ᐅ Is a solid (masonry) house significantly less energy efficient than a timber-framed house?
Created on: 24 Jan 2024 09:43
A
Aphelios
Hello everyone,
My wife and I had a meeting yesterday evening with a construction manager who is connected to us through several acquaintances. It turned out he works for Keitel-Haus. He strongly advised us against building a solid construction house (concrete or masonry), giving arguments such as:
As a trained civil engineering technician with a strong background in concrete, I was naturally shocked by such allegations.
Does anyone have experience comparing these building methods? I only found one online study indicating that heating costs for solid construction are actually lower than for timber houses.
We want to build the house with a regional provider, who are mostly solid construction builders in our area... and so far, we have had the best feeling regarding their advice and service. Google also shows no negative reviews.
My wife and I had a meeting yesterday evening with a construction manager who is connected to us through several acquaintances. It turned out he works for Keitel-Haus. He strongly advised us against building a solid construction house (concrete or masonry), giving arguments such as:
- Solid construction houses have a much higher heating energy demand, costing around €2500 per year with a heat pump compared to €800 for a timber house
- The moisture from construction remains inside the building even after completion, leading to an unhealthy indoor climate
- Masonry walls have not changed significantly since the 2009 energy-saving regulations, and some figures are manipulated to meet current thermal insulation requirements
- For solid construction houses, the primary energy demand is never calculated properly; you essentially buy the heating system blindly without coordination with the building
As a trained civil engineering technician with a strong background in concrete, I was naturally shocked by such allegations.
Does anyone have experience comparing these building methods? I only found one online study indicating that heating costs for solid construction are actually lower than for timber houses.
We want to build the house with a regional provider, who are mostly solid construction builders in our area... and so far, we have had the best feeling regarding their advice and service. Google also shows no negative reviews.
Nida35a schrieb:
There is also the issue of soundproofing, which is much better in a solid construction house.
PS: Our neighbors in the timber frame house can’t sleep anymore when our lawn mower starts early at 11 a.m. Well, let’s put it this way: similar to thermal insulation (where it’s a bit more challenging to achieve excellent values with solid construction), it’s the other way around for soundproofing (where it’s a bit more difficult to meet very high standards with timber frame construction). But both are achievable.
Nida35a schrieb:
There is also the topic of sound insulation, which is much better in a solid construction house.
PS: Our neighbors in the timber frame house can no longer sleep when our lawn mower starts early at 11 a.m.
I can achieve reasonable sound insulation in all types of construction; it depends on what and how it is built. Or do you seriously want to compare aerated concrete with masonry units? And then place a properly designed timber frame construction next to it—you will be surprised.
Be very thankful to the pentagonal site manager friend, because now you know with whom you definitely do not want to build.
The previous contributors have already provided more detailed answers.
What can be said is that achieving a low-energy house or even passive house standard can be more cost-effective with a timber frame house (though not necessarily always) than with a masonry or concrete structure. Also, in masonry construction, if additional insulation of the exterior walls is to be avoided (monolithic construction, which many prefer), increasing the performance standard usually results in thicker exterior walls, which some may see as a disadvantage.
The previous contributors have already provided more detailed answers.
What can be said is that achieving a low-energy house or even passive house standard can be more cost-effective with a timber frame house (though not necessarily always) than with a masonry or concrete structure. Also, in masonry construction, if additional insulation of the exterior walls is to be avoided (monolithic construction, which many prefer), increasing the performance standard usually results in thicker exterior walls, which some may see as a disadvantage.
Aphelios schrieb:
My wife and I had an appointment last night with a site manager who is connected to us through several degrees of separation. It turned out he works at Keitel-Haus. He strongly advised against a solid construction house, using arguments such as: The “arguments” of these biased experts (who are usually more salespeople than site managers) regularly differ only in wording, but not in “quality.” I can only recommend keeping your distance from this person (and maybe even thanking him for the warning not to consider this provider).
Generally, I advise anyone planning to build to decide on the construction method as follows: first, create a preliminary design with an architect of your choice. Before proceeding to the detailed design phase, approach four to five builders for their rough cost estimates on this design (and optionally a comparable design from their standard catalog), including two timber frame builders, two masonry builders, and possibly one additional builder of any type. The feedback then helps you draw conclusions that you incorporate into the further design process. Typical outcomes of this round are:
X) One construction method (for the respective design, as this can never be generalized) is significantly more affordable
Y) It’s (as is often the case) roughly the same in cost
Z) Early awareness that you either need a bigger budget or have to adjust your expectations
Nida35a schrieb:
PS: Our neighbors in the timber frame house can’t sleep when our lawnmower starts early at 11 a.m. Did you equip a robotic mower with a sports exhaust, or does it beep like a garbage truck when going in reverse?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
hm.. with insulated timber panel construction, you can also achieve good sound insulation, and just like a KfW55 house built with solid construction uses only 55% of the energy, a house with timber panel construction also uses 55%
But it doesn't matter:
But it doesn't matter:
Aphelios schrieb:You are being manipulated here, and that’s not the right way. Build locally with whatever materials you prefer.
hier werden Zahlen manipuliert
11ant schrieb:
Did you give a robotic lawn mower a sports exhaust, or does it beep when driving backward like a garbage truck? I specifically wrote "Mähroböterle" – the change did NOT come from me!!!
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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