ᐅ Building a House with TuC and Modifications – Your Thoughts?
Created on: 11 Apr 2019 21:52
D
derkobi
Hello construction experts and enthusiasts, I have been reading along for a while and now I need some advice.
We want to build with TuC here in Saxony, postal code area 02.
The companies that build for TuC here have a good reputation and there is a lot of building activity at the moment.
Most people simply build an affordable house, called Standard eco Baustein 1. Unfortunately, posting links is not allowed. We want to make a few small changes if they make sense.
We would like to increase the exterior wall thickness from 24cm (9.5 inches) to 36.5cm (14 inches), using aerated concrete from Porit in monolithic construction.
The additional cost is about 7,300€ (the foundation slab will also be larger to maintain the living space). The rest will be adjusted to the stronger walls – roof, windowsills, etc.
If worthwhile, we would replace the gas condensing boiler with an air-to-water heat pump (Vaillant aroTherm Split vwl 75/5) with Unitower vwl 78/5 IS.
Additional cost: 6,000€.
Underfloor heating throughout the house.
The house model is Flair 125, where 125 stands for the square meters.
One and a half stories.
What are your thoughts on this?
Kind regards,
Kobi
We want to build with TuC here in Saxony, postal code area 02.
The companies that build for TuC here have a good reputation and there is a lot of building activity at the moment.
Most people simply build an affordable house, called Standard eco Baustein 1. Unfortunately, posting links is not allowed. We want to make a few small changes if they make sense.
We would like to increase the exterior wall thickness from 24cm (9.5 inches) to 36.5cm (14 inches), using aerated concrete from Porit in monolithic construction.
The additional cost is about 7,300€ (the foundation slab will also be larger to maintain the living space). The rest will be adjusted to the stronger walls – roof, windowsills, etc.
If worthwhile, we would replace the gas condensing boiler with an air-to-water heat pump (Vaillant aroTherm Split vwl 75/5) with Unitower vwl 78/5 IS.
Additional cost: 6,000€.
Underfloor heating throughout the house.
The house model is Flair 125, where 125 stands for the square meters.
One and a half stories.
What are your thoughts on this?
Kind regards,
Kobi
derkobi schrieb:
Solar thermal is not considered with the heat pump; it only applies to gas systems on the roof. Yes, that would be illogical otherwise. With a heat pump, it makes more sense to consider photovoltaic systems.
As a traditional builder, I tell you: Don’t be fooled. TUC uses the following trick: Poor wall construction is compensated for by technology.
It’s better to choose thick walls, gas heating, and, if feasible, only controlled ventilation, combined with a heat pump system.
In practice, your house will be more energy-efficient than with version 1. Karsten
It’s better to choose thick walls, gas heating, and, if feasible, only controlled ventilation, combined with a heat pump system.
In practice, your house will be more energy-efficient than with version 1. Karsten
M
Mottenhausen12 Apr 2019 11:34Town & Country is affordable, but when you consider the features, it’s no longer a bargain!
Sure, you can live with, for example, a plastic front door without windows and with an insert panel. However, other providers offer, for example, aluminum doors with double-sided overlay panels, including window elements as desired and stainless steel bar handles as a standard feature. Or tiles: xx square meters of small-format tiles up to a maximum of 25€/m² (which is not much in specialized trade), others also offer large-format tiles up to 40€/m², etc.
These were many points where our neighbors really have to step up to at least reach our basic standard. In the end, all houses end up costing about the same...
Sure, you can live with, for example, a plastic front door without windows and with an insert panel. However, other providers offer, for example, aluminum doors with double-sided overlay panels, including window elements as desired and stainless steel bar handles as a standard feature. Or tiles: xx square meters of small-format tiles up to a maximum of 25€/m² (which is not much in specialized trade), others also offer large-format tiles up to 40€/m², etc.
These were many points where our neighbors really have to step up to at least reach our basic standard. In the end, all houses end up costing about the same...
No, they are not. For example, we don’t care at all about an aluminum door; a plastic door with filler, five frosted glass panes, and a stainless steel handle on the outside is more than enough for us — that was the standard with the general contractor. Tiles measuring 60 by 30 cm (24 by 12 inches) are perfectly fine for us, and 25 euros per square meter (around $25 per square foot) was enough, even comfortably so — we stayed below that and even got some credit back. Mottenhausen, with your supplier, I have to take the expensive option for unnecessary extras — with TUC, I can choose whether I want those or would rather invest in a nicer terrace, or something else. That’s why I think the TUC approach is fairer. Karsten
@Nordlys that sounds good, we are quite similar in our preferences. We also visited a few houses where the front door had glass, and that is perfectly fine for us.
We have also chosen windows and the front door in anthracite and a chimney for a fireplace.
We went with a walk-in shower as well; we are still undecided whether to have it with a shower base or fully tiled at the bottom. We were advised to go with a shower base because grout lines can become porous over the years (which might cause problems). The price is the same.
Underfloor heating and a towel warmer in the bathroom.
A decentralized ventilation system is probably standard, although some people decide not to have it because of drafts, etc. Does anyone have experience with this?
Ventilating manually would not be a problem; we do that regularly anyway.
We have also chosen windows and the front door in anthracite and a chimney for a fireplace.
We went with a walk-in shower as well; we are still undecided whether to have it with a shower base or fully tiled at the bottom. We were advised to go with a shower base because grout lines can become porous over the years (which might cause problems). The price is the same.
Underfloor heating and a towel warmer in the bathroom.
A decentralized ventilation system is probably standard, although some people decide not to have it because of drafts, etc. Does anyone have experience with this?
Ventilating manually would not be a problem; we do that regularly anyway.
Nordlys schrieb:
No, they aren’t. For example, we don’t care at all about an aluminum door; a plastic door with filling and 5 frosted glass panes plus a stainless steel handle on the outside is more than enough—that was standard from the general contractor. Tiles measuring 60cm by 30cm (24 inches by 12 inches) are perfectly fine for us, and 25 per square meter ($/m²) was also sufficient, actually even below that, so we still saved some money. Mottenhausen, with your supplier, I HAVE to take the expensive option for unnecessary extras—for TUC I can choose if I want that or if I’d rather invest in a nicer terrace or something else. That’s why the TUC approach is fairer. KarstenExactly. Especially since the standard front door from Town & Country actually includes a large glass element in the door as well as a fixed window right next to it.
Overall, we made very few upgrades… except for the heating type.
So far, we definitely do not regret choosing Town & Country.
@derkobi, get used to being treated as a second-class builder here sometimes if you build with T&V (this does not refer to the people who have posted in this thread).