ᐅ Which types of self-performed work are worthwhile in house construction?
Created on: 27 Jun 2017 16:04
C
CrossyHello everyone,
we have started planning our single-family house. Construction is scheduled to begin next spring.
Basically, we are now considering to what extent we should contribute self-performed work during the build.
We probably have one of the most important prerequisites for self-performance, namely time.
My husband can take 6 months off next year for the construction (with hardly any loss of income).
At first, we thought of typical tasks like wallpapering, painting, and so on.
Now the idea has come up (to make the most efficient use of the 6 months) to do the shell construction ourselves, or at least the basement and garage. More specifically, we could do the shell construction together with a self-employed mason/tiler friend. That means our friend would do the masonry with one of his employees, and my husband (+ occasionally my father) would assist with general labor tasks.
We could also do screeding and laying tiles or other floor coverings with this friend.
In addition, we can get windows and doors through our brother-in-law. He works for a window manufacturing company, so we would probably get favorable conditions, and our brother-in-law would help install the windows and doors with us (Is this even feasible with 2–3 people?).
There is also the option to do the electrical work together with a friend who is an electrician (although I am not sure how much assistance you can actually provide here).
On the one hand, we want to make the best use of the time we have, but we also don’t want to get overwhelmed by too much self-performance. By the way, we are both office workers professionally, and our practical experience so far is limited to painting, wallpapering, occasional helping tasks on friends’ house builds, and assembling IKEA furniture.
I am excluded as a helper because I will be busy with our children, managing the site (food and drinks), and organizing.
What is your assessment?
Would you have dared to take on this amount of self-performed work under these circumstances?
We would not carry out any trade without a professional, but we would always participate actively.
Is it possible to save a significant amount this way?
Or, from your experience, where is it worthwhile to get involved?
I am looking forward to your opinions!
we have started planning our single-family house. Construction is scheduled to begin next spring.
Basically, we are now considering to what extent we should contribute self-performed work during the build.
We probably have one of the most important prerequisites for self-performance, namely time.
My husband can take 6 months off next year for the construction (with hardly any loss of income).
At first, we thought of typical tasks like wallpapering, painting, and so on.
Now the idea has come up (to make the most efficient use of the 6 months) to do the shell construction ourselves, or at least the basement and garage. More specifically, we could do the shell construction together with a self-employed mason/tiler friend. That means our friend would do the masonry with one of his employees, and my husband (+ occasionally my father) would assist with general labor tasks.
We could also do screeding and laying tiles or other floor coverings with this friend.
In addition, we can get windows and doors through our brother-in-law. He works for a window manufacturing company, so we would probably get favorable conditions, and our brother-in-law would help install the windows and doors with us (Is this even feasible with 2–3 people?).
There is also the option to do the electrical work together with a friend who is an electrician (although I am not sure how much assistance you can actually provide here).
On the one hand, we want to make the best use of the time we have, but we also don’t want to get overwhelmed by too much self-performance. By the way, we are both office workers professionally, and our practical experience so far is limited to painting, wallpapering, occasional helping tasks on friends’ house builds, and assembling IKEA furniture.
I am excluded as a helper because I will be busy with our children, managing the site (food and drinks), and organizing.
What is your assessment?
Would you have dared to take on this amount of self-performed work under these circumstances?
We would not carry out any trade without a professional, but we would always participate actively.
Is it possible to save a significant amount this way?
Or, from your experience, where is it worthwhile to get involved?
I am looking forward to your opinions!
Doing some work yourself definitely saves money. I would do it again anytime. If I had to build again and had the time, I would try the following myself:
1. Bricklaying – with a bricklayer friend – is doable, but you should be reasonably skilled.
2. Electrical work – we also did this completely ourselves in our first house. My husband is an electrician.
3. Installing windows – we did this in the outbuilding – but only up to a certain size. For patio doors, I would definitely have a professional involved, since I’m simply not strong enough.
4. Installing underfloor heating
5. Painting
6. Drywall installation
7. Paving the outdoor area
8. Partial plumbing
If you have the time, use it! But I would plan carefully beforehand. And don’t forget to allow some buffer time, because there’s always something.
1. Bricklaying – with a bricklayer friend – is doable, but you should be reasonably skilled.
2. Electrical work – we also did this completely ourselves in our first house. My husband is an electrician.
3. Installing windows – we did this in the outbuilding – but only up to a certain size. For patio doors, I would definitely have a professional involved, since I’m simply not strong enough.
