ᐅ Planning a Construction Project in Rhineland-Palatinate (RLP)

Hello Matze575,

I also believe that with your targeted house size and a budget of EUR 340,000 (loan EUR 270,000 + equity 95,000 – land 25,000), you probably won’t be able to cover all costs.

This year we are building a custom-designed prefabricated house with a timber frame structure, approximately 190 sqm (2045 sq ft) of living space, a full basement, and 2 garages.

Just the house itself (excluding additional construction costs, kitchen, and garages) will amount to EUR 360,000.00 for us.

You should either consider reducing the living area somewhat or increase your budget if possible.

Best regards,

Dirk

Much has already been said, but I would also recommend starting smaller. It can always be expanded later if there is more money left over.
First, you should try to estimate the earthworks. This means a soil survey and consulting local house builders or civil engineers in the area.

This is where the biggest surprises can be hidden.

Hello,

thank you for your previous contributions.

My thought is that a basement is not necessarily required.

We want to do some work ourselves and see where we can assist, for example painting the roof structure. Unfortunately, some DIY work is not so easy to do with a prefabricated house provider.

Yesterday, I received a kind message which, if I understood correctly, says that solid construction is more cost-effective.

Right now, we don’t really know where to start. Somehow, we keep going in circles.

Thanks in advance for the support.

Thank you for the reply.

Yes, time is a factor. ;-)

Of course, you try to save wherever possible. Naturally, the intention with the building project is to save money.

Everything has to be proportional. Some manufacturers offer finishing packages, and compared to the turnkey version, the price difference isn’t actually that much.

You really have to think about whether the stress at the end is worth it.

As I already mentioned, someone I know built with Danwood. Danwood mainly offers turnkey homes, and apparently at a reasonable price.

We live in a rural area, and there are many small construction companies where the price for a shell construction is probably negotiable.

I think there’s some room for negotiation if you don’t get everything from one company, which is often not the case with prefabricated house providers.

Somehow, I’m still a bit old-fashioned and prefer solid construction. ;-)

When you only listen to the arguments from prefab home providers, you start to wonder if a prefab house might actually be the better option.

kaho674 schrieb:
I recently heard or saw somewhere that you can save the most money if you build the shell yourself. Apparently, it’s easier than you think, but hardly anyone dares to take it on. I have to admit, I wouldn’t either. But if I were to build again and wanted to save a lot, I would consider it. The Ytong blocks weren’t heavy, and with the right tools (which you can apparently borrow), it’s supposed to be easier than, say, doing the electrical work yourself. Ok, you have to be quite precise, but what about someone who’s handy?

So, if you want to contribute sweat equity, remember you’ll need a lot of time. These trades are the ones I would try if I were starting over and had plenty of time:

- Shell construction
- Drywall installation
- Electrical work
- Painting

I can’t think of any others. What about you?

Matze575 schrieb:

As I already mentioned, there is someone I know who built with Danwood. Danwood mainly offers turnkey construction, usually at a relatively good price.

Then ask your acquaintance what extra costs they had to pay: foundation slab, delivery(!) of the house, portable toilet, dumpster, etc. If you add up all these items, you'll likely end up at the same price as (almost) any other prefab house.

Matze575 schrieb:

We live in a rural area, and there are many small construction companies where the price for a shell construction is probably negotiable.

What is usually negotiable is the amount that was initially added on top. My uncle—who works as a sales representative for a conservatory company—always tells his customers when they ask if the price can be reduced: "Yes, I can give you a 90% discount, but then the offer becomes 90% more expensive..." 😉

Matze575 schrieb:

I think there’s more room for negotiation if you don’t get everything from one source. That’s usually not the case with prefab house providers.

Don’t just look for the cheapest offer but the one that seems most cost-effective to you. If you have a good gut feeling about a slightly more expensive provider and everything else fits, I would go with them.

Matze575 schrieb:

I’m still old-fashioned and more convinced by traditional solid construction. ;-)

When you only listen to the arguments of prefab house suppliers, you start wondering whether a prefab house might actually be the right choice.

Both construction methods have their pros and cons. It’s best to gather thorough information.

Most model home parks mostly feature prefab houses. So, it’s better to visit a new residential area in springtime and ask the residents who they built with and how satisfied they are. You’ll usually learn more there than in model home parks.

Jaydee schrieb:
"Yes, I can give you a 90% discount, but then the offer will be 90% more expensive ..." 😉

Great offer.

If the original offer, for example, is 100,000 EUR, then an offer that is 90% more expensive would be 190,000 EUR. However, the discount applies to this new offer of 190,000 EUR, so with a 90% discount you would pay: 190,000 EUR − 171,000 EUR = 19,000 EUR. Compared to the original offer, that’s actually a saving of 81%.

Your uncle should recalculate his offer. 😉