Own work in new construction - what makes sense and is feasible?

A worthwhile DIY task is usually the pitched roof insulation (inside = insulation between rafters). So far seen or done it myself three times. Usually around 8-10K that the builder would have charged for it. It’s a crappy job, but if done carefully and then with foil, sealing, etc., it’s worth it. Drywall (OSB + gypsum board) if there is time.

For your information: We did the floors ourselves on 300m² of living space (among other things). Mostly click vinyl, partly wood parquet (click). That’s doable. But don’t underestimate it, it takes time if you do it carefully. If you don’t do it carefully, you might as well skip it. This also applies to painting. We had good experiences (price/performance) with the combination of vinyl/fleece wallpaper on walls smoothed to Q2 by drywall installers. However, be careful when choosing the wallpaper.

Have you ever done such work before? Like more than just painting a 60 sqm apartment once?

We have laid flooring before and painted an apartment, knocked down walls, and my husband once helped insulate the roof and walls. But the experience is limited, though my parents, for example, renovated an entire multi-family house themselves in their younger years, they would surely also assist with experience. Soon I’ll get to try laying tiles with them (in the basement ;)), but I definitely don’t plan to do that in our house ;)

So maybe the insulation really could work in EL. Friends of ours also renovated their living floor and applied non-woven wallpaper completely themselves, and it turned out really well. I’ll get some information on that.

I don’t understand the hostility, but I don’t have to take it to heart. Then it’s simply not a standard, as I said, we’re also refraining from it. By the way, asking how to offset costs with work is not complaining but initiative.

Of course I hope this quarantine time won’t be so present during our construction phase, but I also wonder what can really be accomplished in the end without going crazy. We don’t want to overestimate ourselves.

Ultimately, it is also a question of what you can do craft-wise. You have to be able to lay flooring as well as wallpaper and much more; just the will alone is not enough. However, you can learn (to want) and take time for it; if necessary, it will then just take 2 years longer, but since nowadays nobody wants to build for 5-10 years, it often ends up being more expensive. Outdoor areas can be designed by exclusively orienting yourself to what you can do yourself (financially + craft-wise), but this often has nothing to do with what you would have wished for, for whatever reason such a wish arose. A "renunciation" ([one of my favorite words here in the forum]) can only arise if you previously allow this to yourself. In the end, it will simply show whether you are willing to do the work required to save the desired amount, and that is where it fails in most cases. Honestly, I also misjudged with this construction what I wanted to do myself, but I am over 60 and therefore have one more excuse. The biggest savings are certainly to be found in the materials, I would have a look at that. For example, we deliberately and not for cost reasons did not choose a lift-and-slide door and I am currently glad that we are thus not standard. Why should these necessarily have a higher standard just because they open differently? Are you willing to really work hard every evening and every weekend from morning to evening for months without complaining? No? I can understand that, but then I would by no means imagine too much saving potential through own labor.

My suggestion is just a small drop on a hot stone and somewhat underrepresented here in the forum, but still: search a lot for second hand. Garden furniture, garden tools, electrical appliances for the kitchen, terrace flooring, and furnishings like shelves and lamps, beds, desks can be very well purchased used. You just have to search more and don't always find something. But when you do, you save a lot. Just today I bought two pleated blinds, each 250cm long, for a total of 100 euros. It was definitely worth waiting until I found something suitable. And so the money you don't spend adds up little by little.

but my parents, for example, renovated an entire multi-family house themselves when they were young,

I know it like that too but that is no longer standard today, today you build turnkey and lay click floors and paint.

they would certainly also support with experience.

Know-how is available today on YouTube – what you need is man- and woman-power, a lot of it and for a long time. Do you want that? That is the only question to ask. If yes, you can save a lot of money.

Soon I’ll be allowed to try laying tiles with them (in the basement ;)), but I certainly don’t plan to do that in our house just to be safe

Exactly there is the crux. Back then I really had zero idea, YouTube didn’t exist, so I had it explained to me and tiled the whole basement plus the small bathroom. Was it flawless? No, far from it, but there was no alternative. Maybe you should choose such materials that you can process yourselves, consistently orient everything on what I can accomplish myself.

@Benutzer200 I don’t understand the hostility, but I don’t have to take it to heart. Then it’s simply not a standard, as I said, we are also doing without it. By the way, asking how to offset costs with work is not whining, but determination.

No hostility. Just straightforward honesty.

If you really want to, you can do almost everything yourself. All insulation work inside (roof, underfloor heating), installing underfloor heating (many heating engineers do this because it’s hard to make a mistake with continuous installation), walls and floors, chiseling slots for the electrician, exterior work (as long as no heavy equipment is needed), fine assembly of sanitary installations.

These are all things that someone who doesn’t have two left hands can do very well themselves. Even large-format tiles are quite manageable for a layperson with the means available today.

The easiest way to save costs is always to avoid generating costs.