ᐅ Consultation on House Type
Created on: 1 Apr 2016 10:21
P
Painkiller
Hello everyone,
We have the opportunity to purchase a plot of land from a municipality and would not be paying an excessive price.
We now have two offers: one for a solid masonry house on a slab foundation and one for a prefabricated house, also on a slab foundation.
Both are priced about the same, each fully turnkey. Therefore, price isn’t a deciding factor. The only difference is that the solid masonry house provider’s offer seems more transparent because it includes a price range for floor coverings, etc., rather than having to choose solely from a model home showroom.
Now to the main question. Each provider naturally criticizes the other’s approach—for example, the prefabricated house provider claims “only with us do you get a mold-free house, which is not possible with solid masonry.”
Is this true, or does a solid masonry build simply require a longer drying time?
Since we are somewhat affected by mold (we currently have slight mold issues in our solid masonry apartment), this sounds appealing, especially because, according to the consultant, no ventilation is necessary in the prefabricated house due to an integrated ventilation system. In my parents’ prefabricated house, there is still no mold after 45 years.
The solid masonry house would be built from 36cm (14 inches) Ytong blocks. The prefabricated house would have exterior walls about 34cm (13 inches) thick.
As far as I understand, KfW55 energy standard is now mandatory and both options comply.
Heating would be either gas with solar or an air-to-water heat pump for the solid masonry house, and an air-source heat pump for the prefabricated house.
What are your opinions on this?
If I forgot anything, I’m happy to provide more information.
Best regards
We have the opportunity to purchase a plot of land from a municipality and would not be paying an excessive price.
We now have two offers: one for a solid masonry house on a slab foundation and one for a prefabricated house, also on a slab foundation.
Both are priced about the same, each fully turnkey. Therefore, price isn’t a deciding factor. The only difference is that the solid masonry house provider’s offer seems more transparent because it includes a price range for floor coverings, etc., rather than having to choose solely from a model home showroom.
Now to the main question. Each provider naturally criticizes the other’s approach—for example, the prefabricated house provider claims “only with us do you get a mold-free house, which is not possible with solid masonry.”
Is this true, or does a solid masonry build simply require a longer drying time?
Since we are somewhat affected by mold (we currently have slight mold issues in our solid masonry apartment), this sounds appealing, especially because, according to the consultant, no ventilation is necessary in the prefabricated house due to an integrated ventilation system. In my parents’ prefabricated house, there is still no mold after 45 years.
The solid masonry house would be built from 36cm (14 inches) Ytong blocks. The prefabricated house would have exterior walls about 34cm (13 inches) thick.
As far as I understand, KfW55 energy standard is now mandatory and both options comply.
Heating would be either gas with solar or an air-to-water heat pump for the solid masonry house, and an air-source heat pump for the prefabricated house.
What are your opinions on this?
If I forgot anything, I’m happy to provide more information.
Best regards
P
Painkiller1 Apr 2016 12:16Jochen104 schrieb:
Hello,
to compare the two offers properly, you need to do much more than just this:
You are only looking at the price at the bottom right and the word "turnkey." But this doesn't help you, as "turnkey" is not explicitly defined. You have to compare the detailed scope of work (building performance description) carefully.
Thank you all for your answers.
The problem with making a proper comparison is that I don’t have the building performance description from the prefab house provider. So far, they haven’t given a real offer – only handwritten numbers on graph paper 😉
Overall, the offer and specifications for the prefab house sound good, but the consultant, in my opinion, pushed too hard for signing the contract. That just feels too unprofessional for a first (!) meeting.
So to summarize, there are no objections to building with Ytong? Our idea was also to wait at least six months to a full year before applying the exterior plaster, so the walls have time to dry a bit longer.
A timber frame house would still be an option, although it was not considered before.
A ventilation system was on the wish list for the solid house and needs to be included in the offer again.
Overall, the time and willingness to research independently is there, but with homebuilding, opinions differ so much that it feels like everyone has their favorite, which ultimately gets a better outcome. Just like installer X prefers a gas heating system while Y prefers a heat pump.
