ᐅ Prefabricated House with Solid Construction – Which Building Company to Choose
Created on: 4 May 2017 17:39
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Nicon1001
Hello everyone,
We are planning to purchase a prefabricated house built with solid construction. We do not have a plot of land yet. Our budget, excluding the land, is 200,000 € (about 220,000 USD). We have already looked at several houses online and read many reviews. This has made us more uncertain, since hardly any construction company gets good ratings on the internet. So far, we have found two companies that we really like, but unfortunately they only build in Lower Saxony or Northern Germany. Do you have any recommendations for companies in Rhineland-Palatinate?
Because we have relatives with strong craftsmanship skills, we are planning a so-called shell house to save some money and be able to customize it individually. Here is a rough outline of what we are looking for:
1.5 stories
about 140 m² (1,500 sq ft)
5-6 rooms
no basement
no garage
underfloor heating
ventilation system
We are aware that our budget is not very large, but we absolutely want to avoid poor workmanship. Therefore, we would appreciate any tips that could reduce costs or improve energy efficiency.
What are the must-haves (for example, wall materials, stairs, flooring, etc.)?
What can safely be chosen in the standard version?
We would be very grateful for any advice.
Thank you in advance!
We are planning to purchase a prefabricated house built with solid construction. We do not have a plot of land yet. Our budget, excluding the land, is 200,000 € (about 220,000 USD). We have already looked at several houses online and read many reviews. This has made us more uncertain, since hardly any construction company gets good ratings on the internet. So far, we have found two companies that we really like, but unfortunately they only build in Lower Saxony or Northern Germany. Do you have any recommendations for companies in Rhineland-Palatinate?
Because we have relatives with strong craftsmanship skills, we are planning a so-called shell house to save some money and be able to customize it individually. Here is a rough outline of what we are looking for:
1.5 stories
about 140 m² (1,500 sq ft)
5-6 rooms
no basement
no garage
underfloor heating
ventilation system
We are aware that our budget is not very large, but we absolutely want to avoid poor workmanship. Therefore, we would appreciate any tips that could reduce costs or improve energy efficiency.
What are the must-haves (for example, wall materials, stairs, flooring, etc.)?
What can safely be chosen in the standard version?
We would be very grateful for any advice.
Thank you in advance!
N
Nicon10015 May 2017 13:24Hello ypg,
sorry for the confusion. As Nordlys already mentioned, I aim to hand over the house building project to one company that will then manage everything. I understand that this company will usually subcontract other specialists, which is not a problem for me. Ultimately, I want to avoid having to contact and hire each contractor individually. I would prefer to choose from a "package" and say I would like the house "Haftanstalt 2000" with the following special requests: XYZ
Best regards,
Marco
sorry for the confusion. As Nordlys already mentioned, I aim to hand over the house building project to one company that will then manage everything. I understand that this company will usually subcontract other specialists, which is not a problem for me. Ultimately, I want to avoid having to contact and hire each contractor individually. I would prefer to choose from a "package" and say I would like the house "Haftanstalt 2000" with the following special requests: XYZ
Best regards,
Marco
Hm, when I read about what’s being planned, including the help from friends, it seems to make more sense for me to take it on myself.
There aren’t that many trades involved, after all.
The friend from the team will probably handle the underfloor heating, for example.
You should think it over carefully again. It might be a bit stressful, but it clearly saves money since there’s no “middleman” taking a cut.
There aren’t that many trades involved, after all.
The friend from the team will probably handle the underfloor heating, for example.
You should think it over carefully again. It might be a bit stressful, but it clearly saves money since there’s no “middleman” taking a cut.
Our construction company handled everything themselves, from excavation and foundations to the concrete slab and the entire shell of the building. We were even able to get both the interior and exterior plaster at a very good price from them.
Since you plan to assign the electrical, heating, and plumbing work to relatives, you’ll only need a carpenter and a roofer for the shell and core. You really don’t have to interact much with a large number of different companies. If the local businesses know each other well, they often coordinate among themselves and keep passing the work along.
Take some time to carefully consider which tasks you want to subcontract and where you want to do the work yourself or handle the procurement. I don’t think you have put much thought into this yet.
