Hello,
I just registered here because this has been causing me many sleepless nights lately 😀
Here’s the situation: a few weeks ago, I bought a really nice plot of land.
Now it’s time to build a suitable house on it, and the question is what kind of house to choose.
The general look of the house and an approximate layout of the rooms have already been planned.
I think building a traditional brick-and-mortar house will probably be too expensive for me, so I’m currently leaning strongly towards a prefabricated house.
Now, there are also shell homes (partially finished houses), are these generally recommended over fully prefabricated houses?
After all, with shell homes I would have more freedom in designing bathrooms, kitchens, and not be limited to the selections offered by manufacturers.
Next, I’ve read quite often that most people use insulated windows with triple glazing, but I’ve also heard instances where these windows are just too airtight and often suffer from dampness.
My mother has always said, “Windows shouldn’t be completely sealed; they always need to be able to ‘breathe’ a little.”
Of course, you can ventilate, but I’ve noticed this with a friend – he ventilates daily and still has condensation on the edges of the glass, especially in his bedroom in the morning after getting up.
To be honest, I don’t want to deal with mold. Is there any “trick” or something like that to prevent this?
Finally, there really is a wide selection of prefab house builders. Are there any that are especially recommended, where the price-to-quality ratio is good?
I don’t want to just go to the first one I find.
That should be enough for now. I hope someone here can help me out 😉
Best regards,
Max
I just registered here because this has been causing me many sleepless nights lately 😀
Here’s the situation: a few weeks ago, I bought a really nice plot of land.
Now it’s time to build a suitable house on it, and the question is what kind of house to choose.
The general look of the house and an approximate layout of the rooms have already been planned.
I think building a traditional brick-and-mortar house will probably be too expensive for me, so I’m currently leaning strongly towards a prefabricated house.
Now, there are also shell homes (partially finished houses), are these generally recommended over fully prefabricated houses?
After all, with shell homes I would have more freedom in designing bathrooms, kitchens, and not be limited to the selections offered by manufacturers.
Next, I’ve read quite often that most people use insulated windows with triple glazing, but I’ve also heard instances where these windows are just too airtight and often suffer from dampness.
My mother has always said, “Windows shouldn’t be completely sealed; they always need to be able to ‘breathe’ a little.”
Of course, you can ventilate, but I’ve noticed this with a friend – he ventilates daily and still has condensation on the edges of the glass, especially in his bedroom in the morning after getting up.
To be honest, I don’t want to deal with mold. Is there any “trick” or something like that to prevent this?
Finally, there really is a wide selection of prefab house builders. Are there any that are especially recommended, where the price-to-quality ratio is good?
I don’t want to just go to the first one I find.
That should be enough for now. I hope someone here can help me out 😉
Best regards,
Max
6
6Richtige12 May 2010 10:44Hello Max,
first of all, welcome to the forum.
You should approach the topic of building a house rationally and start with financial planning. So, first go to your bank and set your budget framework. Debt can be a disadvantage, and you should have about 10-20% equity.
From the total available amount you calculate, first deduct all the costs that will definitely occur: land, development costs, additional fees, landscaping, garage, basement/foundation slab, etc.
The remaining amount is available for the move-in ready house. Divide this sum by approximately 1000-1500 €/m2 (square meter) depending on the extent of your own work and the planned level of finishes.
The result will give you the approximate size of the house you can afford.
Only then should you start looking for providers. Model home centers and similar places offer initial guidance.
The price/performance ratio is not easy to determine, as building specifications are often incomplete, sellers may hide many costs, there are sometimes high surcharges during selections, or payment schedules may be disadvantageous for customers. Here, you should bring in expert help.
Windows (and walls) neither breathe nor snore 😉 Triple glazing is recommended from an energy efficiency perspective. By the way, does your friend with the condensation on the windows live in a prefab home?
By the way, a “shell construction” (Ausbauhaus) has nothing to do with prefab or solid construction houses but refers to the lack of interior finishing.
