Own contribution - what did you do and would you do it again?

We do the following ourselves:

[*]Perimeter insulation basement
[*]House drainage

[*]Electricity/network/TV
[*]Screed insulation
[*]Roof insulation
[*]Drywall
[*]Painting work (I will probably outsource the filling of drywall and ceilings)
[*]Garden (except for the light well)
[*]Paving work (pure laying – I will have the substructure done)
[*]Interior doors
[*]Install controlled residential ventilation
[*]Glue parquet floors
[*]Build/make brickwork for garage

Lots of work – luckily we will live rent-free from August, so the financial pressure is (not) that present

...better than a good craftsman you never are as a layman...

I wouldn't agree with that. For example, we insulated our roof in EL, installed the vapor barrier, and mounted the counter-battens ourselves. When the man from the BDT was in our attic, he asked me if I had done it myself. I swallowed hard at first and thought "Nonsense, what's coming now?" Then he said you could tell, because no paid craftsman would do it as well and cleanly... The roof including roof windows and pipe penetrations was completely free of complaints from the BDT, unlike the windows from the (which I otherwise found very good) craftsman/carpenter.

Otherwise, we did ourselves:
- plastered and painted the basement
- interior windowsills
- roof boarded, plastered, sanded
- network (great work to relax, provided you have steady hands)
- walls resanded
- laid laminate
- drywall (my new favorite pastime)
- built and installed construction stairs
- installed lamps
- painted everything
- baseboards
- wallpapered (only a few square meters)
- installed doors
- many, many small things

What is still pending:
- exterior work (paving, planting, etc., the rest will be done by a professional)
- basement floor (coating)
- more small things

Would I do it again? Everything. Everything went great, learned a lot, cursed a lot but also had a lot of fun and even lost a few kilos doing it.
Also proud as punch

Opportunity costs are therefore not an issue for me in this case despite a good salary.

Almost exclusively my father-in-law helped me and my wife. And my mother-in-law with cleaning and very good food.
I didn’t want to risk messing up my house for friends. They were only allowed to come by for beer breaks. By the way, I absolutely recommend beer for building a house (and of course otherwise as well)

And you as a layman will never be better than a good craftsman.

I wouldn’t agree with that either.

For oneself, one does it differently and possibly better than a professional.

And a word to the office drones here:

Only the work produced with your own hands is satisfying. Everything else (including doing nothing) can lead to burnout... doesn’t have to, but you’re on the best way there.

Painting something or cobbling something together is a nice job: you later see a result, and that makes you proud. This pride sometimes lasts longer than the material (little joke)

Psychologically tested and found to be good

A layman barely manages to make everything look beautifully superficial, but is it technically correct beneath the surface? I am also not a desk jockey. Regards

Surely a layman can superficially make everything look beautiful, but is it technically correct underneath the surface? I am also not an office horse. Regards

My approach I have already described in #3. However, anyone who works impatiently and a bit sloppily should stick to painting the garden house - that also makes one very proud!

Stupid tilers, why do they do an apprenticeship, it works without it too. You have never seen a bathroom made by a good tiler. Your comparison is flawed.