The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses is being built in the Piastów housing estate in Bolesławiec. Construction began on June 26 and is scheduled to continue until the end of October, or four months.

The building is being constructed using the self-managed construction system (explained below), with a maximum of 60 volunteers working on it.

The investor is Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland.

The building on Gałczyńskiego Street will be a place for religious meetings for Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The Kingdom Hall will stand next to Spółdzielnia Mieszkaniowa Bolesławianka, Biedronka and the Catholic church on Jana Pawła II Street.

What does construction using the self-managed system involve?

Construction using the self-managed system is a way of putting up a building in which the investor—the person carrying out the construction—handles most matters independently. Instead of hiring a construction company, the investor organizes the materials, hires specialists for various tasks, such as masonry, electrical and plumbing work, and makes sure everything proceeds according to plan.

The main advantages are:

  1. Saving money: there is no need to pay a general contractor a large sum; material and labor prices are negotiated directly, which is often cheaper.
  2. Greater control: there is full control over what happens at the construction site, and changes can be introduced to adapt everything to one’s needs.
  3. Satisfaction and involvement: building on one’s own is highly rewarding; a person is involved in every stage and sees the building grow step by step.

But there are also some disadvantages:

  1. More work and responsibility: a great deal of time and energy must be devoted to organization and supervision; one needs to know something about construction or learn quickly.
  2. Longer construction time: because everything is done independently, it may take longer than if a professional company handled the work.
  3. Risk: if something goes wrong, the responsibility falls on us; we must be prepared for potential problems and complications.

The self-managed construction system is popular among people who want to save money and have the time and willingness to organize the entire undertaking themselves. It is a considerable challenge, but also highly satisfying when one succeeds in building a house through one’s own efforts.