Hi everyone!
While browsing, I noticed that it is often said that the costs between a solid (masonry) house and a prefab (modular) house are the same. However, I don’t understand this at all.
We are specifically looking for a single-family home with 130-145 sqm (1400-1560 sq ft) of living space. No frills, no basement, the only important things for us are two equally sized children’s bedrooms that are not too small, a guest room/office, and a guest toilet.
Many prefab home suppliers offer turnkey solutions, meaning everything except the foundation slab is included, but of course, it is still hard to compare. However, with a solid (masonry) house supplier, the costs seem significantly higher!
What is your opinion?
Kind regards
M4rvin
While browsing, I noticed that it is often said that the costs between a solid (masonry) house and a prefab (modular) house are the same. However, I don’t understand this at all.
We are specifically looking for a single-family home with 130-145 sqm (1400-1560 sq ft) of living space. No frills, no basement, the only important things for us are two equally sized children’s bedrooms that are not too small, a guest room/office, and a guest toilet.
Many prefab home suppliers offer turnkey solutions, meaning everything except the foundation slab is included, but of course, it is still hard to compare. However, with a solid (masonry) house supplier, the costs seem significantly higher!
What is your opinion?
Kind regards
M4rvin
R
R.Hotzenplotz13 Aug 2017 21:18daniels87 schrieb:
Do the walls breathe better? I didn't ask for further details.
The experience in Schleswig-Holstein is that prefabricated houses tend to be more expensive than the commonly used aerated concrete solid houses here, usually with a brick veneer, unless you choose the popular Scandinavian wooden house variant. The major advantage of prefabricated construction is definitely that the house is almost dry from day one.
With a solid house, I appreciate the thermal mass—it stays cool for a long time in summer and retains heat well in winter.
I also like the design flexibility. And if you want, you can build with a local, smaller company where customer service still happens directly between the owner and the client, and you have their mobile number.
For me, a house feels like it should be made of stone. But that is not a rational argument. If I were Inuit, I would feel a house should be made of ice.
The price advantage was not significant. For example, the Scanhaus Marlow Bungalow 105 with a steeper roof pitch and therefore an expandable upper floor started at 170,000 euros. That didn’t even include tiles, and the wall construction was a Sto external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS). Any redesign of the not entirely satisfactory basic floor plan costs extra. The staircase was only pine, underfloor heating was an additional cost, and so on.
In comparison, the 110 sqm (1,184 sq ft) solid house from my building contractor, planned individually with my wife and a good friend, had a monolithic wall structure without Styrofoam, included underfloor heating and a bathroom ventilation system, generously tiled with 50 sqm (538 sq ft) tiled, and cost only 163,000 euros. It also included a wide choice of door panels, a better heating system with Junkers instead of Buderus, house connections, satellite system, Velux windows upstairs, and a beechwood staircase—all included in the price.
All this made the choice easy. Among prefabricated houses, Scanhaus Marlow was still affordable. Southern German companies like Bien Zenker are very expensive. Only Scandinavian providers like Fjordborg, EBK, or Danwood could compete. But I didn’t want a wooden house because of the painting maintenance involved.
Karsten
With a solid house, I appreciate the thermal mass—it stays cool for a long time in summer and retains heat well in winter.
I also like the design flexibility. And if you want, you can build with a local, smaller company where customer service still happens directly between the owner and the client, and you have their mobile number.
For me, a house feels like it should be made of stone. But that is not a rational argument. If I were Inuit, I would feel a house should be made of ice.
The price advantage was not significant. For example, the Scanhaus Marlow Bungalow 105 with a steeper roof pitch and therefore an expandable upper floor started at 170,000 euros. That didn’t even include tiles, and the wall construction was a Sto external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS). Any redesign of the not entirely satisfactory basic floor plan costs extra. The staircase was only pine, underfloor heating was an additional cost, and so on.
In comparison, the 110 sqm (1,184 sq ft) solid house from my building contractor, planned individually with my wife and a good friend, had a monolithic wall structure without Styrofoam, included underfloor heating and a bathroom ventilation system, generously tiled with 50 sqm (538 sq ft) tiled, and cost only 163,000 euros. It also included a wide choice of door panels, a better heating system with Junkers instead of Buderus, house connections, satellite system, Velux windows upstairs, and a beechwood staircase—all included in the price.
All this made the choice easy. Among prefabricated houses, Scanhaus Marlow was still affordable. Southern German companies like Bien Zenker are very expensive. Only Scandinavian providers like Fjordborg, EBK, or Danwood could compete. But I didn’t want a wooden house because of the painting maintenance involved.
Karsten
R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:
Luxhaus told us that the indoor climate is better in a timber frame house. Our product is better – the basic claim of every sales pitch.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
R
R.Hotzenplotz13 Aug 2017 21:42Have
I also haven’t seen any reason given why one should now choose a prefabricated house provider… especially since the price apparently is similar.
11ant schrieb:
Our product is better – the basic claim of every sales pitch.
I also haven’t seen any reason given why one should now choose a prefabricated house provider… especially since the price apparently is similar.
R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:
why you should now go to a prefab house supplier…. especially since the price is apparently similar. Prices are primarily one thing: difficult to compare. The scope of work description has a much greater impact on price than the construction method or wall structure. Top quality can be achieved in different ways, as can flawless "economy" builds – but also poor workmanship up to the edge of fraud. Prefab houses used to be cardboard boxes or shacks. Then came a time when prefab builders caught up significantly. Thirty years ago, you could speak of parity, with quality at the same level (also architecturally), and better U-values with half the exterior wall thickness. This advantage has vanished again under current energy-saving regulations.
Recently, some low-cost players have entered the market offering, in simple terms, a combination of trendy details with rediscovered cardboard-box-level construction quality. Whoever wants to achieve dumping prices has to cut corners in solid construction, while in prefab building there is more "room to maneuver" in terms of how cheap materials are assembled. It’s basically like the house is a "Billy shelf, faked in China."
But the biggest trick lies in the scope of work description. Value unfortunately doesn’t come from glossy brochure pictures.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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