ᐅ Prefab house provider with electrical installation as a self-performed task

Hello dear friends of quality homebuilding,

we would like to do the electrical installation with KNX in our future house ourselves (we have experience) and are now considering possibly choosing a prefabricated house (timber frame construction). Our favorite so far has been Okal Haus because many of our wishes are already included in their standard offerings and the quality is good. However, Okal Haus is somewhat reluctant when it comes to allowing the electrical installation to be done by the owner. Therefore, we are looking for alternatives.

Who can you recommend that is similar to Okal Haus but allows owner-performed electrical installation? Our current alternative is Streif Haus.

Thank you and have a nice weekend

The key to electronics lies in the planning and wiring, not just in pulling cables. For a prefab house manufacturer—unless you are going for a full self-build shell house—electrical work is generally not a suitable DIY trade to handle entirely on your own. It also tends to be more complicated in terms of warranty. However, home automation is something that should already be understood by the shell contractor. In this regard, neither of the two brands mentioned seem to me to offer the appropriate level of innovation.

My basic advice, not to demand a “red house” from a “white mason” (or vice versa), applies in a similar way to fittings and finishes: do not force the builder out of their usual workflow, or you risk effectively introducing defects.

Peter L. schrieb:
Who would you recommend that is similar to Okal Haus, [...] Our current alternative is Streif Haus.

I would put these two in the same category as well, although neither really stands for “innovation.”

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

I would have an installation cavity created by the prefab house provider. Keep in mind that otherwise you will encounter many beams, etc., and depending on the wall construction, you might damage the thermal envelope. At the ceiling, depending on the room size, there will likely be many closely spaced support beams. Trying to pull that many cables through all that timber framing on your own is quite ambitious. It would be much easier with an installation cavity. The only question is whether you would still save a significant amount compared to a standard prefab house with electrical installation from the manufacturer.

Traumfaenger schrieb:
I would have an installation layer created by the prefabricated house supplier. You must not forget that without it you will encounter many beams, etc., and depending on the wall construction, you might damage the thermal envelope [...]

Yes, practically you would have to do your own wiring work during the house manufacturer’s production without this layer. I wouldn’t be keen on that either if I were in their place.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:
My basic advice is not to expect a mason who works with white bricks to build a red brick house (or vice versa). The same applies to fittings: don’t disrupt the builder’s usual methods, or you risk creating defects.

I believe 11ant expressed this very well. It’s a very important point, and I neglected to think more carefully about the wall construction. I had viewed it from the perspective of solid masonry and mistakenly equated it with timber frame construction. I was aware that it is done somewhat differently and wanted to first check whether the suppliers would even go along with it.
Thanks to you, I’ve now become a bit wiser and can understand why the suppliers are reluctant. At the same time, it is quite disappointing that I didn’t get this information directly from the manufacturer. They only argued about losing the entire(!) warranty or similar consequences.

Thank you for the quick and very professional assistance.

We built with Büdenbender and did exactly as you are planning: performing the electrical work ourselves. There were no issues at all. During the equipment consultation, I provided all the necessary information (sockets, outlets, etc.). These were routed exactly as specified and, where needed, directly equipped with empty conduits and pull wires (walls). We installed everything in the ceiling and floor.