Building with prefabricated house companies in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Thanks first of all for the answers.

Architect-designed houses are usually more expensive than "off-the-shelf" houses. And we don’t really need a lot of frills anyway.

We are actually already looking for plots of land that are a bit further out of the city, but still not too far from the two highways here. We already have something in sight there.

At the same time, of course, we are also looking at existing properties and also at single-family houses (already built bungalows cost more here than if you built them yourself, since all of them are still relatively new). The problem is that the good ones are quite expensive and the rest need renovation. Also, many are simply so expensive because of their size. We don’t need 160 sqm with a 2 km garden. But of course, that drives the prices up. Recently we had a viewing. The house was already about 40,000 euros more expensive at the viewing appointment than originally offered and the realtor wanted an offer from us within 72 hours. We can’t make the decision about where to spend the rest of our lives that quickly. The house is gone now.

What mainly interests me about Town & Country, Massa Haus etc. is whether anyone has had bad experiences with them (botched construction, delays, extra costs, poor building quality...). I know that the price only includes the house, without flooring and without masonry work. What about the underfloor heating? Bathroom furniture/laundry room? Kitchen connections? Sockets/light switches? Does all that cost extra? How much roughly do you have to add to get the terrace/carport/lawn finished?

I built a Massa House 20 years ago. That is not for you. They have mainly specialized in shell houses. That means doing the interior finishing more or less yourself. However, I have not had bad experiences with Massa House. But they do not take much off your hands either. With them, you have to take care of many things yourself. At least that was the case 20 years ago.

Real prefabricated house. The top dog with you would be Scanhaus Marlow Marlow, Marlow near HRO. The houses are ok. A few of them stand here. If it should be a solid house, team massiv in RD Büdelsdorf, they also build near you. They are cheap and good. But your budget is tight. The plot may only cost 50-60, the rest is swallowed by the house.

What interests me about Town & Country, Massa Haus, etc. above all is whether anyone has had bad experiences with them (shoddy workmanship, delays, extra costs, poor building substance...). I know that the price only includes the house, without flooring and without masonry work. What about underfloor heating? Bathroom furniture/laundry room? Connections in the kitchen? Sockets/light switches? Does all that cost extra? How much roughly do you have to add to get the terrace/carport/lawn finished?

It depends on the provider. As a rule – especially with the cheaper providers – very little is included as standard. Sockets should still be okay if you don’t have high demands but something like underfloor heating usually always costs extra. Costs for outdoor facilities depend greatly on the plot, your expectations, and your own work. If you sow the lawn yourself instead of having roll-out turf laid you can save a lot. Paving the driveway is also still relatively doable for laymen, as is a carport kit. But you must not underestimate the costs, quite a lot adds up. Be careful with the various providers how they are organized. Town & Country, for example, is a franchise system, meaning the provider from Vordertupfingen and the one from Hintertupfingen are completely independent companies. Experience regarding quality is therefore hard to transfer.

Architects' houses are usually more expensive than "off-the-shelf" houses. And we don't need much frills anyway.

This prejudice that off-the-shelf is usually more expensive than building a house with an architect (who you don't need for frills, but for example for "detailed planning instead of drywall boxes").

What interests me about Town & Country, Massa Haus, etc. is mainly whether anyone has had bad experiences with them (poor craftsmanship, delays, extra costs, poor building substance...).

Good experiences – and not with other companies under the same brand, but actually real ones with your own building partner! – are not found with the big names, but regionally and owner-managed. Poor building substance, well, maybe with Favorite Heinz from *just kidding* but usually money is not earned through sloppiness, but through upselling. In this sense, a shell construction (Ausbauhaus) can possibly even be cheaper, but then you have a bunch of individual contracts to handle, where it is better to take an architect. Besides, I consider a 100 sqm bungalow to be an individual design: the usual catalog types in this segment focus on singles, the models for couples only start at about 120 sqm.

just send me a message at: hausbau_2018@gmx.net
if you want.