ᐅ Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Ventilation Systems

11ant schrieb:

By the way, it would be nice if the questioners participated in the discussion again. I find the "burn and run" questioners, who disappear shortly after posting their question, just as frustrating as those who complain "does nobody really have an opinion?" after just two hours.

I would like to do that now. I posted yesterday before work and honestly didn’t check back all day because it was quite busy, and to be honest, I didn’t expect so many replies within 24 hours. So it was certainly not meant in a bad way. But fair enough, I understand the criticism.

Thanks for the many contributions, some of which are really informative! The discussion at https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/rechnet-sich-eine-lueftungsanlage-spart-man-damit-geld.49160 is also interesting. Thanks for pointing that out.

Since it has already been noted quite clearly in several places here that we apparently have no idea at all: yes, that is certainly true. We have no experience with construction or real estate in general, and both of us work in completely different fields. Our original idea was to buy an existing property. However, after a longer search, we haven’t found anything suitable, and at the same time the opportunity arose to buy a piece of land from a family member, so building then became an option.

11ant schrieb:

Oops, ouch. What an embarrassing mistake from quick reading. The word "small" before difference even needs quotation marks. Accordingly, I have to qualify my earlier praise...
... in that the original poster is an even more inexperienced beginner than I feared before.

Okay, then please clarify what is so completely unreasonable about our approach so that we can do better. From a budget perspective, building is only possible for us with affordable providers. There is simply no money for companies like Viebrockhaus and others. We have therefore chosen three relatively large and affordable providers and compared their offers to get an impression of what you get for your money. We considered both timber and masonry construction and (at least in my opinion) selected companies within the same price segment. From my (beginner’s) point of view, that seemed reasonable. But I’m happy to be enlightened about how we could improve.

As I said, we have a plot, but no house design yet. We simply don’t have specific ideas, and so far, at every provider we found floor plans that would work well for us. We have no ambitions to build our "dream house" or special requirements for kitchen, bathroom, or similar. We are quite pragmatic and just want affordable living space with a small garden for our dog. From what I have read here and elsewhere in this forum, it seemed to me that Danwood, Scanhaus Marlow, and Heinz von Heiden would offer exactly that. Maybe you could be more specific about why you think we are wrong in this?

Olypen01 schrieb:

We have no experience with construction or real estate [...] Our original idea was therefore to buy an existing property.

Being inexperienced in building, an existing property is only a better option if it is not significantly older than fifteen years, so that you can limit yourself to wallpapering and don’t need to touch the structure.

Olypen01 schrieb:

As mentioned, we do have a plot of land, but no house plans yet. We simply don’t have any particular ideas and have found floor plans from every provider so far that would work well for us. We have no ambition to build our “dream home” or special requirements for the kitchen, bathroom, or similar. We are quite pragmatic and just want affordable living space with a bit of garden for our dog. From what I have read in this forum, it seemed that with Danwood, Scanhaus Marlow, and Heinz von Heiden you get exactly that. Maybe you could explain more clearly why you think we are wrong about this?

It’s good you already have a plot. Then follow my suggestion and present it with a completed questionnaire in the first post of a new thread. Also good that you are open to proven building proposals (catalog houses or similar) from each provider. To “get exactly that,” I would actually see you more at Town & Country than Heinz von Heiden; and possibly also Scanhaus Marlow.

Olypen01 schrieb:

Okay, then explain to me what is so completely unreasonable about our approach, so we can improve it. From a budget perspective, building is only possible for us with the more affordable providers. We simply don’t have the money for Viebrockhaus and others. So we selected three relatively large and affordable providers and compared their offers to get an idea of what you get for the money. We considered both timber and masonry, and (at least in my opinion) chose companies within the same price segment. From my (beginner) perspective, that seemed sensible. But I’m happy to be corrected on how I can improve this.