If you have proceeded as described above and your property’s zoning plan allows building your desired house, we are happy to assist with floor plan optimization and further questions.
first of all, welcome to the forum.
You should approach the topic of building a house rationally and start with financial planning. So, first go to your bank and set your budget framework. Debt can be a disadvantage, and you should have about 10-20% equity.
From the total available amount you calculate, first deduct all the costs that will definitely occur: land, development costs, additional fees, landscaping, garage, basement/foundation slab, etc.
The remaining amount is available for the move-in ready house. Divide this sum by approximately 1000-1500 €/m2 (square meter) depending on the extent of your own work and the planned level of finishes.
The result will give you the approximate size of the house you can afford.
Only then should you start looking for providers. Model home centers and similar places offer initial guidance.
The price/performance ratio is not easy to determine, as building specifications are often incomplete, sellers may hide many costs, there are sometimes high surcharges during selections, or payment schedules may be disadvantageous for customers. Here, you should bring in expert help.
Windows (and walls) neither breathe nor snore 😉 Triple glazing is recommended from an energy efficiency perspective. By the way, does your friend with the condensation on the windows live in a prefab home?
By the way, a “shell construction” (Ausbauhaus) has nothing to do with prefab or solid construction houses but refers to the lack of interior finishing.
If you have proceeded as described above and your property’s zoning plan allows building your desired house, we are happy to assist with floor plan optimization and further questions.
Hi,
thanks first of all for the detailed response.
Regarding financing, the fully serviced plot of land cost me a bit more than 200,000 euros for an area of 900 sqm (9,688 sq ft). Fortunately, the notary process was handled by a notary friend, so afterwards I only had to pay for the land registry entry and similar fees.
All of this was paid from my own savings, meaning no loans or credits at all!
The garage will be more or less integrated with or into the house, so for now I am not including it in the budget separately but will count it together with the house.
For the outdoor area, like the garden, I have roughly estimated about 20,000 euros, which I think should be enough.
Honestly, I don’t really need a basement; for me, it’s just an extra room where you end up storing stuff. In my opinion, it just accumulates clutter. Heating systems, utility connections, etc., can also be installed in a dedicated room within the house.
There will be a small storage building on the property with about 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft) of floor space, which I am paying for, but afterwards my company will rent it monthly, so the money will flow back into my own pocket.
The question of personal contribution of work is of course a factor... The garden and such will probably be done by a friend, so I would only have to cover the material costs there.
But precisely because of the personal work contribution, I’m wondering whether a shell house (self-build) or a turnkey house would make more sense. With a shell house, I would have the advantage that my own work can be credited, and I could build in exactly what I like and that suits my budget.
With a turnkey house, of course, the advantage is that everything comes from one source. From what I have seen so far, the bathrooms, kitchens, doors, switches, and so on don’t look bad at all. But unfortunately, these also come with a significant additional cost.
My current savings are still around 200,000 euros, so I would only need a loan of about 100,000 to 150,000 euros extra if I go for a turnkey house. With a shell house, naturally less.
Are there any specific contact points or advisors for prefabricated houses? Someone who can provide guidance and support?
As I said, I want good quality but I don’t want to get taken advantage of.
My friend’s house is a prefabricated house built with solid construction.
Is it normal that no condensation should form on the edges of the window panes? I have often heard that windows should never be fully sealed 1000% so that condensation doesn’t occur like this.
Best regards,
Max
thanks first of all for the detailed response.
Regarding financing, the fully serviced plot of land cost me a bit more than 200,000 euros for an area of 900 sqm (9,688 sq ft). Fortunately, the notary process was handled by a notary friend, so afterwards I only had to pay for the land registry entry and similar fees.
All of this was paid from my own savings, meaning no loans or credits at all!
The garage will be more or less integrated with or into the house, so for now I am not including it in the budget separately but will count it together with the house.
For the outdoor area, like the garden, I have roughly estimated about 20,000 euros, which I think should be enough.
