Shell construction of a single-family house with a lot of self-effort

Hello.

I am new here in the forum and have already read up a bit.

I already have a building plot and want to build (have built) a single-family house there. Solid construction, depending on the costs with or without a basement.

Through my parents' farm, I (electrical master craftsman) already have some experience with construction work, as we always did everything ourselves in the past: concreting floor slabs, bricklaying, formwork, plastering, operating excavators, electrical work, water installation, roofing, windows, shutters, etc.

I have a scaffold, plastering machine, etc., and a small wheel loader myself; I can rent an excavator from an acquaintance. I also have some civil engineering experience with water and wastewater.

However, due to lack of time and personnel, I probably won’t get to concreting the floor slabs, bricklaying, and exterior plastering, so I would like to have the shell construction (floor slabs, bricklaying, erecting the roof truss) done; later there is always enough work left.

-> It’s not urgent either; it can very well be a multi-year project.

I have also already visited various prefab house, shell construction, and kit house providers and listened to everything.

At some point, the decision will come between the paths one takes:

Version 1: General contractor builds the shell according to a plan created by the GC, and I continue. The GC takes care of planning and approval.

Version 2: An architect creates a plan up to the approval planning stage, and I look for providers in the region with whom there are good experiences. Do firms even have interest in dealing with private individuals, or are they all so busy due to contracts that they won’t give me a good price?

How should one proceed if one wants to save as much money as possible and also has time?

Will I be taken advantage of by the construction companies, and will they come to me later with all sorts of costs, and I could have just had it done?

If I start with an architect myself, there will still be many unknown costs that I haven’t had on my radar yet.

Thirty years ago, our family already built such a project, but the craftsmen in my circle of acquaintances from back then are all too old for such a project today.

Back then, an excavator operator from the neighboring town was there and dug the excavation pit, and it simply took as long as it took until it was finished. No soil survey beforehand, etc., just do it and settle afterwards. But that probably doesn’t work so easily today anymore.

Regards, Ralf

Hello, variant 2 was used in my case. I had the best experience with it. All companies were from the region and I would hire any of them again at any time. Construction time until move-in was exactly 1 year. However, the exterior plaster and the outdoor area were not yet completed then. There were no unpleasant surprises with the costs either. All the offers were appropriate and I did not experience any unpleasant surprises with any invoice.

If I were you, I would build it myself.

Not everything, but at least in parts. The most important thing right now is to have a few motivated helpers who are willing to work through a few weekends.

I would have the foundation and slab done by professionals. Do the shell up to the ceiling slab yourself. That’s not difficult and relatively easy because of planned stones and adhesive technology. You can lay one story in 4 weekends if the logistics work out.
I would also have the ceiling slab done, preferably precast slabs. You can lay the gable yourself. You can rent a stone saw. You really don’t need much more than that. You’ll have a few buckets, trowels, angle grinder, etc.

I would also have the roof truss done by professionals. Either take the drawings to a cutting center and assemble it yourself or have it completely done by a carpentry company. You can do the roof covering yourself. Windows and doors are also DIY possible. Electrical work is yours anyway.
Heating and plumbing can also be done by professionals.

So you can definitely build very cost-effectively if you want to. You just need a certain amount of equity for material purchases and wages.

I also got an old master mason who laid the first layer of bricks on the slab for me. Very carefully and perfectly level. Then I could easily stick everything on top. You can’t go wrong there. Insert lintels for doors and windows, tie in partition walls, it’s all not rocket science.

When the bricks are delivered, place them directly on the slab as needed. A few scaffolding trestles and planks are more than enough for the ground floor.
I would also buy used scaffolding, saves a lot of money in the long run and you can leave it up longer.
You can also resell it well after the build.

Materials like bricks, roof tiles, construction timber, windows and doors now come with decent discounts. Actually a good time to build yourself.

When we built a house like this with a lot of DIY work 25 years ago, the price quoted by the architect was still greatly exceeded, even though we poured concrete, built walls, plastered, and finished the house ourselves.

Therefore, I don't know if I will really be cheaper if I organize everything myself.

Of course, it is also hard to say in advance what it will cost, that is clear to me as well.

The general contractor also has their own architect and wants to make a profit, but they probably also have better terms with the companies.

The general contractor also has his architect,

The general contractor has his authorized planner, unless he is that himself. He gets the stamp, nothing else. Quality improvements compared to in-house planning are absent.

and wants to make a profit, but he probably also has better conditions with the companies.

His markup is usually risk-appropriate, and the tuition fee of the individual in-house contractor is usually higher. The general contractor’s terms with the subcontractors have a lot to do with his payment behavior. At the building material dealer, Aunt Trude’s employee discount can mean more than the general contractor’s purchase volume.

It was a few years ago, but I can still clearly remember my building material dealer. He had, or rather still has, super cheap offers on building materials. He is still doing that currently.

The bricks for a complete roof, engobed Creaton bricks, for 1000 euros. 36 cm Poroton plan bricks, the pallet for 65 euros including adhesive. Tiles, terrace slabs also very, very cheap.

Floor tiles from Porsenalosa for under 10 euros. Well, just special items that you can really get cheaply.

1 pallet of 36 cm Poroton bricks contains 60 bricks. That is just under 4 square meters of exterior wall. 50 pallets are easily enough for an entire house with 2 floors. Actually, 40 are enough.

At 65 euros per pallet, we need 3250 euros for the exterior walls including VAT. Adhesive is included as well. Perhaps some transport costs and crane unloading. But just as an illustration.

I built and glued everything together with my wife. Between Christmas and New Year's Eve. That worked too.