We give some examples of Calabi--Yau $3$-folds with $\rho=1$ and $\rho=2$, defined over $\mathbb{Q}$ and constructed as $4$-codimensional subvarieties of $\mathbb{P}^7$ via commutative algebra methods. We explain how to deduce their Hodge diamond and top Chern classes from computer based computations over some finite field $\mathbb{F}_{p}$. Three of our examples (of degree $17$ and $20$) are new. The two others (degree $15$ and $18$) are known, and we recover their well-known invariants with our method. These examples are built out of Gulliksen--Neg{\aa}rd and Kustin--Miller complexes of locally free sheaves. Finally, we give two new examples of Calabi--Yau $3$-folds of $\mathbb{P}^6$ of degree $14$ and $15$ (defined over $\mathbb{Q}$). We show that they are not deformation equivalent to Tonoli's examples of the same degree, despite the fact that they have the same invariants $(H^3,c_2\cdot H, c_3)$ and $\rho=1$.