ᐅ Swedish Prefabricated Panel House / AB-Elementhus Renovation vs Demolition
Created on: 12 Jun 2019 17:51
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HarvSpec
Hello everyone,
We have purchased a Swedish prefabricated house from the company AB-Elementhus. It features a solid masonry ground floor, on top of which the prefabricated house is built.
Initially, the plan was to completely demolish the house and replace it with a new cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure of the same size.
While studying the building documents and permits for the AB-Elementhus house, I was positively surprised by the construction.
The wall assembly is (inside to outside) 2cm (0.8 inches) cross-laminated timber, 16cm (6 inches) compressed wood chips, 2cm (0.8 inches) cross-laminated timber, and 0.2mm (0.008 inches) stove-lacquered aluminum.
The planned layout of the new building could be realized within the existing structure, so I am now considering renovating and upgrading instead of demolishing (insulation, interior, windows, etc.).
Does anyone have experience with these houses?
Best regards,
Harv
We have purchased a Swedish prefabricated house from the company AB-Elementhus. It features a solid masonry ground floor, on top of which the prefabricated house is built.
Initially, the plan was to completely demolish the house and replace it with a new cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure of the same size.
While studying the building documents and permits for the AB-Elementhus house, I was positively surprised by the construction.
The wall assembly is (inside to outside) 2cm (0.8 inches) cross-laminated timber, 16cm (6 inches) compressed wood chips, 2cm (0.8 inches) cross-laminated timber, and 0.2mm (0.008 inches) stove-lacquered aluminum.
The planned layout of the new building could be realized within the existing structure, so I am now considering renovating and upgrading instead of demolishing (insulation, interior, windows, etc.).
Does anyone have experience with these houses?
Best regards,
Harv
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Landskrona30 Aug 2020 13:18That sounds great, thank you very much. I wish you lots of enjoyment in your newly designed home!
L
Landskrona30 Aug 2020 13:19ibsylon schrieb:
As far as I know – I have been living in "Landskrona" since 1974 – you don't need to worry about that.
The black panels under the concrete stone facade (“Coloroc”) are called "Asfaboard" or something similar = asphalt = bitumen.
Definitely not asbestos, I have no idea where that would be.
For example, in our house, after completion, particle boards were installed on the upper floor's floor; they were purchased locally and smelled bad for a very long time because at that time, people were not yet informed that it was unhealthy...
So you might not know if everything is still in its original condition.
The wood preservatives in the roof framework – I recall – leaked out during rain while the construction was ongoing, apparently water-soluble.
But: I am not a construction expert or anything like that!
Where exactly is your “Landskrona” located?
Good luck!
YbsilonMany thanks for your experience and information, that helps me a lot.
Our Landskrona is located in Baden-Württemberg, and yours?
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necromundo21 Oct 2020 07:52Good morning everyone,
This thread is a bit older, but in my opinion, it fits my questions best.
We are going to view a house in a few days that was reportedly built in 1974 by "Swedish prefabricated houses." After some research and examining the floor plan, I believe it is a "Landskrona type," built on a solid basement. The overall condition seems fairly well maintained, renovations have been done, but the bathrooms probably need renovating. The exterior facade consists of clinker-type Coloroc panels. The roof appears original and looks somewhat moss-covered.
Now my questions:
1. Is there a high risk that the wall structure is deteriorated? For example, due to moisture from a weathered building envelope? Apparently, there are no visible damages to the facade, but you obviously can’t see the wind barrier behind it.
2. How would I install new cables or outlets inside? It appears that back then wallpaper was applied directly onto the internal multilayer wood panel. The walls likely contain wood chips. How can additional cables, like LAN, be routed?
3. What about the water pipes? Should they be replaced after almost 50 years?
4. Regarding the roof covering, it probably needs to be replaced. Or is there still a possibility to perform thorough cleaning and sealing on such old tiles (concrete, Frankfurter pattern)?
It probably makes the most sense to have a building inspector come, but can they assess all of this before purchase?
Thanks in advance for your answers!
Best regards,
Benny
This thread is a bit older, but in my opinion, it fits my questions best.
We are going to view a house in a few days that was reportedly built in 1974 by "Swedish prefabricated houses." After some research and examining the floor plan, I believe it is a "Landskrona type," built on a solid basement. The overall condition seems fairly well maintained, renovations have been done, but the bathrooms probably need renovating. The exterior facade consists of clinker-type Coloroc panels. The roof appears original and looks somewhat moss-covered.
Now my questions:
1. Is there a high risk that the wall structure is deteriorated? For example, due to moisture from a weathered building envelope? Apparently, there are no visible damages to the facade, but you obviously can’t see the wind barrier behind it.
2. How would I install new cables or outlets inside? It appears that back then wallpaper was applied directly onto the internal multilayer wood panel. The walls likely contain wood chips. How can additional cables, like LAN, be routed?
3. What about the water pipes? Should they be replaced after almost 50 years?
4. Regarding the roof covering, it probably needs to be replaced. Or is there still a possibility to perform thorough cleaning and sealing on such old tiles (concrete, Frankfurter pattern)?
It probably makes the most sense to have a building inspector come, but can they assess all of this before purchase?
Thanks in advance for your answers!
Best regards,
Benny
Hi!
The wall structure was changed at some point, but I can’t recall the exact year. So, your property might have a different wall construction.
- You can tap the timber frame in the base area. Rotten wood sounds very different from solid wood.
- Originally, the cables were installed in conduits on the ceiling. We added an installation cavity, which I would also recommend to anyone planning to redo the electrical system.
