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

I find it impressive that there is sometimes the opinion here that with enough willpower you can do everything yourself. O.o I mean - sure, you can do it, but then it ends up shitty. :D

Joking aside, it’s usually a triangle with these kinds of questions, and the corners are: your skills, your expectations, and your time. If your skills are low and your expectations are high, then you will need an exorbitant amount of time to do it yourself so that it meets your standards - probably more time than you have. If, on the other hand, your expectations are low and you don’t care how it ends up looking, then you can lay tiles yourself too.

For example, we had to realize that we both have zero experience with crafts. Wallpapering would have been the height of our ambitions, and even that we would hardly have been able to manage time-wise. We had no babysitter at that time, and working on the walls with the big sanding machine and raising dust with a baby on the construction site - would have been difficult. In the end, we had everything done, including the painting. My parents, on the other hand, built in the 70s for a fraction of our money. But my dad was a craftsman and knew many craftsmen, and the rest of the family also pitched in a lot - with the unqualified family members, it was often just learning by doing because you had all the time in the world and already lived in the same place anyway. The house was finished when it was finished. There was nothing like setting accelerators or anything.

I find it impressive that some people here partly think you can do everything yourself with enough willpower. o_O I mean - sure, you can do it, but it will just turn out shitty. :D

Joking aside, it’s often like a triangle with these kinds of questions, and the corners are: your skills, your expectations, and your time.

You are completely right!

With some of my construction sites, for example, the clients already had children and imagined the little ones playing outside in the sand while mom and dad were working. Of course, that didn’t work; the kids wanted to be right in the middle of it. For me, who only showed up on the construction site three days a week, no problem, I involved the kids and the 4-year-olds diligently "measured" and "marked" for me. Now with my own child: never ever. Without childcare, no chance, that would only cause stress on all sides. Also the site with a baby and no construction power, where every hour one socket on the diesel generator was occupied with the bottle warmer, in hindsight probably wasn’t for me. The family had really, really stressful three months, but in return got a dirt-cheap house.

This thread, as so often here in the forum, is a list of possibilities, but what the OP makes of it is another matter.

Often, as a builder, I don't have to be able to do much - if there is someone who brings the necessary expertise.
Builder's assistance in masonry work on the shell - what do I need to be able to do there? Carrying, the rest is handled by the professional. If I can save €15,000 through my pure muscle power, then the ambition comes all by itself.
It's the same with the outdoor facilities - carrying stones, maybe cutting something - anyone can manage that.
For paving work, you call in the road worker next door on Saturday - at least in the village, that's no problem.
In many trades: If you have someone who has experience, who shows you something and then checks it - then it really is just a question of will and perseverance.

It doesn't always have to be the complete Do It Yourself program. Many craftsmen are happy when the slots don't have to be chiseled or the underfloor heating doesn't have to be installed, and the builder does that. You really can't do much wrong there. This applies to all trades and adds up to tens of thousands of euros.

Provided, of course, one is physically fit and perhaps does not yet have family obligations. Frankly: In our region, that is completely normal. It really revolves around the house for a whole year, rather 14 months, and all kinds of energy, annual leave, etc. are invested in it. I don’t know anyone here who does not contribute a significant amount of personal effort – and not all of them are professionals.

Provided, of course, that one is physically in good shape and perhaps does not yet have family obligations.
To be frank: In our region, that is completely normal. It really takes a whole year, rather 14 months, focusing only on the house, and every bit of energy, annual leave, etc. is invested into it.
I don’t know anyone here who doesn’t contribute a high degree of their own labor – and not all of them are professionals.

That sums it up. One has to honestly admit to oneself whether one truly wants that to the full extent.
For a noticeable saving, as an amateur, one has to give up a lot of strength, energy, time, and also endurance. If one commits that, one saves a lot of money; if one doesn’t want to do that, one simply has to pay for it.

Yes, I also remember with joy the moment when the 4-year-old in an unobserved moment worked on the freshly plastered wall with his toy trowel. Or touched the acid putty. Decorated a cake made of tiles with the acrylic syringe. The list of scary moments is long. Children and construction site: that is pure stress.