ᐅ Prefabricated house – yes or no?

Why should a solid construction receive an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS)? Ours won’t have one, and the energy calculation report confirms that the house easily meets the standards. No problem at all. Wall structure is Ytong plus plaster. Finished.

@Nordlys:

Nordlys schrieb:
Why would a solid wall construction get an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS)?

Please help me understand, is ETICS a rare exception for solid wall buildings?

I think so, yes. At least in northern Germany. People here mostly build with Ytong blocks; I’d say 7 out of 10 have brick cladding, while the others use plaster render. I only see expanded polystyrene insulation used for retrofitting older buildings.

ypg schrieb:
That’s right

You can’t really talk about advantages of one side when the other has the same advantage.
I wrote earlier that every choice has its own advantages, but this depends on the individual builder to decide.

By the way, I’m only providing neutral information; what the reader makes of it is up to them.

Alright, then we have that cleared up now.

I assume that solid walls with external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) are also being used, which allows for thinner walls to achieve the same insulation value. If you build without insulation, meaning monolithic construction, thicker bricks are needed to reach the same values. However, I am not sure in the end whether the wall thicknesses end up being thinner or thicker.

I agree with what many have already said: every construction method has its advantages and disadvantages, and you need to consider what matters to you and what you prefer.

The wall thicknesses are probably very similar. We chose sand-lime brick because it is significantly more stable and has greater compressive strength, which should result in fewer settlement cracks (by the way, we haven’t experienced any after 3 years). It also offers advantages in sound insulation and mounting options. The room temperature tends to be more constant because a large mass can absorb a lot of heat or energy (in summer) and store it. This can be a disadvantage during extended heat waves in summer, but so far it has never felt uncomfortably warm. In winter, this is generally an advantage. Our heating once malfunctioned, and we didn’t notice it for a whole day — only when the shower water stayed cold did we realize. Until then, the room temperature had only dropped by less than 2°C (3.6°F). In other words, if the heating fails temporarily, you don’t freeze right away.

From what we were told, it is easier to meet KfW standards with a prefabricated house; however, if the heating fails, the house also cools down very quickly (which can of course be an advantage in summer, as the house can cool down faster at night).