ᐅ Prefab House vs. Solid Construction – Requesting Urgent Advice!
Created on: 16 Aug 2009 21:40
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emrahx99Hello,
we urgently need advice:
We really like the prefabricated house builder HUF. The houses and floor plans are exactly our style (timber-framed house 2000). Unfortunately, the price is quite high.
We have already bought a plot of land and now only need the right house.
Question:
HUF is like the Mercedes of prefabricated house builders. If we have a house built similarly in style by a general contractor using traditional masonry construction with some modifications, could that possibly be cheaper? Or is there no chance? Are prefabricated houses always less expensive than masonry construction?
We would be very grateful for any answers!!!
PS: The architect fees (structural engineering, planning, building permit / planning permission, etc.) are not included here, as we have already negotiated these costs with the land purchase since the plot belonged to a construction company.
we urgently need advice:
We really like the prefabricated house builder HUF. The houses and floor plans are exactly our style (timber-framed house 2000). Unfortunately, the price is quite high.
We have already bought a plot of land and now only need the right house.
Question:
HUF is like the Mercedes of prefabricated house builders. If we have a house built similarly in style by a general contractor using traditional masonry construction with some modifications, could that possibly be cheaper? Or is there no chance? Are prefabricated houses always less expensive than masonry construction?
We would be very grateful for any answers!!!
PS: The architect fees (structural engineering, planning, building permit / planning permission, etc.) are not included here, as we have already negotiated these costs with the land purchase since the plot belonged to a construction company.
Hello emrahx99,
There are definitely high-quality home builders who construct solid masonry houses and offer very competitive prices. Since I’m not sure if I’m allowed to mention their names here, please send me an email if you’re interested.
Best regards, Timchen
Take a look at our guide “House Types”
There are definitely high-quality home builders who construct solid masonry houses and offer very competitive prices. Since I’m not sure if I’m allowed to mention their names here, please send me an email if you’re interested.
Best regards, Timchen
Take a look at our guide “House Types”
emrahx99 schrieb:
Hello,
We urgently need advice:
We really like the prefabricated house builder HUF. The houses and floor plans suit our style perfectly (timber-framed house 2000). Unfortunately, the price is quite high.
We have already purchased a plot of land and now only need the right house.
Question:
HUF is kind of like the Mercedes of prefabricated house builders. If you have a similar house built in solid construction with some modifications but a comparable style, would that possibly be cheaper?
Or no chance? Are prefabricated houses always cheaper than solid masonry construction?
We would be very grateful for any answers!!!
PS: The architect fees (structural engineering, planning, building permit / planning permission, etc.) are excluded since we have already negotiated those costs with the land purchase, as the plot belonged to a construction company.
I
innovision24 Aug 2009 09:30Important: the Energy Saving Regulation 2009
Besides the money/costs, performance naturally also plays a role. From autumn 2009, construction must comply with the new Energy Saving Regulation 2009; otherwise, no building permit/planning permission will be granted. Some traditional builders of solid construction may find this challenging.
So, my advice is to take energy costs into account. In this regard, "prefabricated builders" can simply calculate and meet the price and requirements more easily in their warm factory than on a cold construction site.
Note: There is a difference between a "fixed price" and a total price. By law, fixed prices may fluctuate by about 15%, often upwards, which can easily amount to increases of up to €40,000. For prefabricated builders, the total price is "fixed."
Besides the money/costs, performance naturally also plays a role. From autumn 2009, construction must comply with the new Energy Saving Regulation 2009; otherwise, no building permit/planning permission will be granted. Some traditional builders of solid construction may find this challenging.
So, my advice is to take energy costs into account. In this regard, "prefabricated builders" can simply calculate and meet the price and requirements more easily in their warm factory than on a cold construction site.
Note: There is a difference between a "fixed price" and a total price. By law, fixed prices may fluctuate by about 15%, often upwards, which can easily amount to increases of up to €40,000. For prefabricated builders, the total price is "fixed."