4. Installing underfloor heating
5. Painting
6. Drywall installation
7. Paving the outdoor area
8. Partial plumbing
If you have the time, use it! But I would plan carefully beforehand. And don’t forget to allow some buffer time, because there’s always something.
S
Steffen8027 Jun 2017 17:51kaho674 schrieb:
Doing some work yourself definitely saves money. I would do it again anytime. If I had to build again and had the time, I would try the following myself:
1. Bricklaying – with a bricklayer friend – it’s doable, but you need to be reasonably fit.
2. Electrical work – we also did all of it ourselves in our first house. My husband is an electrician.
3. Installing windows – we did this in the outbuilding, but only up to a certain size. For patio doors, I would definitely have a professional involved because I’m just not strong enough.
4. Installing underfloor heating
5. Painting
6. Drywall installation
7. Paving the outdoor area
8. Some plumbing work
If you have the time, use it! But plan everything carefully in advance. And don’t forget to include buffers, because there’s always something.So you’re just building it yourself? Respect…
Being a laborer for masonry work is not a problem. Cutting/sawing bricks, mixing mortar, and carrying materials can be done by anyone after a short time.
For electrical work, apart from planning and final connection, you can do everything yourself. Running cables and installing boxes is also manageable for anyone. However, it is truly time-consuming!
Windows/doors: my brother-in-law is a professional, so he will probably handle that. Lifting, holding, and guiding a window into place can be done by anyone.
I have no experience with screed. But you need a machine, someone to shovel, and someone knowledgeable.
Tiling: same advice as masonry!
Regarding the half-year timeframe: everyone must have the time, stay healthy, and be motivated. Otherwise, the project will fail.
However, there is huge potential to save costs here, since except for the foundation, slab, and roof, you can practically build the house yourselves. I also wouldn’t do plastering but rather use exposed brickwork, if allowed and desired.
The expensive part—the labor—would be eliminated. A real blessing for you!
Regards,
Joe
For electrical work, apart from planning and final connection, you can do everything yourself. Running cables and installing boxes is also manageable for anyone. However, it is truly time-consuming!
Windows/doors: my brother-in-law is a professional, so he will probably handle that. Lifting, holding, and guiding a window into place can be done by anyone.
I have no experience with screed. But you need a machine, someone to shovel, and someone knowledgeable.
Tiling: same advice as masonry!
Regarding the half-year timeframe: everyone must have the time, stay healthy, and be motivated. Otherwise, the project will fail.
However, there is huge potential to save costs here, since except for the foundation, slab, and roof, you can practically build the house yourselves. I also wouldn’t do plastering but rather use exposed brickwork, if allowed and desired.
The expensive part—the labor—would be eliminated. A real blessing for you!
Regards,
Joe
K
Knallkörper27 Jun 2017 22:06On average, about two workers were engaged over eight months for our house construction, conservatively estimated. That amounts to over 2,500 skilled labor hours, probably significantly more. Landscaping is an additional task. Compared to that, a layperson contributing for a few months is negligible. If construction companies believed that employing an assistant would effectively save money, they would hire interns.
There are no more unskilled tasks. The mortar for the shell construction is delivered by truck in the morning, distributed into 10 large buckets, and these buckets are lifted into position by the construction crane. No one stands around mixing or transporting concrete by wheelbarrow. Also, during screed installation, almost no one manually shovels gravel into the pump anymore. A medium-sized single-family house can be completed in one day.
There are no more unskilled tasks. The mortar for the shell construction is delivered by truck in the morning, distributed into 10 large buckets, and these buckets are lifted into position by the construction crane. No one stands around mixing or transporting concrete by wheelbarrow. Also, during screed installation, almost no one manually shovels gravel into the pump anymore. A medium-sized single-family house can be completed in one day.
Hmm, I doubt that six months in this setup will be enough time for you to do everything yourselves.
I do know people who have helped with construction several times and have done masonry work themselves. So it’s possible! However, they didn’t do a lot of things themselves (especially heating and plumbing) and still needed more than six months.
If your husband has to take the full six months off in a row, keep in mind the drying time of the screed. That will probably be the longest unavoidable pause.
I do know people who have helped with construction several times and have done masonry work themselves. So it’s possible! However, they didn’t do a lot of things themselves (especially heating and plumbing) and still needed more than six months.
If your husband has to take the full six months off in a row, keep in mind the drying time of the screed. That will probably be the longest unavoidable pause.
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