- We completely replaced the water pipes starting from the main connection. After inspecting the old copper pipes, that was definitely necessary.
- Our heating system was a single-circuit with metal radiators and pipes. Just replacing those made a complete new water installation unavoidable.
- We have “Frankfurter Pfannen” roofing tiles. Since the roof was still watertight, I didn’t see any reason to renew it, especially as the roof truss design is not “classic” — many small and frequently supported rafters. Would it possibly be more practical to consider a completely new roof with the option of dormers or similar?
The wall structure was changed at some point, but I can’t recall the exact year. So, your property might have a different wall construction.
- You can tap the timber frame in the base area. Rotten wood sounds very different from solid wood.
- Originally, the cables were installed in conduits on the ceiling. We added an installation cavity, which I would also recommend to anyone planning to redo the electrical system.
- We completely replaced the water pipes starting from the main connection. After inspecting the old copper pipes, that was definitely necessary.
- Our heating system was a single-circuit with metal radiators and pipes. Just replacing those made a complete new water installation unavoidable.
- We have “Frankfurter Pfannen” roofing tiles. Since the roof was still watertight, I didn’t see any reason to renew it, especially as the roof truss design is not “classic” — many small and frequently supported rafters. Would it possibly be more practical to consider a completely new roof with the option of dormers or similar?
N
necromundo21 Oct 2020 09:39Thanks for the response!
- That’s true, I should tap on it to check. Rotten wood sounds much duller than solid wood; I hadn’t thought of that.
- By installation level, you mean suspended ceilings and partition walls, right? That would probably be enough to install a 3–4cm (1–1.5 inch) batten and then double drywall in front. The cavities could then be insulated with mineral wool, for example.
- If there are cable conduits in the ceilings, are there also some in the walls? Possibly, a router could be used to mill channels into the inner wooden panels to lay cables there. The walls will likely be very straight and square due to the timber frame construction, correct? In that case, it might also be possible to install one layer of drywall with channels for cables and another layer on top as a plaster base.
- From the photos, it looks like the heating pipes are new, the radiators are flat low-temperature radiators, and the system dates from 2000. Those radiators were not installed earlier. It’s possible the water pipes were replaced at the same time; I will find out.
- The attic is finished, and aside from an access to the knee wall, I couldn’t easily inspect the roof structure. The interior slopes are paneled with wood. Or are there any areas potentially showing signs of leaking tiles, etc.? If the underlay membrane is intact, water shouldn’t get into the roof structure despite leaking tiles—except maybe at the edge where the roof meets the wall of the floor below, right?
@HarvSpec Did you just leave the roofing as is or seal it somehow?
Best regards,
Benny
- That’s true, I should tap on it to check. Rotten wood sounds much duller than solid wood; I hadn’t thought of that.
- By installation level, you mean suspended ceilings and partition walls, right? That would probably be enough to install a 3–4cm (1–1.5 inch) batten and then double drywall in front. The cavities could then be insulated with mineral wool, for example.
- If there are cable conduits in the ceilings, are there also some in the walls? Possibly, a router could be used to mill channels into the inner wooden panels to lay cables there. The walls will likely be very straight and square due to the timber frame construction, correct? In that case, it might also be possible to install one layer of drywall with channels for cables and another layer on top as a plaster base.
- From the photos, it looks like the heating pipes are new, the radiators are flat low-temperature radiators, and the system dates from 2000. Those radiators were not installed earlier. It’s possible the water pipes were replaced at the same time; I will find out.
- The attic is finished, and aside from an access to the knee wall, I couldn’t easily inspect the roof structure. The interior slopes are paneled with wood. Or are there any areas potentially showing signs of leaking tiles, etc.? If the underlay membrane is intact, water shouldn’t get into the roof structure despite leaking tiles—except maybe at the edge where the roof meets the wall of the floor below, right?
@HarvSpec Did you just leave the roofing as is or seal it somehow?
Best regards,
Benny
Installation layer:
We had everything removed because the walls and ceilings were far from level. This also allowed us to install a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system right away. We suspended the ceiling using 1.5cm (0.6 inch) steel channel profiles and drywall to minimize the loss of room height. Except for the new drywall partitions, we applied only a single layer of drywall since potentially heavy objects can be fastened directly into the wooden structure. Of course, this depends on your specific plans. We installed a star-shaped wiring system and KNX automation, which means a number of cables need to be routed somewhere.
Cable ducts:
In our case, they always ran in the joint between two wooden panels, essentially acting as empty conduits, with individual wires inside. It’s practically impossible to mill them out without compromising the structural integrity. On the ceiling, all cables were surface-mounted behind the ceiling moldings.
Roof:
Just get a roofer to have a look and inspect the whole thing.
We had everything removed because the walls and ceilings were far from level. This also allowed us to install a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system right away. We suspended the ceiling using 1.5cm (0.6 inch) steel channel profiles and drywall to minimize the loss of room height. Except for the new drywall partitions, we applied only a single layer of drywall since potentially heavy objects can be fastened directly into the wooden structure. Of course, this depends on your specific plans. We installed a star-shaped wiring system and KNX automation, which means a number of cables need to be routed somewhere.
Cable ducts:
In our case, they always ran in the joint between two wooden panels, essentially acting as empty conduits, with individual wires inside. It’s practically impossible to mill them out without compromising the structural integrity. On the ceiling, all cables were surface-mounted behind the ceiling moldings.
Roof:
Just get a roofer to have a look and inspect the whole thing.
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