ᐅ Decision-Making: Prefabricated House or Solid Construction
Created on: 18 Mar 2013 00:09
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Haeuslebauer81
We are still at the very beginning of our house planning, and right now the question is: prefabricated house or solid (conventional) house?
So far, we have visited a prefabricated house supplier and an architect with whom we would build using the traditional brick-and-mortar, solid method. As far as I know, there isn’t much difference nowadays in terms of quality and cost. My partner tends to prefer a solid house, while I am still somewhere in the middle.
With the prefabricated house option, we would take several trades (sanitary installations, heating, and possibly painting) completely "out" of the package — we have a family member who is a plumbing and heating specialist (my father), who would then handle installing the necessary pipes. This means quite a bit would not be done by the prefab supplier...
Based on your experience, how does this usually work out? We worry that leaving out these trades might end up costing us extra in the end.
We could also contribute some work ourselves, but more likely with interior finishing (painting, laying floors).
The plot is available and connected.
We would also prefer a timely completion, as we are currently renting.
In our specific situation, which option would you tend to choose?
So far, we have visited a prefabricated house supplier and an architect with whom we would build using the traditional brick-and-mortar, solid method. As far as I know, there isn’t much difference nowadays in terms of quality and cost. My partner tends to prefer a solid house, while I am still somewhere in the middle.
With the prefabricated house option, we would take several trades (sanitary installations, heating, and possibly painting) completely "out" of the package — we have a family member who is a plumbing and heating specialist (my father), who would then handle installing the necessary pipes. This means quite a bit would not be done by the prefab supplier...
Based on your experience, how does this usually work out? We worry that leaving out these trades might end up costing us extra in the end.
We could also contribute some work ourselves, but more likely with interior finishing (painting, laying floors).
The plot is available and connected.
We would also prefer a timely completion, as we are currently renting.
In our specific situation, which option would you tend to choose?
I was just trying to present an overall picture in response to the arguments mentioned. I have nothing against solid (or traditional) construction. But I have also heard all those prejudices.
The oldest prefabricated house I know dates back to the 1960s.
Why demolish? Renovating an old building requires, on the one hand, courage and, on the other, considerable expertise. Few people will have the latter. We considered it, but financially, building new was the most sensible option. You can buy ruins for half a million, but then you probably need to invest another 100,000 – and who knows what else might come up.
The issue with drilling is certainly not a strong argument against a prefabricated house, but it is simply wrong to claim that a prefabricated house will become leaky.
I don’t care how someone builds. I would only recommend a prefabricated house to anyone who wants to avoid too much stress.
The oldest prefabricated house I know dates back to the 1960s.
Why demolish? Renovating an old building requires, on the one hand, courage and, on the other, considerable expertise. Few people will have the latter. We considered it, but financially, building new was the most sensible option. You can buy ruins for half a million, but then you probably need to invest another 100,000 – and who knows what else might come up.
The issue with drilling is certainly not a strong argument against a prefabricated house, but it is simply wrong to claim that a prefabricated house will become leaky.
I don’t care how someone builds. I would only recommend a prefabricated house to anyone who wants to avoid too much stress.
Der Da schrieb:
Why demolish? Renovating an old building requires both courage and significant expertise. Most people don’t have the latter. We considered it, but building new was the most financially practical option. You can buy ruins for half a million. Then you’d probably have to invest another 100,000 at least, and who knows what else might come up.
I’m not sure if building new is the most financially sensible option.
In my area, older properties usually come with large, attractive lots. With new builds, especially in new development areas, the plots are so small that you could practically spit onto your neighbor’s terrace.
We are currently considering taking over my parents’ house from the 1980s and doing a complete renovation. Of course, this requires expertise, and without an architect or energy consultant, we definitely won’t attempt it ourselves.
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Bauexperte19 Mar 2013 14:07Hello Der Da,
Regards, Bauexperte
Der Da schrieb:Visit an open-air museum of your choice, and you will find much older houses. The difference lies in the fact that today’s prefabricated houses have nothing in common with the construction methods of back then; if they did, the lending limits for prefabricated houses would be viewed much more favorably.
The oldest prefabricated house I know of is from the sixties.
Der Da schrieb:You built with a very good supplier – not without some stress, but the way problems are handled shows you a reliable construction partner. This is not only an indication of a good and reputable prefab house provider but applies across all materials equally to all suppliers in the market – including reputable solid or masonry house providers.
I would only recommend a prefabricated house to anyone who wants to avoid too much stress.
Regards, Bauexperte
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perlenmann21 Mar 2013 08:39In the end, everyone should do what suits them best!
You can experience stress anywhere—whether with authorities, the land, the builder, or neighbors. The best thing is to get through that period and then enjoy the results.
It’s similar with ruins. But I think renovation is still cheaper than building new. And why would I need expert knowledge for a renovation? I would have professionals handle it just like a new build.
Ultimately, with houses like these, you’re buying the plot of land. In this area, there are only existing houses. If you want a house here, you have to buy the ruin along with it or move to the outskirts. I find the new housing developments really ugly.
You can experience stress anywhere—whether with authorities, the land, the builder, or neighbors. The best thing is to get through that period and then enjoy the results.
It’s similar with ruins. But I think renovation is still cheaper than building new. And why would I need expert knowledge for a renovation? I would have professionals handle it just like a new build.
Ultimately, with houses like these, you’re buying the plot of land. In this area, there are only existing houses. If you want a house here, you have to buy the ruin along with it or move to the outskirts. I find the new housing developments really ugly.
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Haeuslebauer8123 Mar 2013 17:03Hello,
thank you very much for all your responses! It seems that quite a few of you really know your stuff (I’m basically a complete beginner).
I didn’t mention earlier that my father owns his own company, so warranty issues probably won’t be much of a concern. He would also install the pipes for the plumbing and heating connections, which in the case of a prefab house already happens at the factory and would, of course, need to be paid for as well.
I’m not trying to argue in favor of a solid brick-and-mortar house (if it sounds like that); I just want to weigh up what would make the most sense in our situation (including cost considerations).
The architect we would probably work with seems to be somewhat old-fashioned (“KfW house? Sure, you can do that, but the current thermal insulation regulations already set very high standards…”). I want to build in a way that I can still say 20 years from now: The house still roughly meets the current state of the art.
But that’s starting to stray a bit from my original question...
thank you very much for all your responses! It seems that quite a few of you really know your stuff (I’m basically a complete beginner).
I didn’t mention earlier that my father owns his own company, so warranty issues probably won’t be much of a concern. He would also install the pipes for the plumbing and heating connections, which in the case of a prefab house already happens at the factory and would, of course, need to be paid for as well.
I’m not trying to argue in favor of a solid brick-and-mortar house (if it sounds like that); I just want to weigh up what would make the most sense in our situation (including cost considerations).
The architect we would probably work with seems to be somewhat old-fashioned (“KfW house? Sure, you can do that, but the current thermal insulation regulations already set very high standards…”). I want to build in a way that I can still say 20 years from now: The house still roughly meets the current state of the art.
But that’s starting to stray a bit from my original question...
H
Haeuslebauer8123 Mar 2013 17:08Regarding the plot and building area: The building area was developed about 20 years ago, and our plot is the only one still undeveloped. So, it is not a typical "new development estate" – we have an open view in front of us, and there is also open green space to our left. The site has a slight slope, which we plan to use to our advantage by having the basement fully exposed.
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