Viebrockhaus is probably aimed at privately insured customers—but those who fit Viebrockhaus’s target group will find their Viebrockhaus significantly cheaper directly from Viebrockhaus than upgrading a Town & Country house to the same standard. Big names often simply mean “marketing first” and generally have legal departments that can cut down the supposed king customer faster than you can say “but …”. Ordinary consumers find better footing with family-run regional masonry builders. For the big newspaper ads and top search engine hits, the best approach is to follow Julius Caesar’s advice: “laugh, file away, move on.” At least with those who slap the price of “oh look, we can actually afford this exact example house” on you—that is the “you are already on our baited trail” victim funnel.

Not committing to timber or masonry matches exactly my recommended approach. However, I always recommend starting from the actual plot with an independent architect to tackle “Module A” of my “House Building Roadmap for You Too: The HOAI Phase Model!” and define the home concept up to the preliminary design stage. During the “resting” phase for the design, this allows setting the course and, if applicable, submitting a preliminary building inquiry (building permit / planning permission request). That way, you keep control instead of salespeople misusing their often superficial technical know-how to turn novices into victims. With the result of this decision phase (I explain how to get there here and on “Building Now”), you gain the insight whether in the specific case your concept (= preliminary design) should be further developed in timber or masonry with the architect, or if an “answer to question 2 building proposal” should be adjusted (or if you should continue with the “architect” of a provider).

The crucial difference between a “builder” and a “building buyer” is that you only seek advice from professionals who have no sales interests.

Well then, the evening sun is calling me away from the desk—now you have some homework ;-)

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11ant schrieb:

Well, for now the evening sun is pulling me away from my desk – you all have homework ;-)

Thanks for the detailed explanations! We'll get started on the questionnaire 🙂

11ant schrieb:

This is the "once you're on our sticky track, you're practically at your destination" victim funnel.

For clarification: what exactly is the main issue with companies like Heinz von Heiden or Danwood? Are there hidden cost traps that make the final price significantly higher than the initial offer? Or do they simply deliver many defects that are difficult and stressful to fix later on?

11ant schrieb:

To "actually get exactly that," I would see you more with Town & Country than with Heinz von Heiden; and if you like, also with Scanhaus Marlow.

What makes these providers fairer or better than Heinz von Heiden and Danwood?

Olypen01 schrieb:

For clarity: what exactly is the main issue with companies like Heinz von Heiden or Danwood? Are there hidden cost traps that make the final price significantly higher than the initial quote? Or do they just produce many defects that are difficult and stressful to fix afterwards?

The cost trap is always the same and lies in the rarely sufficient 30 centimeters (12 inches) included for site preparation. Otherwise, nothing is “hidden”: what is not specified is simply not included, and “builder’s responsibility” has to be understood as “extra / to be arranged by yourself.” The big names are not especially prone to defects, but claims that could threaten profits are legally fought off very skillfully, whereas family-run regional contractors who rely on their local reputation tend to offer more goodwill solutions.

Olypen01 schrieb:

What makes these providers fairer or better than Heinz von Heiden and Danwood?

Based on your description, Town & Country simply fits you perfectly (although I would personally prefer the regional general contractor), and therefore better than Heinz von Heiden. Whether you consider Danwood comparable to Scanhaus Marlow is not something I need to debate with you. Right now, it’s all just talk without action. The crucial issue is the absolute inability to commit at the contract signing stage, regardless of any new weekend discount prices being offered. Take your time and carefully go through module A and the setting phase with patience.

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Olypen01 schrieb:

Since it has already been clearly pointed out in several places here that we are apparently completely clueless: Yes, that’s definitely true. We have no experience with construction or real estate in general and both work in completely different fields.

That’s no problem, and many people are in the same situation. You’re researching now, and that’s the right step.
The most important thing is to not let yourself be rushed, as @11ant describes in his uniquely flowery style.

Olypen01 schrieb:

Are there any hidden cost traps that make the project significantly more expensive than the initial quote?

