ᐅ Timber frame construction: which company is reliable?

Hello everyone.

I am new here and would like to ask who has built a prefabricated house using a timber frame construction method?
Are you satisfied?
Which company did you choose, and if so, why?
I have been looking into this for some time now and am undecided between two companies.

Thank you in advance

Frau Ungeduld

Hanse Haus or Haas Haus

Frau Ungeduld schrieb:
I have been dealing with this for a while now and am stuck between two companies.

Frau Ungeduld schrieb:
Hanse Haus or Haas Haus

These two, that you are now trying to decide between, are they two out of how many companies you know in total?

Which other companies have already been ruled out, and why?

“Timber frame construction” is by far the most common method for prefabricated houses, so that alone hardly narrows down the options.

Where do you see similarities between the two companies you mentioned, or where do you find it difficult to identify criteria or differences to help your decision?

The more you share here about what you imagine your house to be like, the easier it will be to see which company—or even a third option—might suit you better.

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We are having our timber frame house built by a local carpentry company. It was actually supposed to be erected yesterday, but this has been postponed to next week due to the snow. From what I have seen, many carpentry companies now offer complete timber frame houses. This has both advantages and disadvantages compared to large prefabricated house manufacturers. However, it also makes the choice more difficult. Unfortunately, I cannot say much about the price difference, as this depends on many factors. For example, the wall construction often differs. Our carpentry company would never use Styrofoam on the walls, nor mineral wool between the studs. I would never want Styrofoam or other insulation boards made from mineral oil-based products either. On the outside, wood fiber insulation boards will be applied, and wood fiber insulation will be blown into the cavities between the studs. Of course, there will also be a service cavity. But in terms of wall construction, some prefabricated house manufacturers have also caught up by now.

World-e schrieb:
From what I have seen, many carpentry companies now offer complete timber frame houses. This has both advantages and disadvantages compared to large prefab house manufacturers.

Prefab house manufacturers originally all evolved from carpentry businesses. Those that have remained conceptually similar are now nearly gone from the market. As a side effect of the current construction boom, some are again considering this approach. However, to reach today’s level of series production maturity in the industry will require a comparable learning curve as the early pioneers faced.

A few may succeed by leveraging the advantage of a “short distance to the customer”—meaning truly within a maximum of 50 meters (165 feet) driving distance to the building site—and still offer competitive products as companies that still need to develop their industrial processes.

However, it is highly advisable to involve professional architect planning: having built a thousand roof trusses does not automatically make someone a skilled house designer.

World-e schrieb:
But some prefab manufacturers have also caught up in wall construction.

Prefab house manufacturers have been ahead in wall construction techniques for over thirty years; it is the solid builders who have caught up, and this took them almost until today.

Currently, the insulation content in both types is quite high, and wall thicknesses have become similar—now on a higher level. Thirty years ago, prefab builders typically had wall thicknesses of about 16 to 22 centimeters (6 to 9 inches), which resulted in roughly double the thermal insulation performance compared to solid wall builders with 30 and 36.5 centimeter (12 and 14 inch) walls.

Back then, the image was still influenced by 1960s wall constructions—unfavorably described as “cardboard with pollutants”—and by news footage from the US showing houses being blown away “in one piece” during tornadoes.

Today, prefab houses are industrial products with high precision and sophisticated detail design, tailor-made to measure. The only standard elements are often the three or four selectable wall constructions, all proven in production (an area where local carpenters still need to catch up).

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:
Thirty years ago, prefab house manufacturers were already far ahead in terms of wall construction technology, with solid builders catching up—and it took them almost until today.

What I meant was that some prefab house manufacturers now also use ecological and sustainable insulation materials. However, many still apply polystyrene on the outside and add a vapor-tight membrane on the inside, making the assembly diffusion-proof. There are quite a few debates around this topic. I’m also not sure which prefab manufacturers offer installation cavities.
For me, a timber frame house insulated with polystyrene would no longer be an option—nor would a missing installation cavity. But that’s a decision everyone has to make for themselves. In the early stages of our planning, we also dealt with prefab house manufacturers. I don’t know what has changed in the last two years. For me, the advantages of a local carpentry workshop outweighed the alternatives. For others, it might be different. Everyone has to weigh it for themselves.