ᐅ Differences in Insulation Between Solid Construction and Prefabricated Houses
Created on: 5 Jul 2013 11:02
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hg6806Good morning,
We also need to decide soon whether to build a solid (masonry) house or a prefabricated house. However, we are leaning more towards a solid house. Prefabricated house providers often argue that a prefabricated house always has better thermal insulation and also features thinner walls, which saves space.
What do you think about this? A gas connection for the plot is only possible with great effort, so I would like to use a heat pump. I have also heard negative opinions about using a heat pump in a solid-built house.
Best regards
Tobi
We also need to decide soon whether to build a solid (masonry) house or a prefabricated house. However, we are leaning more towards a solid house. Prefabricated house providers often argue that a prefabricated house always has better thermal insulation and also features thinner walls, which saves space.
What do you think about this? A gas connection for the plot is only possible with great effort, so I would like to use a heat pump. I have also heard negative opinions about using a heat pump in a solid-built house.
Best regards
Tobi
Hello Tobi,
First of all: you can’t go wrong with any construction method (provided the workmanship is good...), I simply followed my intuition when building my house and am currently constructing a solid structure using Poroton T8 blocks, 42.5 cm (17 inches) thick without additional insulation (U-value of 0.18).
Of course, with thicker blocks or extra insulation, you can achieve even better values.
It’s true that with timber frame construction, you get thinner walls (with the same insulation value) compared to solid building methods.
Whether a heat pump is worth it or not doesn’t primarily depend on the wall structure; many other factors play a role (location, floor plan, orientation, windows, roof, heating behavior, etc.).
In such cases, investing in an independent energy consultant is worthwhile.
First of all: you can’t go wrong with any construction method (provided the workmanship is good...), I simply followed my intuition when building my house and am currently constructing a solid structure using Poroton T8 blocks, 42.5 cm (17 inches) thick without additional insulation (U-value of 0.18).
Of course, with thicker blocks or extra insulation, you can achieve even better values.
It’s true that with timber frame construction, you get thinner walls (with the same insulation value) compared to solid building methods.
Whether a heat pump is worth it or not doesn’t primarily depend on the wall structure; many other factors play a role (location, floor plan, orientation, windows, roof, heating behavior, etc.).
In such cases, investing in an independent energy consultant is worthwhile.
Prefabricated house manufacturers often claim that a prefab home always has better thermal insulation, thinner walls, and saves more space.However, with a masonry house, sound and heat protection are usually better....
You can also build a KfW 70 standard house with a masonry structure featuring walls around 30cm (12 inches) thick... Prefab houses typically do not have thinner walls in that case but often offer a better wall U-value.
Depending on how important wall thickness, heat and sound insulation, and overall thermal performance are to you, you can weigh the pros and cons accordingly...
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