Hello,
I can only say, stay away from prefab houses. They do have the advantage of seemingly transparent costs, but here too, the contract is signed first and then selections are made (which can easily add up to significant amounts for changes). Prefab houses have improved a lot in recent years, especially in terms of quality, but they still can’t match the long-term value retention of a solidly built house. To be fair, many solid construction methods have faced challenges since the introduction of energy efficiency regulations. For example, the popular brick construction has trouble meeting the required values while also dealing with airtight building envelopes (mold issue: clay tends to absorb moisture rather than release it, and when a brick gets saturated, mold can grow). Aerated concrete fails on its own because of poor sound insulation and lack of thermal mass (both need weight, no matter how favorable the calculations look). However, there are now systems that combine the various positive features like breathability, sound insulation, thermal mass, and thermal insulation.
In 1998, I built using wood-chip formwork blocks and can only say the living quality is excellent: cool and especially not humid in summer, and warm in winter. For me, it was a kit house, but recently the same company has started offering a solid prefab house built with the same system, prefabricated in the plant and assembled within 5 days including interior and exterior plaster, windows, and electrical installations. I have linked the company on my homepage because they are really good and, above all, very reliable in project management. I can only recommend them. It doesn’t cost anything to get information.
Regards, TomTom
I can only say, stay away from prefab houses. They do have the advantage of seemingly transparent costs, but here too, the contract is signed first and then selections are made (which can easily add up to significant amounts for changes). Prefab houses have improved a lot in recent years, especially in terms of quality, but they still can’t match the long-term value retention of a solidly built house. To be fair, many solid construction methods have faced challenges since the introduction of energy efficiency regulations. For example, the popular brick construction has trouble meeting the required values while also dealing with airtight building envelopes (mold issue: clay tends to absorb moisture rather than release it, and when a brick gets saturated, mold can grow). Aerated concrete fails on its own because of poor sound insulation and lack of thermal mass (both need weight, no matter how favorable the calculations look). However, there are now systems that combine the various positive features like breathability, sound insulation, thermal mass, and thermal insulation.
In 1998, I built using wood-chip formwork blocks and can only say the living quality is excellent: cool and especially not humid in summer, and warm in winter. For me, it was a kit house, but recently the same company has started offering a solid prefab house built with the same system, prefabricated in the plant and assembled within 5 days including interior and exterior plaster, windows, and electrical installations. I have linked the company on my homepage because they are really good and, above all, very reliable in project management. I can only recommend them. It doesn’t cost anything to get information.
Regards, TomTom
I
innovision24 Sep 2009 08:50Unqualified Answers to Important Questions
What is this nonsense (Tomtom)? There are good and bad home builders. Whether solid construction or prefabricated parts, both have advantages... Much more important than black or white is:
a) CUSTOMER REFERENCE: Visit a real homeowner who has built with the house advisor and the building company. When the relationship between both parties is relaxed, it is a very good sign. And if you can still talk to them directly, that’s positive.
b) What does the whole thing cost: phrases like “it can always be cheaper,” “how much discount can I get,” or “bargains only today”: basic business principle: if you pay very little, you will only get a low level of service... but super expensive doesn’t always mean super better. A mix is best. That is why there is a steak in the supermarket for 3 € and an organic steak for 10 € (about 3.20 USD and 10.70 USD). Or for the car enthusiasts: a new station wagon for 8,500 € (about 9,100 USD) will probably be built differently than an Audi A4 for 30,000 € (about 32,000 USD), right? What kind of car do you drive? But a house should give you joy for 30 years. For those looking for the cheapest option: just watch TV, there are regular shows on channels like VOX or ARD where people thought that a house for 100,000 € (about 107,000 USD) includes everything—even the basement (chuckle)... and a basement alone costs 30-50,000 € (about 32,000–53,000 USD). That’s just how it is.
c) LIABILITY / Payments / Completion Guarantee / Timeframe etc.
