price.
One pallet of 36 cm (14 inch) Poroton bricks contains 60 bricks. That covers almost 4 square meters (43 square feet) of exterior wall.
Fifty pallets are more than enough for a whole two-story house. Actually, 40 pallets are usually sufficient.
At 65 euros per pallet, we need 3250 euros for the exterior walls including VAT. Adhesive is included as well. Maybe add some transport costs and crane unloading.
This is just for illustration.
My wife and I did all the bricklaying and adhesive work ourselves, between Christmas and New Year’s. That worked out fine.
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