ᐅ Building Without Stress – Who Has Tips or Experiences on How to Achieve This?

I prefer to hire a skilled professional who has been trained in the trade, uses the latest materials and techniques, and doesn’t just do it the way their grandfather did.

Here in the countryside, many build with a general contractor, while the landscaping is done by themselves.

MayrCh schrieb:
I see it differently. Every cosmetic defect then counts as a fault. Anyone who finds defect complaints too stressful should reconsider if building a house is the right choice for them.

For me, that means stress, because the contractor often relies on tolerances, but to me, it still isn’t done properly.

readytorumble schrieb:
This is how people build here in the countryside, with very few exceptions. We tend to laugh at those who spend huge amounts on a house but can’t even manage to paint the walls during a three-week vacation to be able to move in.

Same here.

haydee schrieb:
I prefer to work myself and pay a skilled tradesperson who is trained in the specific craft.

I understand the basic idea, but unfortunately, "skilled tradesperson" doesn’t automatically mean that things will be done better or more neatly.

haydee schrieb:
I prefer to work myself and hire a skilled tradesperson who has completed proper training, ...t

However, this only makes sense if A) you can work almost unlimited hours at your job and get paid accordingly, and B) your net hourly wage exceeds the gross wage of a "skilled tradesperson."

This is probably not the case for most people.

By the way, no one is suggesting that untrained private builders should replace skilled tradespeople. They are still needed. But a skilled tradesperson usually brings one or more assistants or helpers. And these are exactly the ones you can save on by pitching in yourself. I’m just not willing to pay over 40 euros per hour for handing over bricks or cleaning tools.

You can only skip hiring a skilled tradesperson if you have one in your family or circle of friends.

The least stressful option is a relatively new property or a finished one from a developer.
After that, I would recommend a turnkey house from the general contractor, letting them handle everything. You’ll get a functioning house, though how well it suits your needs is questionable. For many, this can lead to dissatisfaction. This is also a reason why many builders—even those working with a general contractor—are on site daily, checking progress and familiarizing themselves with the trades, at least enough to clearly communicate their wishes.

For some, doing their own work isn’t stressful but rather satisfying. For Readytorumble, probably not having to worry at all would be even more stressful than spending several hours daily working on the site.

I understand, but you should still take a deeper look into the topic.

readytorumble schrieb:
But a skilled worker usually comes with one or more laborers/helpers. And you can save on those by simply pitching in yourself. I’m just reluctant to pay over 40 euros per hour for passing bricks and cleaning tools.

Or cleaning up the construction site in the evening. Just allowing the masons to work straight through until the end of the day without having to spend another hour cleaning up afterwards can save you a four-figure sum, for example, during the shell construction phase.

readytorumble schrieb:
1 year (52 weeks) of construction time until moving in. After moving in, there were still some "minor issues" and landscaping to complete.
Every weekday 4-6 hours, Saturdays 10-12 hours, often Sunday mornings
Holidays except Christmas 5-12 hours
About 50 vacation days (over 2 years) with 10-12 hours

My partner spent somewhat less overall.

That’s quite a tight schedule. For me, never! I’d rather pay extra than wear myself out like that building a house. But this is not a criticism – everyone should do it the way they want.