Home construction: Experts weigh DIY savings against time and costs

Experts suggest that while performing DIY tasks during house construction can save thousands of euros on paper, the actual net savings are often modest when accounting for time and materials.

Maximilian Lang, sales manager at prefabricated house provider Elk, notes that the financial advantage of self-performed work is frequently smaller than it initially appears. For example, while a fully finished bathroom might add approximately 27,000 euros to a house model's price, a DIY approach could require between 8,000 and 20,000 euros for materials, tools, transport, and disposal. This leaves a potential saving of only 7,000 to 19,000 euros, but requires an estimated 250 to 350 hours of labor, excluding potential errors or rework.

However, Herbert Oberhagemann of the Verband Privater Bauherren (VPB) indicates that certain tasks, such as landscaping a garden, can still be worthwhile for homeowners to undertake themselves.