ᐅ Manufactured wood house providers for single-family homes in Lower Saxony

Ben3001 schrieb:

We (a family of four) are planning to build a 180sqm (1,938 sq ft) single-family house with two full stories plus a basement in Lower Saxony on a flat 650sqm (7,000 sq ft) plot.

If the land is truly flat, why a basement?

Ben3001 schrieb:

Wolf, Isowood, and Büdenbender appealed to us quite well (criteria were mainly wall construction, company size, and solid financials). The selection is probably somewhat arbitrary though. We would be interested in more comparable or alternative providers in our price range to request quotes from.

I was recently involved with Holzer Danhaus and Poggenburg near Bremen. But what do you hope to gain by increasing the number of candidates if the selection is arbitrary (I do not agree that it is “somewhat” arbitrary)?
More than three options of the same type make sense only in special cases—not here. Around five providers in total are sufficient, pairing Holzer and Steiner together. Given your desire for (full?) brick cladding, I would have excluded Steiner last. There are several posts explaining my recommended approach (search terms “dough resting” / “setting the course”). At this late stage, however, I no longer take on new mandates, so you will have to continue on your own or with another consultant (Beuler or Freyermuth; Zink makes little sense in Lower Saxony). Good luck!

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

Thank you for your assessment!

11ant schrieb:

If it is really level, then why have a basement?

For cost reasons. Building 1 square meter (10.8 square feet) of basement costs us about 1,250€ (around $1,330), while 1 square meter (10.8 square feet) above ground is about three times as expensive. We don’t plan to use the basement as living space but for sports, music, and hobbies.

11ant schrieb:

Recently near Bremen, I worked with Holzer Danhaus and Poggenburg. But what do you hope to achieve by increasing the number of candidates if the selection is arbitrary (I don’t agree with the “somewhat” comment)? More than three of the same type only make sense in special cases—not here. Overall, about half a dozen, but Holzer and Steiner together. Since you want a (full) brick veneer, I would have left Steiner out last. You can find my recommendations on how to proceed in several posts (search terms “Teigruhe” / “Weichenstellung”). At this late stage, however, I no longer take mandates, so you will have to continue on your own or with another consultant (Beuler or Freyermuth, Zink makes little sense in Lower Saxony). Good luck!

Sorry, I wasn’t clear. I don’t want to increase the number but rather select the “right” three timber and masonry builders and avoid just arbitrarily requesting three bids. As a layperson, I can only narrow down objectively based on “builds in my region,” “clearly over or under my budget,” and “has a solid wall structure according to their website.” I was advised by the architect to keep distance from the very large companies because building according to one’s own plan or layout apparently works poorly there. That’s why I focused more on medium-sized companies. With smaller providers (less than 100 homes per year), I’m concerned about bankruptcy risk, although this risk is never completely eliminated, even with larger companies.

Thank you very much for the feedback!

ypg schrieb:

Actually, there are plenty of people building houses. Maybe consider contacting a timber construction company as well?

That’s exactly my problem. It feels like there are too many.

ypg schrieb:

Hmm, I would say that argument is outdated by about 10 years. I question the environmental balance.

Thanks for your assessment. I guess I need to do some more reading. My understanding was that the CO2 emissions from production/cement manufacturing and the energy-intensive disposal speak against masonry houses. I mentioned insulation values because last year I inquired with some masonry builders about whether QNG funding is possible for a house with a basement, which was categorically denied (Viebrockhaus and Kern-Haus). With timber houses, the statement was that the better environmental balance of the wooden house compensates for the “climate sin” of the concrete basement.

ypg schrieb:

Well, a heavy rain during the scheduled appointment is enough, and the walls are soaked through.

Again, that was the case!

ypg schrieb:

Sympathy point for you, even though this is exactly the biggest shortcoming of a homebuilder -> the fixed preliminary planning that can no longer be changed.

I hope we won’t have to make any fundamental changes after all the planning! Does that happen often?

Ben3001 schrieb:

1 sqm of basement costs us about €1,250, 1 sqm

That sounds accurate for a purely utility basement.

