Cost transparency in prefab house companies - Which providers are these?

Hello everyone,

my wife and I are currently in the phase of selecting a provider. In order to make an informed decision later on whether and to what extent doing the work ourselves for a trade is worthwhile, we have asked for a breakdown of costs into personnel and material costs (as recommended in various professional literature). So far, we have only received negative responses.

Do you know providers who are really transparent here? What are your experiences?

Thank you in advance for your answers!

You will probably hit a brick wall when it comes to turnkey construction. For some trades, material prices per sqm are naturally given, but what the provider’s standard equipment really costs will not be disclosed by him (for obvious reasons). The only important thing is that you get fixed-price offers with your desired equipment. Don’t let yourself be pressured into signing anything before you have specifically named most of the equipment and, of course, have a complete construction description that goes into the details of the execution.

You will even experience that if EL were feasible, it is not really worth it for several reasons: the credit for material is so low that it is not profitable, the threat of missing warranty with EL, lack of coordination with other trades. And last but not least, there is no interest at all in removing trades, why should there be, you earn less.

Yes, then it’s probably the end of "full cost transparency"... I would consider that a real added value and a unique selling point. I was also surprised that with most companies, before signing the contract, there was NO "model" of the planned house on the computer or at least on the "drawing board"... my expectations are obviously too high...

Based on your experience, are there providers you would recommend regarding transparency/quality?

There is. We built a house with Wir Leben and received an approximately 40-page calculation for each offer. Not only what you chose, but also other options. This way you could compare at home what, for example, the interior walls cost as solid wood walls, visible walls, or timber frame, or the towel holder.

whether and to what extent doing the work yourself for a trade is worthwhile for us

The nasty thing about it is: where saving money makes sense for the DIYer, the profit for the contractor is often buried as well. No pastry chef can make a living if people only buy cake bases from him ;-) Aside from two aspects. Number one: is it worth it without regret? – i.e., if I strain myself for a new house, do I want one that looks like it was wallpapered by Uncle Erwin? – clear answer from the DIYer probably: it has to. Number two: you dare to create the drywall partitions yourself. Technically. But: to do it exactly when it fits the construction schedule? – for your own work you have to be able to take very specific weeks off, otherwise you hold up your own traffic. Can the DIYer still say: "my boss goes along with that"?