A house can be built using the self-build method – on your own – or commissioned to a general contractor. We advise which of these options to choose and which is more profitable. We analyse in what way and how much you can save if you decide to build a single-family house yourself.
Labour costs – what has the greatest impact?
It is estimated that the labour costs are 20-30% of the total cost of building a house. We should mention here that almost half of the houses in Poland are built using the self-build method.
Technology has a key impact on labour costs – brick houses are the usual solution in our country. This construction method is the least expensive. The bigger challenge is to find a crew that has experience in the construction of wooden or framework houses. The location of the plot also affects the final labour cost. The complexity of the house design and its target area are also of importance. It should also be noted here that the investor is responsible for hiring a construction manager.
Construction using the self-build and the commissioned system – differences
Building a house through self-build means that simpler construction work is done by yourself. Therefore, you have to find and hire individual subcontractors. The investor also deals with the purchase of materials. Therefore, it should be borne in mind that such construction is more time-consuming than a job done by a general contractor.
It is more convenient and time-efficient to hire an external company. However, it is also more expensive. Hiring a general contractor means that you don’t have to obtain materials or supervise subcontractors yourself. Building a house with a general contractor is much more beneficial for all those who finance construction through a mortgage loan. In the case of mortgage loans, it is very important to meet the deadlines specified in detail in the contract with the bank.
What can you save on when building a house yourself?
As already mentioned, self-building a house takes much longer than hiring a general contractor. But it may be cheaper. Here’s and how much you can save by building a 100 m2 house yourself:
- around PLN 6k can be saved at the zero stage by building footings and foundation walls and installing anti-moisture and thermal insulation,
- when building load-bearing and partition walls, you can save approx. PLN 10k,
- you may save about PLN 3k if you build a teriva ceiling yourself,
- about PLN 4k can be saved on installing the roof truss,
- roofing can save you approx. PLN 1k,
- installation of the roofing means saving PLN 5k to 10k.
In addition to the above-mentioned key construction works, you can save a lot by doing other less absorbing tasks that everyone is able to do on their own. Here are some of them:
- installation of door and window joinery,
- making the house and roof insulation,
- finishing the walls with plaster.