But the advice to consult an expert before building is also very welcome. 😉
Painkiller schrieb:
Thank you all for your responses. You’re welcome, that’s exactly what this forum is for 🙂
Painkiller schrieb:
The problem for a proper comparison is that I don’t have the detailed scope of work from the prefabricated house provider. So far, they haven’t given a formal offer, just handwritten figures on squared paper 😉
Overall, the offer and the equipment package of the prefab house sounds good, but the consultant seemed to push too hard for signing the contract. That feels way too unprofessional for a first(!) meeting. If a provider puts too much pressure on signing a contract, that would be a reason for me to remove them from consideration.
Take your time, ask for all documents, compare a lot, ask many questions, then compare again.
Painkiller schrieb:
So to summarize, there are no objections to building with Ytong? Our idea was also to wait at least six months to a whole year before applying the external plaster, to give the walls more time to dry. No objections at all. We also built with Ytong (aerated concrete) blocks and are completely satisfied.
Our general contractor recommends waiting at least 2 years before applying the final plaster coat (the base coat should go on immediately). By then, any drying or settlement cracks should have developed and therefore will no longer appear in the finish plaster.
Painkiller schrieb:
A timber house would also be an option, which hadn’t come up before. This forum is here for that too 🙂
Painkiller schrieb:
A ventilation system was also on the wish list for the solid construction house; we need to make sure it’s included in the offer. That’s necessary if you want to compare the offers properly. Otherwise, you will need to weigh pros and cons carefully. Same goes for the heating system, etc. You really have to get detailed information.
Painkiller schrieb:
Overall, I have the time and willingness to inform myself, but there are so many different opinions about house building that it feels like everyone just has their favorite, which ends up seeming better. Like heating installers: one prefers a gas heater, another prefers a heat pump. That’s true. The important thing is to form your own opinion and eventually commit to a decision. This forum has many different views as well. Usually, the best approach is reading, reading, reading, seeking advice, reading more...
Once you have identified a technology, you should also look for a provider who supports and can implement your wishes. It does no good to hire a heating installer to install a heat pump if they have never seen one before.
We know somebody who is building a brick house with a company that specializes in timber houses 🙄.
Painkiller schrieb:
But the advice to hire a consultant before you start building is a good tip. 😉 @Bauexperte always has very good advice on where you can find proper consulting and construction support.
P
Painkiller30 May 2016 11:24A quick update from the front 🙂
We have gathered more information and decided on a Ytong house with an air-to-water heat pump and controlled mechanical ventilation.
We have collected several experiences regarding the heat pump and were surprised at how often it has already been installed. Overall, the feedback was quite positive and the costs were reasonable. That was actually our biggest concern—that the costs for such a system would be too high. Thanks to the controlled mechanical ventilation, we also have no worries about mold in the solid construction house.
After reviewing more offers, we can say that the price of a prefab house hardly differs from that of a solid house. The construction time is also similar for both (4–6 months).
So why did we choose the Ytong house? It’s more of a gut feeling, combined with the fact that the builders working with Ytong have presented themselves better so far, and probably also because there is a family construction company that works with Ytong. However, we are still obtaining more offers and are not committed yet.
We have gathered more information and decided on a Ytong house with an air-to-water heat pump and controlled mechanical ventilation.
We have collected several experiences regarding the heat pump and were surprised at how often it has already been installed. Overall, the feedback was quite positive and the costs were reasonable. That was actually our biggest concern—that the costs for such a system would be too high. Thanks to the controlled mechanical ventilation, we also have no worries about mold in the solid construction house.
After reviewing more offers, we can say that the price of a prefab house hardly differs from that of a solid house. The construction time is also similar for both (4–6 months).
So why did we choose the Ytong house? It’s more of a gut feeling, combined with the fact that the builders working with Ytong have presented themselves better so far, and probably also because there is a family construction company that works with Ytong. However, we are still obtaining more offers and are not committed yet.
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