Is a house in shell condition a good idea?

There is no single way to fulfil the dream of a home of one's own. Some want to invest in building from scratch, others prefer to buy a house ready to move into. An interesting compromise is buying a house in shell condition. What does this mean and is it a good idea?

What does shell condition mean?

Anyone who has thought about a property of their own has certainly come across this term. However, shell condition does not always mean exactly the same thing – there is no binding legal definition of a building in such a state. Most often, though, estate agents regard a house in shell condition as a building with load-bearing walls, a ceiling slab and a roof truss in place. In short – it is just the "skeleton" of the house. Entering a building in shell condition, we will find no wiring or plumbing, partition walls or finishes – that is exactly how it differs from the developer's standard (stan deweloperski).

Sometimes house sale listings refer to an open or closed shell condition. What is the difference? A house in closed shell condition should be fitted with external doors and windows, and if the building comes with a garage, also with a garage door. Open shell condition lacks these elements; hence the name - the house is "open all the way through".

Why choose a house in shell condition?

A house in shell condition is, as we have already mentioned, a kind of compromise between building "from zero" and a finished house. By buying a property in shell condition we spare ourselves the effort involved in dealing with paperwork at government offices – all the necessary permits were obtained long ago. Likewise, we do not have to worry about the heavy construction work; we can focus on finishing the house the way we have dreamed of.

Which brings us to the finishing – a property in shell condition gives us full control over what the house will look like inside. We choose the materials that suit our tastes, plan the layout of the rooms and route the wiring and plumbing according to our needs. And if we decide to buy a house in open shell condition – we will also be able to fit the doors and windows of our choice. These are possibilities that, for example, a house finished to the developer's standard will not offer us.

Disadvantages of a house in shell condition

If we decide to buy a property in shell condition, we will have to make a few sacrifices. Firstly, unlike a house we build from scratch, we will have no influence over the exact location of the building. Wherever we find our house - that is where we will live. This should not be a problem, however, if the construction was well planned and the building sited in the right place.

A greater problem may be the price – higher than for a house built from start to finish. True, by buying a house in shell condition we spare ourselves the trouble of carrying out construction work, but the additional costs may put us off. Especially if we add the costs of finishing the building. That is why it is worth choosing shell condition only when we are certain that we can afford both the purchase of the property and the finishing work.