ᐅ Durability of Prefabricated Wood Wall Systems

Hello,

My wife and I plan to build in 2015 and are purchasing the land today.
We are considering buying a prefab house (e.g., Schwörerhaus, Weberhaus, Bien-Zenker, etc.).

I have looked into the wall types used by these companies. They mainly consist of mineral wool insulation with wooden studs and gypsum boards. Sometimes there is also a wood fiberboard layer included.

I wonder if this construction method really lasts for 80 years without starting to rot. What happens if the wall is damaged and water penetrates?

Of course, I am aware of studies that say prefab houses have a lifespan similar to that of solid construction houses.

However, I would prefer personal experiences with timber frame construction....

Thank you for your time.

Markus

Hello Markus,

just a thought: Take a look at the oldest buildings in your town.

They are very likely timber-framed houses with a wall construction somewhat similar to this: a timber frame with infill made of clay, straw, etc.

We are currently building a prefabricated timber frame house from Weberhaus and are convinced by this construction method. A well-produced prefabricated house today is no longer inferior to a solid masonry house.

You should just be careful when choosing the manufacturer to avoid unpleasant surprises.

We have described our selection process in detail on our building blog. If you’re interested, I can gladly share the link with you.

Best regards,

Dirk

Take a look at some masonry houses from the 1970s: ready for demolition.

Every house requires maintenance, and if you run into backflow issues, it’s always problematic.
For example, in our town (which we only found out about by chance after building our house), there is a prefabricated house from (Bien-)Zenker dating back to the 1980s. It is very well maintained and excellent both visually and technically. It also has noticeably lower energy consumption compared to a masonry house from that period.

Roof trusses are also made of wood. If you take care of your roof and re-cover it in time, it can last the entire lifetime of the house. And I have yet to hear anyone say that their roof truss needs to be built from masonry.

Each construction method has its pros and cons. Some of the disadvantages traditionally attributed to prefabricated houses come from their early days and are light years away from today’s standards.

Choose one of the major companies that have built tens of thousands of houses over the years. Basically, they all use proven methods and offer different wall constructions to choose from. All of the major ones maintain high quality and differ only marginally. For example: whether you buy an Audi A4, 3 Series, or C-Class without taking a test drive first, you’ve definitely purchased a top-quality product.

More important: focus on finding a good salesperson—someone who doesn’t just sell but shines with expertise and knowledge and provides meaningful data. We were lucky to deal with such a person. His commitment went far beyond the actual sale (signing the purchase contract). Throughout the entire construction phase, he was our point of contact and even traveled over 100 km (60 miles) to attend the topping-out ceremony. Because of that, there is still a (Bien-)Zenker house from “him” just a few houses away…

I hope you found some useful insights in my comments.

Best regards

Hello Dirk,
hello Cascada,

I would appreciate a link to your homeowner diary.

We are carefully considering the choice of manufacturer and are thoroughly reviewing the companies’ construction service catalogs. Of course, we will also examine the contract closely. Unfortunately, the salespeople have all been quite slow... some haven’t managed to schedule an appointment or send a promised offer even after two weeks. That’s not a great impression for me. I’m guessing the time constraints won’t be any different during the construction phase...

Best regards,
Markus

Hello Markus,

We have been living here since January 2012 – house construction in autumn 2011 followed by interior finishing.

The blog is no longer online, but I can share my experience regarding prefabricated houses in general and Bien-Zenker.

If needed, please feel free to contact me.

A small tip: consider visiting a prefabricated house exhibition where your favorites are represented. This kind of initial contact is definitely better. To compare it to buying a car: someone calling a dealership anonymously to request a quote is at a disadvantage compared to someone who visits in person.

Markus83 schrieb:

I wonder if this type of construction will really last 80 years without starting to rot. What happens if the wall gets damaged and water penetrates?
[..]
I would prefer personal experiences with timber frame construction....

As Cascada already mentioned – good materials last, sometimes even longer if maintained.
We built this year (in the border area between Bavaria, Hesse, and Württemberg, on the Bavarian side), so I obviously can’t say how it will look after 80 years. My parents built their house 43 years ago in the Ruhr area (masonry basement, timber frame house on top, partially faced with brick on site), and it’s still in very good condition. At first, there were moisture issues on one wall (west side – no windows), so they added a layer of drywall plus 2 or 3cm (1 inch) of expanded polystyrene insulation on the inside, as that was the common practice back then; after that, the problem stopped. Only some work was needed on the flat roof, otherwise it was mainly repainting walls, window frames, and renewing the outside stairs (the mason had done a sloppy job – which was nothing the timber house builder could fix). Nowadays, my father has converted most of the roller shutters to electric operation and insulated the roller shutter boxes a bit. Four years ago, two living room windows and two patio doors were replaced, which greatly improved living comfort – since then, the room retains heat much better, even when the heating is off. Unfortunately, the company no longer exists.

Neighbors in the Ruhr area built with a still existing company at that time – the house was sold a few years ago and renovated as well as remodeled over the last few years. From the original house, only the slab, installations, and timber frame remained. All interior and exterior wall coverings as well as the insulation used back then were removed, as it was the only way to get rid of the musty smell inside. Only the timber studs were apparently still in good condition...

Depending on how far you are from this area, feel free to visit and see how our house looks – the manufacturer is not represented in model home parks but still has several other building sites nearby...