ᐅ Solid Construction or Prefabricated House? Semi-Detached Home, Approx. 160 sqm, Pros and Cons
Created on: 3 Jan 2023 16:13
G
GDWE2023
Hello everyone,
Sometimes you find a needle in a haystack, and just before Christmas we signed for a plot of land (334 sqm [3598 sq ft]) near Frankfurt.
Beforehand, we researched what could be built and the approximate price range to avoid later realizing we had taken on too much.
Here is what we are allowed or want to build:
- Semi-detached house
- Building envelope 8.5 x 12 m (28 x 39 ft)
- Up to 2 full stories plus attic conversion
- Maximum 120 sqm (1292 sq ft) of built-up area on the plot
The main question now is whether to build with solid construction or timber frame. At first, I strongly lean toward solid for its long-term value retention, but we have also visited some prefab house manufacturers who sounded interesting. Of course, everyone wants to recommend their own product and criticize the other, so I’m asking the community: what influenced your choice? Did you experience any problems? What should you pay attention to? How does the actual value retention of the different house types fare at resale? What factors should be considered in the decision-making process?
In terms of price, there is not much difference anymore. We have now received ballpark figures for turnkey solid construction (excluding foundation and walls) at 2500-3000 euros per sqm (232-279 USD per sq ft) and prefab houses at 2500-3500 euros per sqm (232-325 USD per sq ft). Of course, these prices come with the caveat that not all include the same features, and you can’t really compare “all-in” offers with more basic ones.
Thank you for sharing your collective knowledge! 🙂
Sometimes you find a needle in a haystack, and just before Christmas we signed for a plot of land (334 sqm [3598 sq ft]) near Frankfurt.
Beforehand, we researched what could be built and the approximate price range to avoid later realizing we had taken on too much.
Here is what we are allowed or want to build:
- Semi-detached house
- Building envelope 8.5 x 12 m (28 x 39 ft)
- Up to 2 full stories plus attic conversion
- Maximum 120 sqm (1292 sq ft) of built-up area on the plot
The main question now is whether to build with solid construction or timber frame. At first, I strongly lean toward solid for its long-term value retention, but we have also visited some prefab house manufacturers who sounded interesting. Of course, everyone wants to recommend their own product and criticize the other, so I’m asking the community: what influenced your choice? Did you experience any problems? What should you pay attention to? How does the actual value retention of the different house types fare at resale? What factors should be considered in the decision-making process?
In terms of price, there is not much difference anymore. We have now received ballpark figures for turnkey solid construction (excluding foundation and walls) at 2500-3000 euros per sqm (232-279 USD per sq ft) and prefab houses at 2500-3500 euros per sqm (232-325 USD per sq ft). Of course, these prices come with the caveat that not all include the same features, and you can’t really compare “all-in” offers with more basic ones.
Thank you for sharing your collective knowledge! 🙂
i_b_n_a_n schrieb:
I can only speak from my own experience, and based on that, I can confirm the feeling mentioned above. Objectively, it’s certainly like comparing apples and oranges. But subjectively, it is noticeable. That may be true, but it doesn’t change the fact that @Kalibri quoted a platitude that gets recycled during every slow news period by sources like the baking flower, pharmacy review, and tabloid newspapers: the myth of climatically comfortable and uncomfortable houses compared to the so-called winner, the somehow wooden house. Without a scientifically sound basis, meaning “generally” without describing the experimental setup in detail (even if only differentiating between controlled residential ventilation, radiator and underfloor heating, clay or synthetic resin plasters, etc.). Simply following the motto: “Whoever talks nonsense is sure to get the approval of the majority” :-(
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
WilderSueden schrieb:
I consider it a myth that with a prefab builder you only get floor plans from a catalog. Most are happy to take your money and build your design, as long as it is physically feasible. After more than two years in this forum, I would, however, seriously question whether it is a good idea for the client to come with their own design and just expect it to be built as is. Floor plans are a complex topic, but you can find help in the relevant subforum.
