Hello,
A general statement about how much everything approximately costs is very difficult, as the floor plan/plot is decisive for the costs.
I award all trades individually and so far I have been cheaper than through a general contractor (GU). In my opinion, however, the following points must always be considered:
- You often have to get hands-on yourself because there are occasional problems at interfaces that you didn't anticipate. If you have two left hands, this can be difficult.
- For every trade you award, you have to acquire experience through a lot of research and time investment. Craftsmen don’t like customers with zero competence. Professional inquiries are more likely to be processed, and only through acquired knowledge can offers often be compared and negotiated at all.
- Every craftsman sells their work as the best work. You have to be able to recognize good/bad work. Again, research, talking with other people/companies, and visiting other construction sites are necessary.
- If you award the trades individually, you usually don’t opt for the cheapest solution because you deal with it. Mostly, you take certain extras that would not be included with a GU. I consider that positive.
- Every GU adds about 15% margin to each awarded trade. Here there is enormous potential for savings.
- Comparing companies also offers enormous savings potential. In many trades I was able to save several thousand euros for the same service because I compared several companies. I think GUs ultimately don’t concern themselves with comparing companies the way you do yourself.
- You can lose track of costs if trades are forgotten, etc., costs can quickly explode upwards.
Overall, I would say that you can save 20-30% if you award all trades yourself, but the time required is considerable. I spent one year (about 4 hours a day) planning and researching until the groundbreaking.
And your shell construction is already expensive.
I can fully agree with this 100%.
We awarded all trades ourselves. The entire house planning even came from us.
If you only want a house and a "ready-made" house is enough, then a GU is the safest option.
Since we planned many special solutions for our project that GUs are reluctant to implement, e.g., aluminum windows, all windows 2.4 meters high, large interior doors with ceiling-high panels, lime plaster inside, broom finish outside, air conditioning, strip parquet + 120x120 cm tiles... etc., awarding trades individually was the only way to keep the house affordable for us.
We stayed within our budget.
Of course, the planning and coordination effort must not be underestimated. For the last two years, this was my hobby. It was totally worth it and we are proud to have set something up ourselves.
