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smartbuilder8 May 2017 09:19Hello dear forum community,
I am new here and wanted to ask (or read about) your experiences with building a prefabricated house.
I am currently starting to get frustrated. I am building a 143 sqm (1539 sq ft) house with Bien-Zenker (actually the somewhat cheaper option through their subsidiary Living Haus).
My planning is already quite advanced, but the prices they charge for features (which aren’t really features) are astronomical.
Here is a small example to give you an idea whether this is just rip-off or if it’s realistic.
I plan to have about 12 windows in my house (triple-glazed, energy standard KfW 55). Since I would like anthracite-colored windows, the builder wants to charge a surcharge of €3,500 (about $3,700) for that, which is around €300 ($320) per window. From my research and discussions with window suppliers, they usually ask for about €50–100 ($55–110) extra for this. Also, I would like to have reed switches (for smart home integration) installed in the windows. These are not really expensive, so I would accept a surcharge of around €50 ($55) per window sash. However, apparently none of the builder’s suppliers (I believe they have 4-5 listed) offer reed switches, so the builder himself would install the reed switch but wants a whopping €150 ($160) per window sash for it. Isn’t that just price gouging? Adding both these "extras" results in an additional cost of about €450 ($480) per window.
Have you had similar experiences?
What would you advise me?
Thank you very much for any tips.
Best regards
I am new here and wanted to ask (or read about) your experiences with building a prefabricated house.
I am currently starting to get frustrated. I am building a 143 sqm (1539 sq ft) house with Bien-Zenker (actually the somewhat cheaper option through their subsidiary Living Haus).
My planning is already quite advanced, but the prices they charge for features (which aren’t really features) are astronomical.
Here is a small example to give you an idea whether this is just rip-off or if it’s realistic.
I plan to have about 12 windows in my house (triple-glazed, energy standard KfW 55). Since I would like anthracite-colored windows, the builder wants to charge a surcharge of €3,500 (about $3,700) for that, which is around €300 ($320) per window. From my research and discussions with window suppliers, they usually ask for about €50–100 ($55–110) extra for this. Also, I would like to have reed switches (for smart home integration) installed in the windows. These are not really expensive, so I would accept a surcharge of around €50 ($55) per window sash. However, apparently none of the builder’s suppliers (I believe they have 4-5 listed) offer reed switches, so the builder himself would install the reed switch but wants a whopping €150 ($160) per window sash for it. Isn’t that just price gouging? Adding both these "extras" results in an additional cost of about €450 ($480) per window.
Have you had similar experiences?
What would you advise me?
Thank you very much for any tips.
Best regards
These prices are not exclusive to prefabricated houses.
However, there is a difference between building with an expensive or a cheaper builder: what might be included by the more expensive one, you often have to pay extra for with the cheaper option.
The smaller subsidiaries of large companies usually offer lower prices for a reason.
I am not familiar with Living Haus, but maybe you are trying to turn a Duster into a Tiguan?
Regards, Yvonne
However, there is a difference between building with an expensive or a cheaper builder: what might be included by the more expensive one, you often have to pay extra for with the cheaper option.
The smaller subsidiaries of large companies usually offer lower prices for a reason.
I am not familiar with Living Haus, but maybe you are trying to turn a Duster into a Tiguan?
Regards, Yvonne
sven.conzi8 May 2017 09:46As far as I know, Living Haus is just a model from Bien-Zenker. It is only affordable or reasonably priced if you choose the house from the catalog without major modifications, as is often the case. In the end, we ended up with an architect who planned individually and suitably with us.
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smartbuilder8 May 2017 10:08Thank you for the quick responses
@ONeill
Yes, that’s what I thought too. I could easily live with this additional cost. But it’s really disappointing that none of the suppliers we looked at offer something like this.
@ypg
I already expected that extras would cost extra. But just because I want a different color for the windows doesn’t mean I’m turning a basic model into a luxury one just by changing the color. What annoys me is that they are charging almost a 300% surcharge.
@sven.conzi
Apart from a few changes we made, it’s almost exactly like the catalog, or actually even less, since adding a bay window would go beyond our budget and we didn’t want that anyway.
I’m experiencing something similar with the front door. The options are either plastic (PVC) or wood. An aluminum door isn’t offered at all. Considering smart home integration with an electric lock, a plastic door is not advisable.
@ONeill
Yes, that’s what I thought too. I could easily live with this additional cost. But it’s really disappointing that none of the suppliers we looked at offer something like this.
@ypg
I already expected that extras would cost extra. But just because I want a different color for the windows doesn’t mean I’m turning a basic model into a luxury one just by changing the color. What annoys me is that they are charging almost a 300% surcharge.
@sven.conzi
Apart from a few changes we made, it’s almost exactly like the catalog, or actually even less, since adding a bay window would go beyond our budget and we didn’t want that anyway.
I’m experiencing something similar with the front door. The options are either plastic (PVC) or wood. An aluminum door isn’t offered at all. Considering smart home integration with an electric lock, a plastic door is not advisable.
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