ᐅ Prefabricated Basement – Direct Contracting Instead of General Contractor
Created on: 24 Apr 2021 14:10
R
rdwlnts
We are planning to manage the basement construction ourselves and would like to prepare for further planning with the basement builder. Who has experience with this? What information does the basement builder usually request? Have you done the electrical planning yourselves and passed it on to the basement builder, or did you involve your electrician? Is it sufficient for the basement builder to have the locations of the power outlets, heating connection points, network sockets, and switches?
Additionally, I am wondering why our general contractor (GC) typically covers the finished basement walls with Rigitherm (a sandwich panel made of drywall and insulation). At least the living areas in the basement are finished this way, while the hallways are covered with drywall only. The electrical installation is then hidden behind these panels instead of being embedded in concrete. Although this saves on drilling and chasing into the concrete and provides some flexibility over a longer period, it doesn't seem very common. I haven’t found much information about this online. Is such wall cladding really necessary in a KfW40+ house with 20cm (8 inches) perimeter insulation? What do your concrete basements look like?
Additionally, I am wondering why our general contractor (GC) typically covers the finished basement walls with Rigitherm (a sandwich panel made of drywall and insulation). At least the living areas in the basement are finished this way, while the hallways are covered with drywall only. The electrical installation is then hidden behind these panels instead of being embedded in concrete. Although this saves on drilling and chasing into the concrete and provides some flexibility over a longer period, it doesn't seem very common. I haven’t found much information about this online. Is such wall cladding really necessary in a KfW40+ house with 20cm (8 inches) perimeter insulation? What do your concrete basements look like?
We are also building with a prefabricated basement using individual contracts – there is certainly some risk involved when subcontracting certain trades individually, but as the Russian saying goes, "no pain, no gain."
I don’t see the need for boarding – chasing (cutting channels) is also unnecessary (and generally not allowed in concrete walls, as structural engineers tend to react strongly). There are very good electrical installation systems for precast concrete elements where all conduits, boxes, and other connectors are already integrated. Although these systems are not inexpensive, they are probably still more cost-effective than boarding.
By the way, these systems are also designed for ceilings, although we ultimately chose a suspended ceiling there because quite a lot of "stuff" accumulates in that space. For example, to integrate ventilation ducts into reinforced concrete without issues, you have to adjust the slab thickness. With proper execution, a suspended ceiling also allows you to optimize room acoustics accordingly.
But keep in mind that you should plan all wall and ceiling openings for installations (potable/drainage water, ventilation, connection to the ground floor) as early as possible.
Whether everything will work out remains to be seen for us, so for now, it’s all theoretical… 😉
I don’t see the need for boarding – chasing (cutting channels) is also unnecessary (and generally not allowed in concrete walls, as structural engineers tend to react strongly). There are very good electrical installation systems for precast concrete elements where all conduits, boxes, and other connectors are already integrated. Although these systems are not inexpensive, they are probably still more cost-effective than boarding.
By the way, these systems are also designed for ceilings, although we ultimately chose a suspended ceiling there because quite a lot of "stuff" accumulates in that space. For example, to integrate ventilation ducts into reinforced concrete without issues, you have to adjust the slab thickness. With proper execution, a suspended ceiling also allows you to optimize room acoustics accordingly.
But keep in mind that you should plan all wall and ceiling openings for installations (potable/drainage water, ventilation, connection to the ground floor) as early as possible.
Whether everything will work out remains to be seen for us, so for now, it’s all theoretical… 😉
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