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.
H
Hippo198415 Dec 2017 10:36So, we worked with an architect to design a floor plan and then adapted it to the plot. With the floor plan and the features we wanted, we approached various home builders and requested quotes. This included prefabricated house manufacturers such as Weberhaus and Fingerhaus, as well as Helma, a large company specializing in solid construction, and three smaller local building companies. Our architect then analyzed all the offers in detail and made them comparable, looking at factors such as additional charges, what some companies included in the price, and extra costs we might face because the construction and service specifications provided limited information.
The contract was awarded to a smaller regional builder who constructs solid masonry homes.
The prefabricated house companies were much more expensive or did not provide a price at all because our budget was too low.
And yes, our budget was fully met by the smaller regional builders.
The contract was awarded to a smaller regional builder who constructs solid masonry homes.
The prefabricated house companies were much more expensive or did not provide a price at all because our budget was too low.
And yes, our budget was fully met by the smaller regional builders.
A
Arian8826024 Aug 2019 12:22AnNaHF79 schrieb:
Unfortunately not, but we’re also not under extreme time pressure... Finding land won’t be an easy task here, that’s clear to us, but continuing to work on the house itself on the side shouldn’t hurt... all the decisions will take their time anyway... Hello AnNa,
I find your inquiry very interesting because it exactly reflects what we have in mind.
I would be curious to know what you ultimately decided on.
Many thanks in advance for all the tips here that have helped me a lot.
A
Arian8826024 Aug 2019 12:26Hippo1984 schrieb:
So, we had a floor plan designed by an architect and then adapted it to the plot. With the floor plan and the specifications we wanted, we contacted several home builders to request quotes. Among them were prefab house manufacturers like Weberhaus and Fingerhaus, as well as Helma, a large solid construction company, and three smaller local builders. Our architect then thoroughly analyzed all the offers in detail and made them comparable, for example by identifying additional charges—some companies included these in their price, others would incur extra costs because the construction and service descriptions provided limited information.
The contract was awarded to a smaller regional builder who constructs solid masonry, brick by brick.
The prefab companies were much more expensive or did not provide a price at all, as our budget expectations were too low for them.
And yes, our budget expectations were fully met by the smaller local builders.Hello,
may I ask how much you paid for the architect’s services?
H
Hippo198425 Aug 2019 22:31Arian88260 schrieb:
Hello,
may I ask how much you paid for the architect services?We paid about 3000€
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