Hello everyone,
During the planning phase of building a house, you inevitably come across forums about home construction and topics related to energy standards. I have already read several books and browsed various websites on the subject. I should mention that I am not a professional in this field. What I have noticed is that the entire topic of "economic / ecological home construction" is heavily influenced by commercial interests. The so-called "smart" consumer is often misled by marketing terms and a government-led campaign for "CO2-efficient building." Books or websites dealing with this subject often do not provide clear, comprehensive assessments.
In the "better" literature, insulation materials are compared in terms of insulation value and whether they are expensive or affordable. However, I still cannot determine what makes the most sense for my individual case. I simply do not want to spend excessive amounts of money, especially on things that do not add value, such as polystyrene insulation. If additional costs for a particular heating system are reasonable over a feasible period, then yes.
Our current goal is to build a simple single-family home with about 130 - 140 sqm (1400 - 1500 sq ft). The house should cost around €200,000 (without outdoor landscaping, floor coverings, land, or additional construction-related costs; our expectations are modest).
I am interested in knowing, based on the current state of technology, what is the most energy-efficient and cost-effective building option?
Energy-saving regulation / building standards according to KfW, yes or no, and if yes, which level?
Solid construction or prefabricated house?
Condensing boiler technology or heat pump?
Thank you very much for your answers!
Best regards
During the planning phase of building a house, you inevitably come across forums about home construction and topics related to energy standards. I have already read several books and browsed various websites on the subject. I should mention that I am not a professional in this field. What I have noticed is that the entire topic of "economic / ecological home construction" is heavily influenced by commercial interests. The so-called "smart" consumer is often misled by marketing terms and a government-led campaign for "CO2-efficient building." Books or websites dealing with this subject often do not provide clear, comprehensive assessments.
In the "better" literature, insulation materials are compared in terms of insulation value and whether they are expensive or affordable. However, I still cannot determine what makes the most sense for my individual case. I simply do not want to spend excessive amounts of money, especially on things that do not add value, such as polystyrene insulation. If additional costs for a particular heating system are reasonable over a feasible period, then yes.
Our current goal is to build a simple single-family home with about 130 - 140 sqm (1400 - 1500 sq ft). The house should cost around €200,000 (without outdoor landscaping, floor coverings, land, or additional construction-related costs; our expectations are modest).
I am interested in knowing, based on the current state of technology, what is the most energy-efficient and cost-effective building option?
Energy-saving regulation / building standards according to KfW, yes or no, and if yes, which level?
Solid construction or prefabricated house?
Condensing boiler technology or heat pump?
Thank you very much for your answers!
Best regards
W
winnetou7810 Aug 2017 12:12That doesn't say anything, the question was who the building partner is.
Is it some kind of hobby of yours to question everything?
We just answered a question without intending to make any statement.
Is it some kind of hobby of yours to question everything?
We just answered a question without intending to make any statement.
W
winnetou7810 Aug 2017 12:15The only thing one might possibly infer from the answers is that the small-medium-sized company, without many subcontractors, can build more cost-effectively.
W
winnetou7810 Aug 2017 12:17In the end, you end up paying the general contractor’s markup every time.
The subcontractors who do the work don’t charge any less than, for example, my medium-sized business.
But the general contractor still wants to make a profit, of course.
The subcontractors who do the work don’t charge any less than, for example, my medium-sized business.
But the general contractor still wants to make a profit, of course.
winnetou78 schrieb:
Is questioning everything some kind of hobby for you? No, but
winnetou78 schrieb:
We just answered a question without intending to make any statement. maybe I simply overlooked this question.
winnetou78 schrieb:
The only thing you might possibly infer from the answers is that the smaller mid-sized company without many subcontractors builds more cost-effectively. I wouldn’t say that. Our general contractor plans a maximum of 24 houses per year, so it is rather small.
And they were not more expensive than others either.
W
winnetou7810 Aug 2017 12:26I think that, in the end, my medium-sized contractor, when he is not building a house himself, often works as a subcontractor, and I don’t believe he is suddenly cheaper—after all, your contractor also needs to make a profit.
It’s all just hypothetical.
It’s all just hypothetical.
A large company like Bien-Zenker or von Heiden may have advantages when it comes to purchasing. However, it also comes with disadvantages. They need a sales department—in my case, the boss himself handles it alone. Salespeople want to make money... They print colorful catalogs, have model home parks, and run advertising campaigns. My builder doesn’t do any of that; he doesn’t even have a website, but it works fine anyway.
They maintain model centers where you can select tiles and other options at inflated prices, and sometimes you’re basically required to choose them. My builder doesn’t have any of that; he sends you to his building material suppliers, and you pick out what you want there. Anything included is part of the price; anything extra costs more. There are no construction managers. Each trade has a foreman who coordinates the work—kind of like a site supervisor—and that’s who the client deals with while their part of the project is ongoing. Any extra charges for electrical or plumbing work are settled directly with them. This doesn’t go through the builder’s office at all. In the end, this saves a lot, so even though my builder probably pays more for materials than von Heiden, for example, he still ends up being cheaper. Karsten
They maintain model centers where you can select tiles and other options at inflated prices, and sometimes you’re basically required to choose them. My builder doesn’t have any of that; he sends you to his building material suppliers, and you pick out what you want there. Anything included is part of the price; anything extra costs more. There are no construction managers. Each trade has a foreman who coordinates the work—kind of like a site supervisor—and that’s who the client deals with while their part of the project is ongoing. Any extra charges for electrical or plumbing work are settled directly with them. This doesn’t go through the builder’s office at all. In the end, this saves a lot, so even though my builder probably pays more for materials than von Heiden, for example, he still ends up being cheaper. Karsten