ᐅ Building with Prefabricated House Companies in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Created on: 20 Jan 2021 23:45
W
Wismar1989
Hello everyone,
I (male, 31) and my husband (33) are currently looking for a home to buy. We rent in Wismar and would like to stay within the city’s catchment area (ideally in the city itself, but given the steep prices here of up to 150€/m² (14 USD/ft²), that’s hardly affordable).
We are just at the beginning of the whole process and are trying to get an overview first. We quickly agreed that we will most likely build a house, single-story, as I have knee problems and going up and down stairs regularly would be difficult for me. We want to build a bungalow of about 100m² (1,100 ft²) with four rooms. Since we neither have children nor pets – and do not plan to – we don’t need more than 600–800m² (6,460–8,610 ft²) of land.
We both work in the public sector and have about €3,800 net monthly income (€4,000 net starting in April due to step increases, plus an annual bonus). Our family will support us with equity. We expect to have around €30,000 in savings and would like to spend no more than €320,000–350,000 for the land, house, and additional costs.
We prefer prefabricated house construction, since we have no experience with building and can’t contribute physically. Now the question is – how trustworthy are companies like Town & Country (which seems to have something of a monopoly in this region), MassaHaus, Platinhaus, etc.? Online reviews are very good – almost too good – so I wanted to seek advice first before contacting any of these companies.
Thanks in advance!
I (male, 31) and my husband (33) are currently looking for a home to buy. We rent in Wismar and would like to stay within the city’s catchment area (ideally in the city itself, but given the steep prices here of up to 150€/m² (14 USD/ft²), that’s hardly affordable).
We are just at the beginning of the whole process and are trying to get an overview first. We quickly agreed that we will most likely build a house, single-story, as I have knee problems and going up and down stairs regularly would be difficult for me. We want to build a bungalow of about 100m² (1,100 ft²) with four rooms. Since we neither have children nor pets – and do not plan to – we don’t need more than 600–800m² (6,460–8,610 ft²) of land.
We both work in the public sector and have about €3,800 net monthly income (€4,000 net starting in April due to step increases, plus an annual bonus). Our family will support us with equity. We expect to have around €30,000 in savings and would like to spend no more than €320,000–350,000 for the land, house, and additional costs.
We prefer prefabricated house construction, since we have no experience with building and can’t contribute physically. Now the question is – how trustworthy are companies like Town & Country (which seems to have something of a monopoly in this region), MassaHaus, Platinhaus, etc.? Online reviews are very good – almost too good – so I wanted to seek advice first before contacting any of these companies.
Thanks in advance!
W
Wismar198921 Jan 2021 10:17Thanks first of all for the responses.
Architect-designed houses are usually more expensive than standard production homes. We don’t really need a lot of extras anyway.
We are actually already looking for plots a bit further outside the city, but still not too far from the two highways here. We already have something in sight.
At the same time, we are of course also searching for existing properties and single-family homes (already built bungalows cost more here than building them ourselves, since all of them are still relatively new). The problem is that the good ones are quite expensive and the rest need renovation. Also, many are expensive simply because of their size. We don’t need 160 square meters (1,722 square feet) with a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) garden. But that of course drives the price up. Recently we had a viewing. At the time of the viewing, the house was already about 40,000 euros more expensive than originally offered, and the agent wanted us to make an offer within 72 hours. We can’t make such a big decision about where to spend the rest of our lives that fast. The house is gone by now.
What mainly interests me about Town & Country, Massa Haus, etc., is whether anyone has had bad experiences with them (poor workmanship, delays, extra costs, poor building quality…). I know that the price only includes the house, without flooring and without masonry work. What about underfloor heating? Bathroom furniture/laundry room? Kitchen connections? Electrical outlets/light switches? Does all that cost extra? How much should one roughly add on to finish the terrace/carport/lawn?
Architect-designed houses are usually more expensive than standard production homes. We don’t really need a lot of extras anyway.
We are actually already looking for plots a bit further outside the city, but still not too far from the two highways here. We already have something in sight.
