ᐅ Which types of self-performed work are worthwhile in house construction?
Created on: 27 Jun 2017 16:04
C
Crossy
Hello 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!
K
Knallkörper13 Jul 2017 13:04Why should there be "no warranty issues" just because you don’t connect the cables yourself?
How is anyone supposed to verify the installation method if they only lay the cables down? They won’t be able to assess it once the cables are embedded in plaster or covered by the screed. Accordingly, it’s not possible to correctly layout or size the cables. Therefore, strictly speaking, it’s not that simple.
How is anyone supposed to verify the installation method if they only lay the cables down? They won’t be able to assess it once the cables are embedded in plaster or covered by the screed. Accordingly, it’s not possible to correctly layout or size the cables. Therefore, strictly speaking, it’s not that simple.
P
Peanuts7413 Jul 2017 13:12Warranty or not, I would say that pulling the cables is by far the more challenging task compared to just connecting a few wires later on. If you forget a cable or use one that’s too small, you might have problems pulling that cable through afterward. Therefore, this is where most careful planning is required.
C
Caspar202013 Jul 2017 13:37Peanuts74 schrieb:
Warranty or not, I would say that pulling the cables is by far the more demanding task compared to connecting a few wires later on.Well, the most challenging part is still the planning and the associated sizing. Sure, assembling and properly wiring a distribution board is also quite demanding.
Pulling the cables itself is just physical work. You are even allowed to do it under the supervision or instruction of a qualified person.
P
Peanuts7413 Jul 2017 13:41Okay, then let's focus on the planning to make sure nothing is forgotten. You don’t have to be a genius to run the cables yourself, of course...
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