Since you plan to assign the electrical, heating, and plumbing work to relatives, you’ll only need a carpenter and a roofer for the shell and core. You really don’t have to interact much with a large number of different companies. If the local businesses know each other well, they often coordinate among themselves and keep passing the work along.
Take some time to carefully consider which tasks you want to subcontract and where you want to do the work yourself or handle the procurement. I don’t think you have put much thought into this yet.
N
Nicon10015 May 2017 14:03Well, I think the problem is more that I’m completely hopeless when it comes to DIY skills. So I just can’t imagine sitting down and trying to understand trades I have no clue about.
Here’s how I see it:
1. Buy a plot of land
2. Go to an architect and have a house design created
3. Submit the building permit / planning permission application
4. Once approved, have the groundwork done (and by this point, as a layperson, I don’t even know who to hire for that. Excavation company Maier or something, I don’t know). And that’s exactly where the problem lies. This uncertainty would run like a red thread through the entire construction project. Who pours the foundation slab? A foundation pouring company? Do they need the building plans or is it enough if I just tell them: length x width x height, and off they go? How long does the concrete need to dry before I can schedule the bricklayer? What happens if it rains for three weeks straight? Does that invalidate the building plans but I still have to pay everything?
As you can see… craftsmanship is not my thing. It’s not because I don’t want to do it, but simply because I can’t. And I don’t want to leave everything up to my brother-in-law either. After all, he has a private life.
That’s why it seems logical to me to hand over the entire building project to a specialist.
Hope you understand.
Here’s how I see it:
1. Buy a plot of land
2. Go to an architect and have a house design created
3. Submit the building permit / planning permission application
4. Once approved, have the groundwork done (and by this point, as a layperson, I don’t even know who to hire for that. Excavation company Maier or something, I don’t know). And that’s exactly where the problem lies. This uncertainty would run like a red thread through the entire construction project. Who pours the foundation slab? A foundation pouring company? Do they need the building plans or is it enough if I just tell them: length x width x height, and off they go? How long does the concrete need to dry before I can schedule the bricklayer? What happens if it rains for three weeks straight? Does that invalidate the building plans but I still have to pay everything?
As you can see… craftsmanship is not my thing. It’s not because I don’t want to do it, but simply because I can’t. And I don’t want to leave everything up to my brother-in-law either. After all, he has a private life.
That’s why it seems logical to me to hand over the entire building project to a specialist.
Hope you understand.
This is the role of the architect, whom you can commission for this task. If you wish, the architect can also put the trades out to tender. The trades you do not want to commission will not be tendered.
The architect can also oversee construction supervision.
Try searching for "Leistungsphasen Architekt" on Google.
The architect can also oversee construction supervision.
Try searching for "Leistungsphasen Architekt" on Google.
Nordlys schrieb:
He probably means a full-service company.Basically "turnkey" rather than "prefabricated house" (which in solid construction would actually mean only a limited selection, since most prefab builders focus on timber frame construction). So here, more likely a general contractor / main contractor.
Nicon1001 schrieb:
1. Purchase a plot of land
2. Go to an architect and have a house design created
3. Submit the building permit / planning permission application
4. After approval, have excavation works carried out (and at this point, even I as a layperson don’t really know who to hire for that – Excavation firm Maier or who knows). And that is exactly the problem. This uncertainty runs like a red thread through the entire building project. [...] Therefore, it seems logical to me to put the building project in the hands of a specialist.From step 2 on, the architect is actually the expert for everything that follows. For their fee, they take care of all the work after the design phase. You pay the architect anyway, whether openly or "hidden" in the total price of a house provider. Having your own architect means someone who is truly "on your side." They can also consider family members or friends among the tradespeople involved, as well as any work you want to do yourself.
Regarding turnkey providers, besides the ones already mentioned, I would also think of Massivhaus Mittelrhein or Kern-Haus just next door in Nörtershausen. By the way, Econ actually builds individually planned houses much more often than the "standard designs." For many providers, catalogs serve more as inspiration. I’m probably one of the last living fans of the model home, plus each plot has its own characteristics.
Reading the restrictions of the development plan as clever challenges is usually best done by an independent architect. Above all, the architect can handle clients who are completely clueless and guide them through the process.
House providers tend to focus more on finding out the client’s budget, maximizing it, and delivering a corresponding box. Fashionable white with a ruby red feature wall, done. Then the client just has to like it themselves.
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