ᐅ Solid prefabricated house or developer-built home – experiences?

Hello,

we are still at the very beginning of our building project, but since such an investment needs careful consideration, we want to gather information early on and exchange ideas with experts. We have already researched a lot online, especially here in this forum, and have ordered some of the literature recommended here and elsewhere.

One basic question we are currently considering regarding solid prefabricated houses:
a) Prefabricated house
b) Prefabricated house in solid construction
c) Solid construction (through a developer)

We do not want to build cheaply, but well.
Sustainability is important to us; what we build should last a long time and still be standing in 100 years (in my opinion, a point against a traditional prefabricated house).
Living comfort is equally important; that means good indoor air quality, good sound insulation, etc. (also, in my opinion, a point against a traditional prefabricated house). Energy efficiency matters to us as well.
Healthy living conditions are also a priority.
Above all, we want low risks and minimal effort.

What discourages us about solid construction through a developer is:
The effort involved; we don’t have much desire and especially no time to constantly argue with the developer and the contractors.
We want to award a project and hope that everything then simply runs smoothly – of course, it probably will not be that simple, certain efforts will inevitably arise, but we want to keep these to a minimum. A manageable construction period without major risks would be very welcome.
The fact that prefabricated houses are "tested," having been built multiple times, reduces the risks in our opinion that something fundamental will go wrong.

Based on the above, we wonder if a prefabricated house in solid construction might be the right choice for us, as it combines the best of both worlds?

- Fast construction time
- Low risks due to proven building method (including coordination of building services such as the heating system, etc.)
- Still sustainable if the right materials and construction methods are chosen
- Good insulation
- House can be viewed as a show home beforehand
- Often available with insurances/warranties for maximum security
- etc.

What is your view on this?

If this could be a viable path, the question arises what the right materials and construction methods would be, and which providers might be suitable...

Materials:

- Clay (expanded clay)
- Brick (Unipor/Poroton)
- Aerated concrete (Ytong)
- Clay bricks
- Sand-lime bricks
- “Special stuff” like Duotherm (reinforced concrete?), Klimapor, Ökodomo, etc.

Clay bricks and sand-lime bricks seem to have rather poor thermal insulation.
Clay bricks also tend to absorb water.
Therefore, I would rather exclude these options.

Construction method:
We favor a traditional “brick-on-brick” construction on site, which apparently is also available for prefabricated houses (Hartl?), or at least a construction method based on this that promises sustainability.

Any experiences or tips?

Thank you.

AnNaHF79 schrieb:

Based on the previous statements, we are wondering if a prefabricated house built with solid construction might be the right choice for us since it combines the best of both worlds?

- Fast construction time
- Low risks due to proven building methods (with coordination of building services such as heating systems, etc.)
- Still sustainable if the right materials and construction methods are chosen
- Good insulation
- Model house available to view beforehand
- Often purchasable with insurance/warranties for maximum protection
- and so on.

What do you think?

.

You’ve obviously read too many promotional brochures and are just putting things together on your own. What exactly is sustainable building? Everyone understands that differently. Personally, I would always build with an architect because then I have full control over costs and decisions and get something tailored to my needs. Therefore, these insurances/warranties are often of little value.

AnNaHF79 schrieb:



What puts us off from using a general contractor for a solid construction is the effort involved; we have little desire and especially no time to constantly argue with the general contractor and the tradespeople.

You don’t mean a general contractor (who sells the house and land) but a general subcontractor. A prefab house company also works with individual tradespeople, and you might have to deal with the same kind of issues with them on the construction site as with the tradespeople of your general subcontractor.

Best regards,
Sabine

Curly schrieb:
You mean not a property developer (who sells the house and land) but a general contractor. A prefabricated house company also works with individual tradespeople, and with them you might have to deal with the same issues on the construction site as you would with the subcontractors of your general contractor.

Learned something new again, but I can’t imagine having the same effort with a prefab house for two reasons:
The house is not a one-off and has been built multiple times before; so many aspects have already been tested.
In my opinion, custom builds must inevitably carry a higher risk of problems – which of course doesn’t mean problems have to occur...

And with a prefab house, I would expect that the manufacturer handles most of the process, and I just receive the key when the building is properly finished, and I accept it if I agree with the condition... am I wrong?

You’re mistaken. A prefabricated house is not an off-the-shelf product like a car. You can’t just sign a contract and expect to receive the house defect-free in 10 months.

Also, I don’t understand what you mean by “proven.” Furthermore, your house must fit the plot of land; even the soil conditions can cause problems for a standard modular house like Erika, since the structural design and foundation are based on generic standards. If you want to build, you have to be aware that you will act as the building contractor with the corresponding responsibility for your project. You can’t delegate everything.

In the case of a prefabricated house, the floor plan is usually designed just as individually as with a solid house (although standard versions are often available for the latter). The difference with a prefabricated house is that it consists of prefabricated walls and is assembled in one day. The interior finishing is then carried out in the same way as with a solid house by individual tradespeople. With both options, it is often necessary to be present on the construction site and oversee everything.

Best regards
Sabine