Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

Paying out all overtime hours is actually no longer really worthwhile due to tax deductions.

When calculating in-house work versus outsourcing, many factors must be considered. It is worthwhile, but often not to the extent one thinks. You need machines, have to pay small quantity surcharges, additional transport costs, require at least twice as much time, and often have higher material costs.

And if you are building for 2 to 3 years, you often have over 30,000 euros in additional rental costs, which you can hardly save back anymore.

That's exactly the problem. Time pressure is created and corresponding construction processes are carried out to build quickly. I don't find that healthy. And the whole development is moving towards construction methods that hardly require any professional qualifications. Building with gypsum board is one of those. Gypsum board, gypsum plaster, anhydrite screed, all bad building materials for the customer and good for the construction company.

ETICS, polystyrene insulation, good for the construction company, bad for the customer.

Does a builder actually have any idea how much water is introduced into a building with mortar, screed, plaster, paint, etc.? It's thousands of liters. And that water has to go somewhere. Yes, where within a very short time? It then hides in the stone, in the ground, and in the ceilings.
Then everything is chemically and physically sealed off and eventually the moisture still finds its way out. Suddenly it molds.
You can't really heat properly anymore either thanks to modern heat pumps. And thanks to vapor barriers and airtight adhesive tapes, windows, and doors, the question suddenly comes up in the house building forum about how to keep mold away in the attic.

Here you just can't stop being amazed. Really.

In the past, construction started in spring, the roof was on by the following winter, and the shell could dry naturally in February, when the humidity is lowest. That was the case with every house and the construction schedule was designed accordingly. Today, the construction process practically no longer depends on the season. They build. No matter when.

In the past, everything was simply better. Or was it not? It was probably different. But neither prevents one from installing reasonable quality. Nowadays, the range of technology and materials is so large that it becomes very complicated.

Building itself has become significantly easier today. The information available for DIY makers is also much better. Practically all methods and techniques are explained more or less thoroughly in forums and video tutorials. There is practically everything to buy: materials, tools, machines. The selection is huge and much of it can also be organized at affordable prices or used.

Today's building materials trade is much better stocked than it was years ago. So a lot more is possible now. On Amazon today, there is everything that used to be a specialist trade monopoly. I can shop duty-free all over Europe today and, for example, buy much cheaper in Poland or Hungary.

In the past, in the village, there was a trained master who helped you with construction and showed you everything. Payment was always made directly tax-free. It was physically very exhausting for everyone involved, but much easier than having to look up every step on the internet nowadays. You just did it, and the result was usually top-notch.

Nowadays, due to lack of time, very often shoddy work is delivered. You can no longer keep up with rework and inspections. No one gives you back the money that is lost there. This did not happen like that in the past.

Cheap material prices and good craftsmen are hardly available anymore anyway. Overall, I consider the current situation to be one of the most difficult building situations this country has ever had. Only the stories from my grandmother after the war top that.

I would definitely have preferred to build in the 80s rather than now. But who can choose that. I like hard physical work, I really enjoy it. The mental stress and the whole organizing of incompetent and unreliable construction companies, however, has aged me by years. Annoying. The burden on families with dual earners is added on top. That was rather the exception than the rule back then as well.

I think you need to "come back down to earth" again :D You’re complaining at an extremely high level, you do realize that - right? Those who are building here are among the few privileged who can do so. Be grateful that you can build and afterwards have at least a roof over your head, warm food on your plate daily, and a peaceful environment (Europe). Plus leisure opportunities that are impressive, access to education, and freedom of expression. I could puke when I hear the endlessly repeated whining and complaining. Even if I sometimes briefly join in, I am always aware of the above-mentioned ;)