Given the high construction costs, the desire for home ownership is not attainable for everyone. The International Building Exhibition Emscher Park initiated the construction of seven settlements in organized group self-help in the Ruhr area from 1994 to 2000. Anja Szypulski examines the experiences of the families involved during the construction phase and how they assess the self-help projects. She analyzes the central features of the projects, such as the organization of the construction process, financing and funding, self-help activities, intra-family division of labor, and neighborhood relationships. The author derives recommendations for the practice of housing policy and self-help from the results and formulates further research questions.