Dear forum members,
My wife and I are planning to fulfill our dream of owning a home. We already have a building plot, and we would not need to take out a very large loan (around 50,000 to 80,000) – the rest of the funds are available. Until now, we intended to build using a turnkey solution, since we are both inexperienced with construction and typically work until 6 p.m. every day.
However, my father-in-law, who built his own house 35 years ago, has now gotten involved. He believes everything is too expensive and suggests we should manage the build ourselves. Specifically, he wants us to have the plans drawn up and then handle everything independently, even buying the bricks ourselves and coordinating the work with the subcontractors. He thinks we could save a lot of money this way and might not need a loan at all.
My wife and I are not enthusiastic about this idea at all, as we do not feel confident managing a self-build and would prefer to handle everything through a construction company with a single point of contact—except perhaps for the interior flooring and painting work.
As mentioned, my father-in-law built 35 years ago and apparently did it that way because he knew many people who helped him, but those people are no longer available today. In my opinion, building a house 35 years ago cannot be compared to doing so nowadays, but it is difficult to convince him of this.
We wanted to involve him in the building process because we inherited the plot from him. Please help us find appropriate arguments against managing the build ourselves, or share your thoughts on self-building when you lack expertise in this area. He says we should just read a book about it and then we’ll know how to do it. But what risks are involved, and can you really save that much money? I have already read many reports where people ended up losing money and having major issues with contractors, sometimes even ending up in court.
My wife and I are planning to fulfill our dream of owning a home. We already have a building plot, and we would not need to take out a very large loan (around 50,000 to 80,000) – the rest of the funds are available. Until now, we intended to build using a turnkey solution, since we are both inexperienced with construction and typically work until 6 p.m. every day.
However, my father-in-law, who built his own house 35 years ago, has now gotten involved. He believes everything is too expensive and suggests we should manage the build ourselves. Specifically, he wants us to have the plans drawn up and then handle everything independently, even buying the bricks ourselves and coordinating the work with the subcontractors. He thinks we could save a lot of money this way and might not need a loan at all.
My wife and I are not enthusiastic about this idea at all, as we do not feel confident managing a self-build and would prefer to handle everything through a construction company with a single point of contact—except perhaps for the interior flooring and painting work.
As mentioned, my father-in-law built 35 years ago and apparently did it that way because he knew many people who helped him, but those people are no longer available today. In my opinion, building a house 35 years ago cannot be compared to doing so nowadays, but it is difficult to convince him of this.
We wanted to involve him in the building process because we inherited the plot from him. Please help us find appropriate arguments against managing the build ourselves, or share your thoughts on self-building when you lack expertise in this area. He says we should just read a book about it and then we’ll know how to do it. But what risks are involved, and can you really save that much money? I have already read many reports where people ended up losing money and having major issues with contractors, sometimes even ending up in court.
Since you only need a relatively small loan, I assume you don’t have to worry about every last cent. In that case, I definitely wouldn’t take on the work yourselves, especially since you don’t have the time and your father-in-law’s knowledge is probably outdated.
I am currently planning to renovate just two bathrooms, and even then I’m leaving the planning and coordination of the trades to a professional, because I’ve realized I simply don’t have enough time during the day to handle it properly. My contractor has already given me many useful tips during planning and is (hopefully) making sure the work stays within the set budget. He knows affordable and reliable suppliers I would otherwise have to search for laboriously. For example, a shower partition can cost around 200 EUR (about 220 USD), but it can also cost over 1000 EUR (about 1100 USD), and the more expensive one is not necessarily much better. One is custom-made on site by the glazier, the other comes from a bathroom fixtures manufacturer.
It might be a bit more expensive, but I feel confident about the process. You should consider this as well, no matter what your father-in-law thinks. Maybe you can give him a useful role (like supervising the contractors), but not one that drives them away by his presence. And if you finish earlier than if you did it yourselves, you might save on double housing costs, which partly offsets the higher price.
My brother is also starting his house build soon, and he isn’t doing anything himself either. When you are busy with work, you often don’t have any other choice.
I am currently planning to renovate just two bathrooms, and even then I’m leaving the planning and coordination of the trades to a professional, because I’ve realized I simply don’t have enough time during the day to handle it properly. My contractor has already given me many useful tips during planning and is (hopefully) making sure the work stays within the set budget. He knows affordable and reliable suppliers I would otherwise have to search for laboriously. For example, a shower partition can cost around 200 EUR (about 220 USD), but it can also cost over 1000 EUR (about 1100 USD), and the more expensive one is not necessarily much better. One is custom-made on site by the glazier, the other comes from a bathroom fixtures manufacturer.
It might be a bit more expensive, but I feel confident about the process. You should consider this as well, no matter what your father-in-law thinks. Maybe you can give him a useful role (like supervising the contractors), but not one that drives them away by his presence. And if you finish earlier than if you did it yourselves, you might save on double housing costs, which partly offsets the higher price.
My brother is also starting his house build soon, and he isn’t doing anything himself either. When you are busy with work, you often don’t have any other choice.
H
HilfeHilfe17 Aug 2015 12:03MrDuncan schrieb:
Thanks for all the comments. That’s exactly what I was thinking – so I was already on the right track. You just need to negotiate with the father-in-law now.