ᐅ Prefab house or traditional brick-and-mortar house: which construction company to choose?
Created on: 20 Dec 2012 19:33
B
Bari
Good evening everyone,
My girlfriend and I are expecting our first child in May and need—or rather want—to move out of our rental apartment quickly, as it unfortunately lacks a room for a child. So we have been considering building a house, but we still have some questions.
Let me start with what we have in mind:
- The house should be around 120 to 180 sq meters (1300 to 1900 sq ft), more or less.
- A basement is a must.
- Double garage or garage plus possibly a carport.
- We are still undecided between 1½ or 2 stories.
- Plot size at least 500 sq meters (5400 sq ft).
- ...
- ... (Surely there’s something important we forgot)
Prefab house or masonry/concrete house—what are the exact pros and cons?
Price should not exceed 350,000 euros including the land (own capital is available).
I would be happy to receive plenty of answers!
Best regards
Bari
My girlfriend and I are expecting our first child in May and need—or rather want—to move out of our rental apartment quickly, as it unfortunately lacks a room for a child. So we have been considering building a house, but we still have some questions.
Let me start with what we have in mind:
- The house should be around 120 to 180 sq meters (1300 to 1900 sq ft), more or less.
- A basement is a must.
- Double garage or garage plus possibly a carport.
- We are still undecided between 1½ or 2 stories.
- Plot size at least 500 sq meters (5400 sq ft).
- ...
- ... (Surely there’s something important we forgot)
Prefab house or masonry/concrete house—what are the exact pros and cons?
Price should not exceed 350,000 euros including the land (own capital is available).
I would be happy to receive plenty of answers!
Best regards
Bari
Hello,
120 and 180 square meters (1,292 and 1,938 square feet) is quite a big difference.
OK, if there is no basement, then naturally the house will be correspondingly larger. But of course, that also costs more.
€40,000 for a basement – to be fair, you have to deduct the costs for the foundation slab – so that relativizes the price a bit. We find it practical when the building services (heat pump, fuse box, controlled ventilation system, washer/dryer, etc.) are located in the basement, along with a future hobby room with storage space and a small guest room/office. We have a sloped plot, and in two basement rooms there are also nice large windows with natural daylight.
Regarding prefabricated houses (timber frame and the like) or solid construction (brick or block walls): just try using the search function – you will get a lot of input.
And: no building method has only advantages. You have to weigh everything carefully and then decide. Also: prefabricated houses are by no means cheaper... By the way, we have a prefabricated house.
I hope I was able to help a bit.
Best regards...
120 and 180 square meters (1,292 and 1,938 square feet) is quite a big difference.
OK, if there is no basement, then naturally the house will be correspondingly larger. But of course, that also costs more.
€40,000 for a basement – to be fair, you have to deduct the costs for the foundation slab – so that relativizes the price a bit. We find it practical when the building services (heat pump, fuse box, controlled ventilation system, washer/dryer, etc.) are located in the basement, along with a future hobby room with storage space and a small guest room/office. We have a sloped plot, and in two basement rooms there are also nice large windows with natural daylight.
Regarding prefabricated houses (timber frame and the like) or solid construction (brick or block walls): just try using the search function – you will get a lot of input.
And: no building method has only advantages. You have to weigh everything carefully and then decide. Also: prefabricated houses are by no means cheaper... By the way, we have a prefabricated house.
I hope I was able to help a bit.
Best regards...
Any tips?
Get a soil survey done before finalizing the financing.
Keep around 30,000 in cash as a reserve.
If possible, request fixed-price quotes (earthworks, foundation slab, garage).
Check the construction contract carefully.
Have the scope of work reviewed externally to see if any costly items are missing.
Reduce expectations.
And you can’t fully protect yourself against everything anyway, so that’s why you need the reserve.
Get a soil survey done before finalizing the financing.
Keep around 30,000 in cash as a reserve.
If possible, request fixed-price quotes (earthworks, foundation slab, garage).
Check the construction contract carefully.
Have the scope of work reviewed externally to see if any costly items are missing.
Reduce expectations.
And you can’t fully protect yourself against everything anyway, so that’s why you need the reserve.
Hello,
just try googling the name – that always helps.
The website doesn’t seem very professional either... The link to the construction service description from 2011 doesn’t work for me. And KfW85 just meets the minimum requirements of the 2009 Energy Saving Ordinance.
You can definitely protect yourself against the risk of the manufacturer going bankrupt. In our case, 90% of the payment was due only after completion, with the remaining 10% after acceptance. Some providers also offer insurance.
However, the risk is surely lower with a company that has been operating for years or decades and has built thousands of houses, compared to completely unknown firms or general contractors.
Best regards...
just try googling the name – that always helps.
The website doesn’t seem very professional either... The link to the construction service description from 2011 doesn’t work for me. And KfW85 just meets the minimum requirements of the 2009 Energy Saving Ordinance.
You can definitely protect yourself against the risk of the manufacturer going bankrupt. In our case, 90% of the payment was due only after completion, with the remaining 10% after acceptance. Some providers also offer insurance.
However, the risk is surely lower with a company that has been operating for years or decades and has built thousands of houses, compared to completely unknown firms or general contractors.
Best regards...
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