At the same time, we are of course also searching for existing properties and single-family homes (already built bungalows cost more here than building them ourselves, since all of them are still relatively new). The problem is that the good ones are quite expensive and the rest need renovation. Also, many are expensive simply because of their size. We don’t need 160 square meters (1,722 square feet) with a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) garden. But that of course drives the price up. Recently we had a viewing. At the time of the viewing, the house was already about 40,000 euros more expensive than originally offered, and the agent wanted us to make an offer within 72 hours. We can’t make such a big decision about where to spend the rest of our lives that fast. The house is gone by now.
What mainly interests me about Town & Country, Massa Haus, etc., is whether anyone has had bad experiences with them (poor workmanship, delays, extra costs, poor building quality…). I know that the price only includes the house, without flooring and without masonry work. What about underfloor heating? Bathroom furniture/laundry room? Kitchen connections? Electrical outlets/light switches? Does all that cost extra? How much should one roughly add on to finish the terrace/carport/lawn?
I built a Massa house 20 years ago. That might not be suitable for you. They mainly specialize in shell homes, which means you have to do more or less the interior finishing yourself. However, I didn’t have any bad experiences with Massa Haus. They don’t take much off your hands either. You have to take care of many things yourself, at least that was the case 20 years ago.
Real prefabricated house. The leading option in your area would be Scanhaus Marlow Marlow, Marlow near HRO. Their houses are fine. There are several of them here. If you want a solid house, team massiv in RD Büdelsdorf also builds in your region. They are affordable and good. But your budget is tight. The plot can only cost 50-60 thousand, the rest will be swallowed by the house.
W
WilderSueden21 Jan 2021 12:55Wismar1989 schrieb:
What I’m mainly curious about with companies like Town & Country, Massa Haus, etc. is whether anyone has had bad experiences with them (botched construction, delays, extra costs, poor building quality, etc.). I know that the price usually only covers the house itself, without flooring or masonry work. How is it with underfloor heating? Bathroom furniture/laundry room? Kitchen connections? Electrical outlets/light switches? Does all of that cost extra? Approximately how much extra should you expect to pay to finish the terrace, carport, lawn, and so on?It depends on the provider. Usually, especially with the more affordable companies, very little is included as standard. Electrical outlets should generally be okay if you don’t have high demands, but things like underfloor heating almost always cost extra. Costs for outdoor work vary greatly depending on the plot, your standards, and your own contribution. You can save a lot if you sow grass yourself instead of laying turf. Paving the driveway is also quite doable for beginners, as is assembling a carport kit. But don’t underestimate the costs—multiple expenses add up.Also, watch out for how these companies are organized. Town & Country, for example, operates as a franchise system, meaning the provider in one town and the one in another are completely independent businesses. Therefore, experiences with quality can vary significantly and do not necessarily apply across the board.
Wismar1989 schrieb:
Architect-designed houses are usually more expensive than standard production homes. And we don’t really need much fancy extras anyway. The common assumption that standard production homes are cheaper than architect-designed houses (where the architect is not for adding fancy extras but—for example—for detailed planning instead of using pre-fabricated drywall modules) is usually incorrect.
Wismar1989 schrieb:
What interests me most about Town & Country, Massa Haus, etc., is whether anyone has had bad experiences with them (construction defects, delays, extra costs, poor building quality…). Positive experiences—and not with other companies under the same brand, but actually with your own local building partner!—are typically found not with the big national names, but with regional, owner-managed firms. Poor building quality, well, maybe at your favorite Heinz from @fach1werk *just kidding*, but generally the money is not made through carelessness, but through upgrades and extras. In this regard, a shell construction (partially finished house) can sometimes be cheaper, but then you end up with a lot of individual contracts to manage, where it might be better to have an architect. Incidentally, I consider a 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft) bungalow to be a custom design: typical catalog models in this segment tend to target singles, while models for couples usually start at around 120 sq m (1,292 sq ft).
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