ᐅ Prefabricated house or solid construction – what is your opinion?

Der Da schrieb:
I have to step in here.
Of course, it depends on the company. In our case, they were very flexible. The only exception was the sanitary fixtures, which are fixed.
But I was able to change almost every single electrical outlet on site with the electrician...

Yes, that probably varies from company to company. You’re right about that.
A positive aspect seems to be that the electrical system is easier to upgrade later since you don’t have to chase grooves into the plaster but can run cables behind the panels.

Der Da schrieb:
I can’t say anything about the comfort climate; we don’t notice a difference. Psychologically, we find it cool to have a prefabricated house simply because it’s unusual. I think we were the number one topic in the village for days because everyone else built with solid construction, and even in the new development area, there are only solid houses except for two other prefabricated houses from my provider. We even built in the old village center, which made it even more exotic.

Der Da schrieb:
The issue with wall thickness is definitely a good point... I don’t know what’s normal, but some of our internal walls are very thin... very space-saving when it comes to pantry rooms, etc.
By the way, they are soundproof. My father-in-law snores like a sawmill and sleeps in the room next door when he visits. I’ve never heard him, unlike in his solidly built house from 2004. There I have to manage to fall asleep before him; otherwise, I go crazy.

Aerated concrete (Ytong) probably has low sound insulation but is solid...

Hello ypg,

Der Da schrieb:

The issue of wall thickness is definitely important... I don’t know what’s typical, but some of our interior walls are very thin... very space-saving, especially for pantries and such.
By the way, they are soundproof – my father-in-law snores like a sawmill and when he visits, he sleeps in the room next door. I have never heard him, unlike in his solid brick house from 2004. I have to be careful to fall asleep before him there, or I’d go crazy.

ypg schrieb:

Aerated concrete (Ytong) apparently has low sound insulation, but it’s solid…

This is a tricky topic in homebuilding because builders often insist on either/or solutions.

Regarding sound insulation, aerated concrete at 36.5cm (14 inches) thickness is completely unproblematic; you won’t hear anything from outside. However, with thin interior walls—especially 11.5cm (4.5 inches) walls in attic or upper floors—it’s a different story.

Here—as in almost every construction forum or in real-life discussions with clients—lightweight partitions (like those used by Der Da) are unfairly criticized. They provide excellent sound insulation, are easy to install, and if remodeling is needed later, they can be removed with little mess. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to at least get gypsum board brought up in the conversation.

For hollow bricks, thin walls are less critical regarding soundproofing, but they still don’t quite match the performance of lightweight construction walls.

By the way, aerated concrete handles mixed materials better than hollow bricks. For this reason, interior walls in attic or upper floors could also be easily replaced with sand-lime bricks (often used around stairwells), which have indisputably good sound insulation—even in the thinner interior wall thicknesses.

Best regards, Bauexperte

ypg schrieb:
Because of another thread, I’m coming back to an advantage of timber frame construction:
With some small plots and corresponding floor area ratios, there is a minimum buildable area requirement. Due to the thinner walls in timber stud construction, you get more living space compared to solid construction. That can already be about 10 square meters (108 square feet) gained.

Insider tip: Don’t tell the building expert

Here are the reasons why we choose solid construction:
- It’s easier to extend or remodel later
- We were a bit put off by the airtightness of wooden houses; those ventilation systems seem questionable to us
- Stone houses are less likely to be blown down by wolves or washed away by rivers

I hope modern solid houses are properly sealed.

Adding an extension to a prefabricated house is not really an issue—you just take a chainsaw and go for it, of course after consulting with the structural engineer. You can also build onto it at any time... the house probably won’t mind.

Regarding rivers and washing away: wood floats, but can stone do that as well?

I have to agree about the wolves, and I’m already worried since the first wolves have been reintroduced in the Palatinate region... I wonder if my storm and hail insurance will cover that?

Der Da schrieb:
I do hope modern solid construction houses are airtight as well.

That's true, they definitely are. You're right. But somehow, you don’t really need ventilation. I forgot why.

Der Da schrieb:
I have to agree with you about the wolves, and I’m already worried since the first wolves have been released in the Palatinate region... I wonder if my storm and hail insurance will cover that?

I’d ask Little Red Riding Hood about that.

kaho674 schrieb:
That's true, they are. You're right. But somehow, you don’t really need ventilation there. I forgot why.

The issue of airing out applies there as well. And as usual: you don’t need a mechanical ventilation system if you manually ventilate every 4 hours anyway. Otherwise, many talk about 'breathable building construction - therefore no ventilation system needed'—this applies both to 'solid' construction and 'timber' construction—but so far, no one has convinced me. In building methods with a vapor barrier (whether 'solid' or 'timber' construction), the ventilation issue tends even more toward 'a mechanical ventilation system required.'

What I’ve taken away from all these discussions is: airtight construction means a ventilation system is recommended, at least for comfort reasons. And if you can’t ventilate regularly, you shouldn’t even consider giving up a ventilation system.

Best regards,
I.