ᐅ Manufactured wood house providers for single-family homes in Lower Saxony
Created on: 12 Feb 2025 17:46
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Ben3001
Hello dear forum members,
We are a family of four planning to build a 180sqm (1,938 sq ft) single-family house with two full floors plus a basement in Lower Saxony, on a flat 650sqm (7,000 sq ft) plot in a new development area, and we are looking for a prefab house company (timber frame, exterior brick). We have had the preliminary design of the house created by an architect. Our budget is about €3,600 per sqm (plus basement and additional costs).
At the moment, we are overwhelmed by the sheer number of providers and their marketing. So far, we have researched mostly small to medium-sized companies. Wolf, Isowood, and Büdenbender have appealed to us quite well (criteria mainly being wall construction, company size, and solid financial standing). However, the selection is probably somewhat arbitrary.
We would be interested in additional comparable or alternative providers in our price range from whom we can request an offer.
Thank you very much for your recommendations and kind regards!
We are a family of four planning to build a 180sqm (1,938 sq ft) single-family house with two full floors plus a basement in Lower Saxony, on a flat 650sqm (7,000 sq ft) plot in a new development area, and we are looking for a prefab house company (timber frame, exterior brick). We have had the preliminary design of the house created by an architect. Our budget is about €3,600 per sqm (plus basement and additional costs).
At the moment, we are overwhelmed by the sheer number of providers and their marketing. So far, we have researched mostly small to medium-sized companies. Wolf, Isowood, and Büdenbender have appealed to us quite well (criteria mainly being wall construction, company size, and solid financial standing). However, the selection is probably somewhat arbitrary.
We would be interested in additional comparable or alternative providers in our price range from whom we can request an offer.
Thank you very much for your recommendations and kind regards!
Thank you for your assessment!
We are planning for a clear height of 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in) in the basement. At the moment, I do strength training in a 3x2 meter (10x6.5 ft) basement storage unit without windows in a rented building. So, my expectations for the comfort of basement rooms are not particularly high. Heating is not much of an issue for exercising, though it is for other activities. Perhaps improved insulation could compensate? Windows are planned. Automatic ventilation is not.
hanse987 schrieb:
But I don’t see the mentioned cost being justified in use. In the fitness room, proper ventilation is important, possibly even automatic ventilation. The often reduced ceiling heights in basements don’t always work well for sports activities (e.g., treadmill). Heating is also an issue. You can put in a fan heater, but that uses a lot of electricity, and the walls still radiate cold. I don’t find that very comfortable for sports or music.
We are planning for a clear height of 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in) in the basement. At the moment, I do strength training in a 3x2 meter (10x6.5 ft) basement storage unit without windows in a rented building. So, my expectations for the comfort of basement rooms are not particularly high. Heating is not much of an issue for exercising, though it is for other activities. Perhaps improved insulation could compensate? Windows are planned. Automatic ventilation is not.
ypg schrieb:
Where do these figures come from?
I’m now estimating the costs for a basement closer to, and often higher than, those for the living area.
At €1250, it’s a bare basement with a height of 2.10 meters (7 feet), without plaster, electrical wiring, or heating. Basically just a raw basement. Possibly even without stairs, which would need to be upgraded.
Due to the lack of ventilation options and healthy climate, I definitely wouldn’t use it for sports, or store a musical instrument because it would warp or rust/oxidize. I also don’t see it as suitable for crafts or sewing.
If that doesn’t justify calling it a habitable basement, I don’t know what does. At the end of 2023, before we contacted the architect, I requested a quote for a basement from one of the major precast basement suppliers. Basic details: 112 m² (1,205 sq ft) with 17 linear meters (56 feet) of internal walls, 4 windows, 2.88 meters (9.4 feet) height in the shell, designed for the load case “permanent water pressure,” waterproof window wells, additional perimeter insulation on the basement exterior walls and beneath the slab. Costs were roughly €115,000, about €1,040/m² (about $97/sq ft). Including stairs and inflation, I arrived at €1,250.
11ant schrieb:
The finish level determines the price; there is no discount for the underground location. You can also hang a surface-mounted wired mine lamp from the unfinished ceiling in above-ground rooms (pun intended). I also find a fully finished basement more comfortable. But if I do 5 hours a week (optimistically) on the treadmill watching some YouTube, I might just be able to live with the surface-mounted wired mine lamp. Expanding the living space upstairs is not really feasible with a floor area ratio of 0.25. Also, I’m not so keen on moving storage and technical rooms above ground.
11ant schrieb:
But you already requested quotes from the three Holzer companies, along with a design plan (probably because my house-building roadmap is still not required reading at German construction schools). That was unwise, and at this stage I personally don’t take on such commissions anymore, at least not without a significant hardship surcharge. Therefore, I see two obvious paths for you: A. Repeat the same process, but with a fourth Holzer and two Steiner companies. This way, you can hopefully decide which Holzer to drop and have two Steiner companies as “comparison candidates” to see if the offers remain similar when changing the construction method. Or B. Go to one of my Holzer-focused colleagues (Beuler aka prefab house expert or Freyermuth aka prefab house guide; in Lower Saxony it would not make sense to send you to colleague Zink in Bavaria) and have them evaluate the offers you have. I first read the roadmap on your blog in 2023. Our “resting period” was perhaps a bit too long at 6 months, but we were/are satisfied with the design result so far. I have not yet submitted any inquiries. That is why I started this thread. I gathered most of my house-building knowledge from Mr. Beuler/Prefab House Expert and am currently following his recommendation: Have architects create a design plan and then request comparable offers from different builders based on that plan, and then have the offers evaluated. So maybe we are not yet at a stage where consulting services can only be purchased at a hardship surcharge?
11ant schrieb:
I’m not familiar with drums and electric guitars, but pianos and string instruments require controlled climate conditions. Also, when exercising you should work up a sweat, and as I said, controlled mechanical ventilation is not cheaper in basements. Organ, piano, and string instruments will remain above ground. The basement is reserved for electric piano and percussion. The climate requirements are less strict there.
11ant schrieb:
If it is really flat, why build a basement?I have to correct myself here. The plot actually has a slight slope of about 20cm (8 inches) across the building footprint, which according to the "11ant basement rule" would lead to comparative savings of around €12,500. In return, you would at least have the underground space heated and usable.Ben3001 schrieb:
Key data: 112m² (1,205 sq ft) with 17 linear meters (56 feet) of interior walls, 4 windows, 2.88m (9.4 ft) ceiling height in the shell construction, designed for the load case "constant hydrostatic pressure," waterproof light wells, additional perimeter insulation on the basement exterior walls and beneath the slab. Costs were roughly €115,000, about €1,040/m² (about $97/sq ft). With stairs and inflation, I ended up at around €1,250/m² (about $117/sq ft). So, without interior finishing?! With internal dimensions of 9x11m (30x36 ft), that means two cross walls dividing the basement into three bare rooms without electrical work, flooring, lighting, or doors.
Ben3001 schrieb:
Key data: 112m2 (1,205 sq ft) with 17 linear meters (56 linear ft) of interior walls, 4 windows, 2.88m (9.4 ft) height in the shell construction, designed for the load case "constantly pressing water," water-tight light wells, additional perimeter insulation on the basement exterior walls and below the slab.Is the basement then inside or outside the thermal envelope? If inside, you need to heat or at least maintain a base temperature in the basement. If outside, does the price already include ceiling insulation between basement and ground floor as well as insulation of the stairwell including an insulated door?Similar topics