ᐅ Solid prefabricated house or developer-built home – experiences?
Created on: 26 Dec 2016 11:53
A
AnNaHF79
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.
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.
Nordlys schrieb:
I know master builders; they are also present here. Essentially, it is an association of medium-sized construction companies—master builders—who have jointly designed and calculated several house types that can then be customized, and they now offer these. In practice, you build a nationally tested house with a local company. Friends of ours live in one of these and have been very satisfied with the construction process and quality. KarstenThank you very much for your feedback.
That’s exactly how I understood it, so at least I wasn’t completely off base.
I think the concept offers a good compromise given our requirements.
11ant schrieb:
Mittlerweile ist ...Very, very good feedback that makes complete sense.
It also sounds like the approach we have in mind is quite acceptable, and reaching out to companies like Bauhaus, Viebrockhaus, etc., is not unreasonable given what we want.
The question we have is:
Which criteria should be used to choose the right solid or masonry house builder? There are various reviews, but how reliable they are is questionable—for example, Focus Money, which in my opinion is not a specialist magazine for this topic and probably only offers a rough guideline.
Any tips on how to identify the best option here?
By the way, we are from the Stuttgart/Calw region.
AnNaHF79 schrieb:
The question for us is: What criteria should you use to choose the right solid house builder? There are various tests available, but how meaningful they are is questionable... for example, from Focus Money, which in my opinion is not a specialized magazine on this topic and therefore probably only provides a rough orientation.That’s more like general confusion; you can’t really take anything from that. Eighty percent of the builders don’t even know about those tests. Water boils at 100 degrees, that’s the same nationwide. In house construction, you can’t reinvent the wheel; you can only do it properly or not. Nationwide companies manage to achieve some decent coverage, but a “mid-sized” builder can only offer their houses competitively within their own region. Reading about a provider based in Dortmund when you’re in Nuremberg won’t help at all — that’s why comparisons usually involve just the “global players.” Whether Häberle or Pfleiderer is better for you, you’ll only see locally. Their references (or scandals) are there, and people say either “solid guy” or “shady character.” Look at that, nothing else helps. The references and the company itself. If you want to save time, start with the one with the worst website; often those are the most reliable craftsmen.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Don’t take this the wrong way, but that doesn’t really help much; I’ve already mentioned myself that the test can only provide a rough orientation.
The question is, how do you find good local providers and what criteria distinguish the good from the bad?
There should be at least some point of contact, right?
Hopefully, a poor website is not the only decision-making criterion.
Maybe someone can recommend something in the Stuttgart area; the feedback so far suggests that companies like Bauhaus/Viebrockhaus, etc., tend to work with reputable partners to protect their reputation.
The question is, how do you find good local providers and what criteria distinguish the good from the bad?
There should be at least some point of contact, right?
Hopefully, a poor website is not the only decision-making criterion.
Maybe someone can recommend something in the Stuttgart area; the feedback so far suggests that companies like Bauhaus/Viebrockhaus, etc., tend to work with reputable partners to protect their reputation.
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