ᐅ Prefabricated house – yes or no?

Created on: 20 Jan 2017 13:04

Hello everyone,

I’m new here and have quite a few questions.
I’ve already looked through many threads in this forum (maybe too many :confused 🙂.

My wife and I are considering buying a single-family house due to a growing family and because of my wife’s parents. My requirements are:

House of at least 120m² (1300 sq ft),
at least 4 rooms,
low energy consumption,
with a basement,
(including the plot of land???),
budget: 250,000–300,000

Unfortunately, there is no suitable existing property on the various real estate portals.
That’s why I came across several companies that build prefabricated houses.

My initial questions are:

Is this budget realistic and sufficient for building a house?
What is the difference between conventional houses and prefabricated houses?
Are prefabricated houses significantly lower in quality compared to conventional houses?

I have also read some topics concerning certain prefabricated house manufacturers like Scanhaus Marlow, Allkauf, and others. There are always both negative and positive reviews.

Can the negative reviews be trusted? Can the positive ones?
Should I be prepared to rely on luck regarding which site manager I get?
Are there any prefabricated house manufacturers that are completely trustworthy?
What should I definitely keep in mind when contacting a prefabricated house manufacturer?

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,
Keough

Uwe8230 Jan 2017 09:34

#73

Nordlys schrieb:
So, prefab home manufacturers even advertise the low thermal mass of their walls.

However, this has nothing to do with the thermal transmittance itself. The thermal mass also depends on the materials used. It makes no sense to lump all manufacturers and construction methods together, whether solid or timber-framed construction.

Nordlys schrieb:
You can just open the window to ventilate.

The question is whether you really want to walk through the entire house twice a day opening and closing windows. With three floors, I really wouldn’t feel like doing that, especially if not all rooms are in use yet.
The technology behind a ventilation system is very simple; the only critical components are the fans. It is a comfort feature, I agree with you. We still open the windows from time to time, but I don’t have to if the house is empty for 2-3 weeks.

Caspar202030 Jan 2017 09:38

#74

Nordlys schrieb:
You can just open the window and ventilate

You can; however, in highly energy-efficient houses (whether timber frame or solid construction), it is not that simple anymore and somewhat contradicts the energy-saving concept.

Firstly, the requirements for quick ventilation (shock ventilation) pose a problem for people who are at work during the day; not to mention during vacation periods. Secondly, it makes little sense to have a house meticulously sealed only to waste energy by wide-open windows.

It is much better to use a central mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. The comfort level is excellent.

Peanuts7430 Jan 2017 12:43

#75

Uwe82 schrieb:
That's right, that has proven effective for us as well. I wouldn't build without a mechanical ventilation system in a living space anymore. But you do have to get used to keeping the windows closed more often.

According to our general contractor, you should still air out the bathroom through the windows after a hot shower to remove the steam...
Or sometimes after intense sessions with a handheld massager, it also feels good to ventilate...

Peanuts7430 Jan 2017 13:10

#76

Nordlys schrieb:
Prefabricated home manufacturers even advertise the low thermal mass of the walls. Scanhaus Marlow mentions in their brochure: heats up faster in winter, cools down better overnight in summer. That much is undeniable. It is what it is. If you want that, you get it. If you want the opposite, you have to build with solid construction.

Regarding building services: what isn’t installed can’t break. Keep it as simple as possible. A gas boiler, but only because it’s mandatory where we are! Solar panels for domestic hot water. That would be my advice. Control technology is vulnerable. All those systems for who-knows-what end up making the heating technician happy later on.

You can always just open a window and ventilate.

I already said, this can be an advantage in summer...
I have no intention of generally criticizing prefabricated homes; both have their place.
In the end, when you look at the finished product “house,” I see more advantages for a solidly built house and more disadvantages for a prefabricated home.
That’s why I’m asking for really tangible benefits—not during construction, but for the finished house built as prefabricated or timber frame.

BastianB30 Jan 2017 13:17

#77

Peanuts74 schrieb:
According to our general contractor, after a hot shower you should still ventilate the bathroom through the windows...
Or sometimes after intense vibrator sessions, it’s also good to air out...

Why is that? When I shower, for example, the humidity in our bathroom rises from about 25% to about 35%. What exactly should be ventilated out at that point in terms of humidity?

Uwe8230 Jan 2017 13:18

#78

Peanuts74 schrieb:
According to our general contractor, you should still ventilate the bathroom by opening the windows after a hot shower to let the steam out...

We do that occasionally as well, but it’s not often necessary. After someone has showered, humidity rises above 80%, but it drops below 60% within 30 minutes and returns to normal levels (40-45%) after an hour. This is also one of the advantages of a controlled mechanical ventilation system (in this case with an enthalpy exchanger): you maintain a good indoor humidity level of 40-50%, rather than 30% or lower, which is common in apartments during winter.

ᐅ Prefabricated house – yes or no?

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