Take additional credit and save time or do it yourself?

  • Erstellt am 2023-08-21 09:50:52

NeuerBauherrHE

2023-08-21 09:50:52
  • #1
Hello everyone,

our house construction has been dragging on for 2 years and we are about to move in. Since February, I have been actively working on the interior finishing (installing bathroom fittings, laying the floor, installing interior doors, fixing other small stuff) because our general contractor went insolvent.

Now the interior is almost finished and we are thinking about the outdoor area. In front of the house, we want to leave the paving to the landscape gardener. In the back garden, 40cm high L-stones have to be set because the neighbor’s property is higher. Otherwise, preparations for the terrace include graveling (36 sqm) and putting topsoil on (25cm high for 40 sqm).

Since we now have over €100,000 in additional costs, we are considering whether we should do the graveling and topsoil filling ourselves to save €10,000.

The problem is that we have a sloping site and when the landscape gardener finishes in October, it will no longer be easy to get up with a wheelbarrow because there is only a staircase leading up to the garden on the side. The rest of the soil will be retained by 80cm high L-stones.

If it were up to my parents, we should do it ourselves with 4-5 people and somehow carry the soil and gravel up and do everything ourselves to save money. But I don’t know if we as laymen can manage it well. And how long it will take is uncertain.

But I am tired of constantly finishing work at 5 p.m. and being on the construction site on weekends, neglecting my wife and my 2 children (under 3 years).

Since we will have to do additional financing anyway, the question here is whether we should also take out a loan for the €10,000 for the landscape gardener?

Advantages:
- More time for work and family

Disadvantage:
- Less money (€100 more monthly burden)

What are the experiences here with doing your own work during house construction with small children?
 

WilderSueden

2023-08-21 10:10:00
  • #2
Have you already checked if there is a conveyor belt to rent near you? That seems much more sensible to me than lugging dozens of tons of gravel up in buckets.

Otherwise, you have to find the balance yourself. Maybe some of the work can also be postponed to next year to reduce the stress a bit now.
 

Ypsi aus NI

2023-08-21 10:53:38
  • #3
To better assess the additional burden of €100, one would need to know the total income / total expenses. But I'll tell you from the gut: LET IT BE DONE! Moving into a new house, your own home, and then having an unfinished garden with such small children is really annoying. We moved in February and, contrary to our plan, had the garden done and did not regret it. You yourself write that you are burned out, and compared to wallpapering, laying floors, and installing doors, gardening is real hard labor. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to the 'luxury' of having it done. Irrigation, planting, foil, pine bark, electricity, robotic mower, etc. All of that is still enough to do yourself!
 

NeuerBauherrHE

2023-08-21 11:27:05
  • #4


Currently, we have a household net income of 5000€.

If we still apply for additional financing, then we will be at 2100€ for loan and repayment. The additional costs from the outdoor facilities would only show up in the higher remaining debt.

When I finish parental part-time and my wife finishes the teacher traineeship, we should be at a household net income of 6000€.

We will probably have it done as well. I just grew up in a family where you do as much as possible yourself to avoid taking out a loan. But by now, time is more valuable to me than the costs for the interest.
 

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