A forum like this should serve for factual information and not for self-promotion!!! And a lot has changed regarding Germany and home building in the last 10 years.
What is this nonsense (Tomtom)? There are good and bad home builders. Whether solid construction or prefabricated parts, both have advantages... Much more important than black or white is:
a) CUSTOMER REFERENCE: Visit a real homeowner who has built with the house advisor and the building company. When the relationship between both parties is relaxed, it is a very good sign. And if you can still talk to them directly, that’s positive.
b) What does the whole thing cost: phrases like “it can always be cheaper,” “how much discount can I get,” or “bargains only today”: basic business principle: if you pay very little, you will only get a low level of service... but super expensive doesn’t always mean super better. A mix is best. That is why there is a steak in the supermarket for 3 € and an organic steak for 10 € (about 3.20 USD and 10.70 USD). Or for the car enthusiasts: a new station wagon for 8,500 € (about 9,100 USD) will probably be built differently than an Audi A4 for 30,000 € (about 32,000 USD), right? What kind of car do you drive? But a house should give you joy for 30 years. For those looking for the cheapest option: just watch TV, there are regular shows on channels like VOX or ARD where people thought that a house for 100,000 € (about 107,000 USD) includes everything—even the basement (chuckle)... and a basement alone costs 30-50,000 € (about 32,000–53,000 USD). That’s just how it is.
c) LIABILITY / Payments / Completion Guarantee / Timeframe etc.
A forum like this should serve for factual information and not for self-promotion!!! And a lot has changed regarding Germany and home building in the last 10 years.
Tomtom, post:13176 schrieb:
Hello, I can only say stay away from prefab houses. Their advantage is that the costs initially seem transparent, but here, too, the contract is signed first and then selections are made (changes can add quite a bit to the price). Prefab houses have improved greatly in quality in recent years, but they still don’t match the lasting value of a solidly built house. To be fair, some solid construction methods have faced challenges since the Energy Saving Ordinance was introduced. For example, the popular brick construction method struggles to meet the required standards and has issues with airtight building envelopes (mold topic: clay absorbs moisture more than it releases, and once a brick is saturated, you can grow mushrooms in it). Aerated concrete fails on poor sound insulation and inadequate thermal mass (both require weight, no matter how they calculate it nicely). Today there are systems combining different positive features like vapor permeability, sound insulation, thermal mass, and insulation. I built in 1998 with wood-chip formwork blocks and can only say the living quality is great—cool in summer and, especially, not so humid indoors; warm in winter. Mine was a kit house; recently, the same company also offers a solid prefab house built with the same system but prefabricated in the factory and erected within 5 days including interior and exterior plaster, windows, and electrical installations. I linked the company on my homepage because they are really good and especially reliable in handling the process. I can only recommend them. Getting informed costs nothing. Regards, Tomtom
Hello emrahx99,
have you ever considered working with an experienced architect to "recreate" the Huf Haus?
It’s difficult to build it as a solid structure, especially in areas with mostly glass, since you need a supporting framework.
There are quite a few regional factors involved. For example, I recently had a timber frame kit constructed by a smaller carpentry company and was surprised at how much flexibility there was.
Complying with energy efficiency regulations should ultimately be in the best interest of the homeowner, as incentive programs from organizations like KfW and BAFA, among others, are not offered without reason. Over the building’s lifecycle, operating costs will become increasingly important, especially in the next 10 years.
Best regards
have you ever considered working with an experienced architect to "recreate" the Huf Haus?
It’s difficult to build it as a solid structure, especially in areas with mostly glass, since you need a supporting framework.
There are quite a few regional factors involved. For example, I recently had a timber frame kit constructed by a smaller carpentry company and was surprised at how much flexibility there was.
Complying with energy efficiency regulations should ultimately be in the best interest of the homeowner, as incentive programs from organizations like KfW and BAFA, among others, are not offered without reason. Over the building’s lifecycle, operating costs will become increasingly important, especially in the next 10 years.
Best regards
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