For special requests regarding the type of construction or certain owner-performed work, it might also make sense to consider building with an architect and awarding contracts individually instead of using a general contractor (whether modular or traditional). Removing trades one by one from a general contractor isn’t necessarily the most cost-effective way to build. And if, for example, you plan to do the electrical work yourself, a prefab house usually only makes sense with an installation level included. We have since visited several prefab builders, and almost always, they just showed us their catalog and adjusted an existing house design to come close to our plans. Our plans come from an architect, by the way. Basically, we are not insisting on this exact floor plan... if there are improvement suggestions (nobody is infallible) or if we have overlooked something, those are highly welcome.
Construction execution is another matter. We have a lot of family support and many capable hands, but I think it is simply too complex for us, as office workers, to handle coordination and awarding contracts individually in a meaningful way. Simply put: I don’t really trust ourselves to manage it and have great respect for all the work involved… we both work full-time with children :/ So we are leaning more toward having one person take charge.
W
WilderSueden6 Jan 2023 13:01Single contracting does not mean that you, as the client, also take on the role of site manager. That is left to a professional. The point is this: with a general contractor (GC), you have a contract with the GC along with a project specification. You do not have contracts with the individual tradespeople; everything goes through the GC. If you want to make changes, you do so based on the GC’s price proposals. If the GC decides that you only get a credit of €5000 (about $5400) for doing work yourself, that’s your problem. In contrast, with single contracting, you have a tender process (prepared together with the architect), and you, as the client, sign contracts directly with the tradespeople. You pay each trade exactly what the tradesperson asks, and you can specify exactly what you want. If a relative takes on a trade, this is much easier to manage.
We are building with a GC, but for the next house, I would choose single contracting. The main reason is communication, because my GC is not good at it. Since everything goes through the GC, I constantly have to chase down all information. Also, with single contracting, you see the individual prices and can better decide whether certain things are worth the money. Next time, I want a site manager who represents only my interests and does not overlook poorly executed masonry work and horizontal chases.
We are building with a GC, but for the next house, I would choose single contracting. The main reason is communication, because my GC is not good at it. Since everything goes through the GC, I constantly have to chase down all information. Also, with single contracting, you see the individual prices and can better decide whether certain things are worth the money. Next time, I want a site manager who represents only my interests and does not overlook poorly executed masonry work and horizontal chases.
WilderSueden schrieb:
We are building with a general contractor (GC), but for the next house I would go with direct contracting. The main reason is communication, because my GC is not good at it. Since everything goes through the GC, I constantly have to chase after information. Also, with direct contracting you see the individual prices, which makes it easier to decide if certain things are worth the money. Next time, I also want a site manager who represents only my interests and doesn’t overlook poorly executed masonry work and horizontal chases. I fully agree! That’s exactly my experience!
GDWE2023 schrieb:
We have visited several prefabricated home builders by now, and almost always they just gave us a catalog and adjusted an existing house to fit our plans. By the way, our plans come from an architect. However, we are not strictly fixed on this floor plan… if there are suggestions for improvement (no one is infallible) or something we have not considered, highly welcome. I already suggested that you should show the design. The label "self-paid architect" alone does not guarantee anything; this forum community usually finds suggestions for improvement (which one does not have to accept all). Many general contractors for masonry construction don’t have their own catalogs and therefore like to build "custom," which also has its drawbacks. Prefabricated home manufacturers tend to be larger and operate their processes more industrially, but unfortunately, they are increasingly moving away from well-composed standard model portfolios. For duplex houses, I often recommend requesting quotes not only from general contractors but also from timber frame builders, as this type of building is usually their specialty.
WilderSueden schrieb:
With individual contracts, you have a tender (prepared with the architect), and as the client, you sign contracts directly with the tradespeople. [...] Also, with individual contracts, you can see the itemized prices and better consider whether certain things are worth the cost. This is an important point: the success of the contracting process depends heavily on the quality of the tender documents. However, I would never conclude that Mercedes offers poor value for money on a horn just because its individual price is higher than an Opel’s, even though it’s basically the same simple component. Both vehicles were purchased as a complete system at a total price. Although I am usually not a fan of the balanced scorecard approach, when building with a general contractor, this concept has its advantages.
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