ᐅ Advantages, Disadvantages, and Cost Differences of Concrete Frame Construction in Residential Building

Milano20 schrieb:

Once the children have moved out, you can remodel floors without hesitation and rent them out.

Even if the walls are not load-bearing, moving them is not as simple as you might think. Usually, the partition walls are installed first, followed by the screed. While you could build partition walls on top of the screed, this is not ideal for soundproofing, and you also have underfloor heating to consider. Additionally, for renting, the utilities need to be separated, and so on.

Thanks for your information.

My windows are great; otherwise, I wouldn’t have bought them. Anthracite color. Schüco brand. Double casement, 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) high. I also have single casement and smaller ones.
There are even roller shutters included and triple glazing.

Do you possibly have any tips for me regarding the basement?
I’m planning a basement, 3 meters (9 ft 10 in) high, about 80 cm (31 in) above ground level.

It will be a large room, around 150 square meters (1,615 square feet).
It won’t be living space but will be rented out directly as a hall and will have a separate entrance from the outside.

How would you approach this?

In fact, more time should be allocated to the planning phase.

Before we even start creating a plan, I will likely consult with my architect as well as a contractor for the shell construction and the precast concrete manufacturer. Basically, they need to be able to inform us about the approach and which costs can be saved through various construction measures.

I am always fascinated by the construction of multi-family residential buildings when they are built using precast components. Enormous amounts of money flow into these projects. I don’t think they pay more for serial construction with precast concrete elements. Of course, you only achieve those prices when building in volume and with at least X floors.

However, I think that if I have 2 floors, it would probably be worthwhile. Precast concrete walls are also an option, but in the end, sand-lime bricks are the better choice for me.

The only thing that bothers me is the cast-in-place ceiling because I associate it (probably unjustified) with a lot of work and longer waiting times.

Once my shell construction and the ceilings are in place, I will have peace of mind and can continue calmly. That should be completed within 2-3 weeks.

Milano20 schrieb:

How would you approach this?

First, check whether the zoning plan allows commercial use at all.

Milano20 schrieb:

My windows are great, otherwise I wouldn’t have bought them. Anthracite. Schüco. Double casement, 2 meters high (6.5 feet). I also have single casement and smaller ones,
even Rafstore blinds included and triple glazing.

Nobody wants to argue about that. They just have to fit the house. I was able to buy rims cheaply, now I just have to find the right car. You know what I mean?

Milano20 schrieb:

The only thing bothering me is the cast-in-place ceiling because I (probably unjustified) associate it with a lot of work and longer waiting time.

But it’s the cheaper option. And it takes just as long as the precast ceiling, since you’re also pouring concrete on site. It’s only a few centimeters (inches) thick, and then the rest of the concrete is poured on top like the old-school ceiling. Imagine you’d still have to wait for the ceiling from the factory, while the crew on site simply formworks everything quickly and finishes faster.

Milano20 schrieb:

I think with two floors it would probably pay off.

Then you’re an individualist and a very small customer for the concrete plant—like buying three phones at the electronics store and feeling like a bulk buyer.

That’s how you want to build, right?

There’s little flexibility visible here. BUT you will definitely need to apply thick insulation on the exterior to meet the required standards.

Milano20 schrieb:

It will be rented out directly as a hall and will get a separate entrance from the outside.

Is that profitable? The hall will also need to meet KfW 55 energy standards and, of course, all fire protection requirements, etc.
Keep in mind, the hall will be expensive.

The image matches our expectations. This is how we had imagined it. However, it seems we also need to consider the "standard" construction method.

The zoning plan is suitable as it is a mixed-use area.

How did you come up with KfW55? Is that legally required?

Does anyone have the current average prices for concrete basements or alternatives?
It will probably be a waterproof concrete shell, extending 80cm (31.5 inches) above ground. No interior walls. Approximately 10 x 15m (33 x 49 feet). No windows or light shafts.
Without excavation work.

Milano20 schrieb:

We are finally planning to build our own home. [...] Our idea is to construct a concrete frame using precast elements, [...] then build the exterior and interior walls with, for example, sand-lime bricks. The reason behind this idea is that this construction method doesn’t tie us down to many work steps. We somehow can’t imagine there being a large price difference compared to conventional construction methods. A precast floor slab usually costs almost the same as a cast-in-place concrete slab. Since we are planning for three floors (ground floor, first, second), it should become financially worthwhile from the second floor onwards if we have the concrete columns produced in series and plan so that the precast floor slabs are also produced in series.

Milano20 schrieb:

Do you possibly have any tips regarding basements? I’m planning a basement 3 meters (10 feet) high, about 80 cm (31 inches) above ground level. It should be one large room of approximately 150 square meters (1,615 square feet). It will not be used as living space but directly rented out as a hall with a separate external entrance.

So, which is it: a private home or a small commercial hall? A 3-meter (10-foot) high basement that stands 80 cm (31 inches) above ground level—on stilts?

Milano20 schrieb:

The columns should also make it easier to build an upper floor, finishing only the exterior walls and completing the interior walls gradually or even after moving in on the ground floor. [...] A single column with foundation shouldn’t cost too much, especially since all heavy-duty commercial halls are built like that.

Milano20 schrieb:

Of course, you only achieve those prices when building in volume and with at least X floors. [...] Once the shell and the floor slabs are in place, I will feel reassured and can continue calmly.

You seem to have rather idealistic ideas about building with precast elements. It is not only uneconomical for single-family home construction but also declining in commercial building projects under about 1,500 square meters (16,145 square feet) of floor area. Lever builds small halls using the “BoST” system (building without a separate support structure), that is, exactly not with a column frame. My factory (150 meters (490 feet) long, 20 meters (66 feet) column spacing) was economical as a frame structure, but a single-family house or a small hall are not. Break down a single-family house into equally sized—ideally square—grid fields to get as many identical elements as possible, and you will usually have only four fields (which means columns literally in the middle). So better six and possibly not square, e.g., grid spans of 360 by 540 cm (142 by 213 inches)?

The large volume producers in serial building launch projects several times a year, each with about forty nearly identical housing units. Most have precast factories for staircases and gable triangles; the “rest” is built with masonry (this applies to almost all my usual suspects, unlike the German row houses that use panel construction and also prefabricate the front balconies). The major players in aerated concrete construction (residential, hall construction, sand-lime brick also part of the company portfolio) offer kit houses as well (also “BoST,” not frame construction). Even the former East Germany used masonry for prefabricated single-family homes and only used large-panel systems for multistory apartment blocks. Regardless of the designers’ beliefs, a single-family house is not financially feasible as a frame structure. Frame construction does not scale down to building classes 1 and 2; even for rows of houses, this method is not used, not even in socialist countries.

By the way, the “precast floor slab” is mostly a cast-in-place concrete slab and also customized. In single-family homes, the fields per floor are usually not identical. Take your cost-effective window selection and install it in a conventionally planned house “without a separate support structure.” Wall panels are also available, for example, made from expanded clay (monolithically compliant with energy codes such as the Building Energy Act and EH). Even precast basement providers do not offer stock standard modules.

---

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/