Honestly, I don’t really need a basement; for me, it’s just an extra room where you end up storing stuff. In my opinion, it just accumulates clutter. Heating systems, utility connections, etc., can also be installed in a dedicated room within the house.
There will be a small storage building on the property with about 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft) of floor space, which I am paying for, but afterwards my company will rent it monthly, so the money will flow back into my own pocket.
The question of personal contribution of work is of course a factor... The garden and such will probably be done by a friend, so I would only have to cover the material costs there.
But precisely because of the personal work contribution, I’m wondering whether a shell house (self-build) or a turnkey house would make more sense. With a shell house, I would have the advantage that my own work can be credited, and I could build in exactly what I like and that suits my budget.
With a turnkey house, of course, the advantage is that everything comes from one source. From what I have seen so far, the bathrooms, kitchens, doors, switches, and so on don’t look bad at all. But unfortunately, these also come with a significant additional cost.
My current savings are still around 200,000 euros, so I would only need a loan of about 100,000 to 150,000 euros extra if I go for a turnkey house. With a shell house, naturally less.
Are there any specific contact points or advisors for prefabricated houses? Someone who can provide guidance and support?
As I said, I want good quality but I don’t want to get taken advantage of.
My friend’s house is a prefabricated house built with solid construction.
Is it normal that no condensation should form on the edges of the window panes? I have often heard that windows should never be fully sealed 1000% so that condensation doesn’t occur like this.
Best regards,
Max
6
6Richtige12 May 2010 19:56Hello Max,
I have already mentioned the initial contacts; you will have to have personal meetings with some providers anyway. The difference between good and bad offers becomes clear based on the quality of advice and how quickly they ask for a signature.
Foggy windows are not normal, but they can occur, for example, in bathrooms when fully tiled walls cause moisture to condense on colder surfaces after showering, such as windows and mirrors.
If you want to save money, it only works to a limited extent with a shell-and-core home. First, you should know what you are doing; second, the costs add up—friends who help will need to be fed, phone and fuel costs occur, tools and machines must be purchased, occupational accident insurance should not be forgotten, etc. If you are self-employed and earn, for example, 30€ (about $32) per hour but do your own work for 10€ (about $11) per hour, you quickly end up at a loss.
With your budget, I would only consider doing the wall and floor finishes yourself; the rest should be done by skilled craftsmen.
If you assume around 60,000€ (about $64,000) for additional costs, the foundation slab, groundwork, and outdoor facilities (excluding storage), that leaves 240,000€ to 290,000€ (about $256,000 to $310,000) for the house. At about 1,300€/m2 (about $120/sq ft), that corresponds to roughly 200 m2 (about 2,150 sq ft) of living space, which fits well.
I have already mentioned the initial contacts; you will have to have personal meetings with some providers anyway. The difference between good and bad offers becomes clear based on the quality of advice and how quickly they ask for a signature.
Foggy windows are not normal, but they can occur, for example, in bathrooms when fully tiled walls cause moisture to condense on colder surfaces after showering, such as windows and mirrors.
If you want to save money, it only works to a limited extent with a shell-and-core home. First, you should know what you are doing; second, the costs add up—friends who help will need to be fed, phone and fuel costs occur, tools and machines must be purchased, occupational accident insurance should not be forgotten, etc. If you are self-employed and earn, for example, 30€ (about $32) per hour but do your own work for 10€ (about $11) per hour, you quickly end up at a loss.
With your budget, I would only consider doing the wall and floor finishes yourself; the rest should be done by skilled craftsmen.
If you assume around 60,000€ (about $64,000) for additional costs, the foundation slab, groundwork, and outdoor facilities (excluding storage), that leaves 240,000€ to 290,000€ (about $256,000 to $310,000) for the house. At about 1,300€/m2 (about $120/sq ft), that corresponds to roughly 200 m2 (about 2,150 sq ft) of living space, which fits well.