From my perspective, the most serious cost traps are:
1. Not knowing exactly what you really want – even if you build affordably and smoothly, you might end up with the wrong product.
2. Unclear priorities. Lack of discipline with your wishes and fixating on minor details can add up to significant extra costs.
3. Incomplete budgeting – it’s important to be clear about what the offer DOES NOT include but is still necessary for the project’s success. You can compare your completeness against checklists like this one. Some people will even read the construction description with you and find such “gaps.” Of course, the final decision is yours.
4. Poor communication. Sure, you can’t control your construction partner entirely, but your own communication style can help create clarity. Using written phrases like “I understood that you…” or more formally “You informed me that (quote),” combined with a request to correct misunderstandings like “If I have misunderstood or misrepresented anything, please correct me,” establishes a solid record that prevents disputes later. You can practice at home that whenever someone says “I assumed that,” they owe a small penalty. This mindset is expensive in construction—better to put it aside if it’s already part of daily life.
5. Emotional reactions at the wrong time from the client – if you tend to get upset and keep dwelling on “How could this happen,” “Who is to blame,” or “How could anyone…” you risk losing focus on solving the situation because you’re too caught up in the confrontation. This creates resistance that is completely unproductive. When client and builder lose motivation to cooperate, it becomes costly and quality suffers due to “work to rule.”
6. Items quoted at a “unit price” with incorrect quantity estimates—especially relevant for earthworks. It helps to include a buffer in the budget here.

Defects are remedied within the contract’s framework. What counts as a defect is often debated with varying strictness. No construction runs with the perfection of a CNC machine. It’s good to focus on the essentials here.

As the client, you have a lot of control even without being an expert. If you manage yourself well, you can build a good house at a reasonable price with any of the construction partners you mentioned.

wiltshire schrieb:

3. Incomplete cost estimation – It is important to be clear about what the quote DOES NOT include

... or what it seemingly includes but is actually completely worthless (like my example of the first excavation depth including soil stabilization). The “30 cm (12 inches)” is psychological (for men, this magic number switches off the brain area responsible for doubting figures). On a real construction site, a 30 cm (12 inches) difference in height over, for example, 12 m (39 feet) of ridge length is almost invisible, so the bonus foundation amount can easily be completely absorbed by that difference...

wiltshire schrieb:

6. Items with “unit price” combined with incorrect quantity estimation. Especially relevant for earthworks.

... with terrain modeling we are operating in three dimensions, so even a miscalculation of just ten percent on quantity leads to nearly a one-third increase in costs on the invoice. Similarly, amateur self-planning of floor plans can easily and unnoticed add twenty percent of useless extra square meters.

wiltshire schrieb:

2. Unclear priorities. Lack of discipline in wishes and focusing on trivial details result in significant summed-up costs.

0. FOMO: Following the widespread saying “you only build once,” people currently strive for the latest technological innovations to ensure the house will not lose value to progress over the next eighty years, benefiting from everything they have thoughtfully installed in advance. On the same basis, the fear of fate’s revenge arises—worrying to have omitted some feature that would be far too expensive to retrofit later and cause lasting regret, even though...

wiltshire schrieb:

1. Not knowing what you truly want – even if the build is affordable and runs smoothly, you might end up buying the wrong thing.

... if you add it out of this fear, it usually turns out to be an unnecessary gimmick in practice. It’s wise to weigh the accounts of forum members accordingly: everything said by those who have lived in their first self-built house for ten years should be given one and a half times more weight (and the opinions of those who have built twice should be doubled). Conversely, it’s best to file the enthusiastic dreams of other future planners under “children’s talk.” I myself am atypical and hard to categorize in this sense: four decades of construction planning experience, but as a housing consumer a self-proclaimed tenant—so strangely competent, like a divorce lawyer celebrating a silver wedding anniversary, or a Catholic priest (who constantly officiates weddings professionally but remains single himself—he only “knows” flying flower vases from pastoral care).

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