Ben3001 schrieb:

not as a living basement but for sports, music

However, for that kind of use, I don’t see the price mentioned earlier. In a sports room, proper ventilation is essential, possibly even automatic ventilation. The often reduced ceiling heights in basements don’t always suit sports activities (e.g., treadmill). Heating is also an issue. You can use a portable heater, but it consumes a lot of electricity, and the walls still radiate cold. I don’t find this very comfortable for sports or music.

Ben3001 schrieb:

For cost reasons. One square meter of basement costs us about 1,250€ (approximately $1,350), while one square meter upstairs costs about three times as much. We do not plan to use the basement as living space but rather for sports, music, and hobbies.

That’s nonsense – a more accurate statement is:

hanse987 schrieb:

For a purely utility basement, that is correct.

The standard of the finish determines the price; there is no discount for the underground location. You can also hang a surface-mounted pit lamp from an unfinished ceiling in above-ground rooms (pun intended).

Ben3001 schrieb:

Sorry, I expressed myself unclearly. I did not want to increase the number but rather find the “right” three timber and masonry builders and avoid arbitrarily requesting any three quotes. As a layperson, I can only narrow down the selection objectively by “builds in my region,” “clearly over or under my budget,” and “has a solid wall construction according to the website.”

But you have already requested quotes from the three timber builders, with a preliminary design (probably because my house building schedule is not yet required reading at German construction schools). That was unwise, and at this stage, I at least no longer take on such mandates, or only with a significant fee for the trouble. Therefore, I see two most straightforward options for you: A. Repeat the process, but this time with a fourth timber builder and two masonry builders. Then you can hopefully decide which timber builder to eliminate and have two masonry builders as “test candidates” to see if the offers are similar when changing the construction method. Or B. You consult one of my colleagues who specialize in timber construction (Beuler aka prefab house expert or Freyermuth aka prefab house guide—sending you from Lower Saxony to Bavaria to colleague Zink would be pointless) and have them evaluate the quotes you currently have.

Ben3001 schrieb:

The architect advised me to avoid the very large companies because building according to one’s own plan or layout doesn’t work well with them. That’s why I focused more on medium-sized companies.

In the end, that advice is correct, although the reasoning is pure small-town gossip.

Ben3001 schrieb:

I’d be worried about insolvency risk with smaller providers (<100 houses per year), although you’re not entirely safe from that with bigger providers either.

Economist Wolfgang Grupp Sr. says (paraphrased) that failures are recognizable by the lack of owner liability. The best general contractors (GCs) are owner-managed and build roughly as many houses with roughly as many permanent employees as the number of weeks in a year—that applies regardless of the construction method. I approach small carpentry shops cautiously because, in my opinion, they are operationally (not to be confused with product quality!) stuck at the level their nationally known competitors were half a century ago. If you want your wall construction “designed by a pharmacist for pharmaceutical preparations,” only they are the right choice; from there, you must forget the big names. Your suitable GC may have about 30 in-house employees as a timber builder and up to 250 if also working as a masonry builder (if also acting as a general contractor).

hanse987 schrieb:

But regarding the intended use, I don’t see the stated price. In a sports room, you should be able to ventilate properly, possibly even automatically. The often reduced ceiling heights in basements don’t always suit sports use (e.g., treadmill). Heating is also an issue. You can put in a space heater, but it consumes a lot of electricity, and then the walls still radiate cold. I don’t find that very comfortable for sports or music.

I’m not familiar with drums and electric guitars; pianos and string instruments prefer a regulated climate. Also, when doing sports, you should get sweaty from the “work” itself; as mentioned, a controlled mechanical ventilation system is no cheaper in the basement.

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

Ben3001 schrieb:

1 sqm of basement costs us about 1,250€ (1,250 EUR), 1 sqm upstairs about 3 times as much.

Where do these figures come from?
I now tend to estimate basement costs closer to, and often higher than, the cost of living space.
At 1,250€ (1,250 EUR), that is a bare basement with a height of 2.10 meters (7 feet) without plaster, electrical wiring, or heating – basically just a crawl space basement. Possibly even without stairs, which would need upgrading.
Due to the lack of ventilation options and healthy climate, I definitely wouldn’t do sports there, nor store a musical instrument – it would either warp or rust/oxidize because of the climate. I also don’t see it suitable for crafts or sewing.

Ben3001 schrieb:

not as a living basement but for sports, music, and crafts

If that does not justify a finished basement, then I don’t know what would.