Hi,
Providing food for the helpers isn’t really a big deal, it doesn’t have to be lobster or anything like that 😀
As for the phone, mine is covered through work, so no issues there...
Fuel costs, I don’t pay those either, and I could even bike to the building site.
Regarding the "I work one hour for $10 but usually earn $30" point, you are of course right from a pure calculation standpoint, but I have a fixed income or salary. How I manage my time and how many hours I work each month is entirely up to me. After all, I’m not the only one in the company 😉
But overall, sure, tools do cost money, even if some are already available, things can still break. Machines would have to be rented.
So, do you think it’s better for me to look for something turnkey instead of searching for shell houses?
That’s great about the square meter figure. In terms of living space, I was thinking somewhere between 150-200 sqm (1600-2150 sq ft), depending on the room layout. More is always nice, of course, but I see it at my parents’ house (1200 sqm (13,000 sq ft) of heated floor area, 768 sqm (8,270 sq ft) living space, 3500 sqm (38,000 sq ft) plot) — it’s a huge amount of work to maintain a house like that.
Plus, such a house can really hit the budget when something needs to be renovated or replaced, and honestly, I’m not keen on dealing with that. I’d rather spend a bit more on vacation once a year 😀
So, thanks a lot to you, and I’ll start looking into who has what on offer in the next few days and possibly arrange some appointments.
Best regards,
Max
Providing food for the helpers isn’t really a big deal, it doesn’t have to be lobster or anything like that 😀
As for the phone, mine is covered through work, so no issues there...
Fuel costs, I don’t pay those either, and I could even bike to the building site.
Regarding the "I work one hour for $10 but usually earn $30" point, you are of course right from a pure calculation standpoint, but I have a fixed income or salary. How I manage my time and how many hours I work each month is entirely up to me. After all, I’m not the only one in the company 😉
But overall, sure, tools do cost money, even if some are already available, things can still break. Machines would have to be rented.
So, do you think it’s better for me to look for something turnkey instead of searching for shell houses?
That’s great about the square meter figure. In terms of living space, I was thinking somewhere between 150-200 sqm (1600-2150 sq ft), depending on the room layout. More is always nice, of course, but I see it at my parents’ house (1200 sqm (13,000 sq ft) of heated floor area, 768 sqm (8,270 sq ft) living space, 3500 sqm (38,000 sq ft) plot) — it’s a huge amount of work to maintain a house like that.
Plus, such a house can really hit the budget when something needs to be renovated or replaced, and honestly, I’m not keen on dealing with that. I’d rather spend a bit more on vacation once a year 😀
So, thanks a lot to you, and I’ll start looking into who has what on offer in the next few days and possibly arrange some appointments.
Best regards,
Max
MaXXCP schrieb:
Hi,
With a turnkey house, of course, the advantage is that everything comes from a single source. From what I have seen, the bathrooms, kitchens installed, as well as doors, switches, and so on, actually don’t look bad at all. Unfortunately, the cost comes with a rather significant extra charge.
My friend’s house is a prefabricated house built with solid construction.
So is it normal that no condensation forms on the window edges?
I have heard several times that windows should never be 1000% airtight to prevent exactly this issue with condensation.
Best regards,
Max Hello Max,
Even if you want to build a shell-and-core house (or a self-build that requires finishing), it won’t necessarily be cheaper. Materials still have to be purchased and installed. If you want to do it yourself, it can certainly be less expensive, but only if your hourly rate is lower than that of a skilled tradesperson. You also get a warranty from a professional, and they will complete the work in about half the time.
Regarding the windows: forget that idea. When moisture appears on windows, it is because they are the coldest points in the house. The advice your mother gave was probably valid at some point in the past, but not anymore. Any uncontrolled loss of heat to the outside means waste—waste of money, your money. Heating costs are already paid, so they should be used as efficiently as possible. That is why all houses are built to be as airtight as possible and equipped with controlled ventilation systems for air supply and exhaust.
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