Help for homeowners/women - after fire caused by technical defect

Well, that sounds exciting too. I will have a look. Experience would be great, of course :-)

Reconstruction to replacement value under the condition that I rebuild this building the same or similarly.

Any deviation from the old system (e.g. precast concrete parts instead of timber framing) you would have to discuss mainly with the insurance, right? My opinion: Any conceivable variant will take a few months. Whether it takes one or two months more or less in the end doesn’t matter much in the long run. Important are: - Proper restoration - Cost coverage by the insurance. The deadline is only a priority 3 now, so it’s almost irrelevant. You need a temporary apartment anyway; it doesn’t matter whether it is rented for three, four or twelve months. Therefore, I would hardly look for construction methods that are supposedly faster, but put all energy into the mentioned priorities. Besides that, one can then see whether it is possible to realize an accelerated schedule with Fingerhaus (if that’s what it will be). And profession and family/friends are still there to take care of.

The building insurance now says reconstruction at new value under the condition that I rebuild this building exactly or similarly.
A demolition down to the floor slab is to be carried out and then the reconstruction started.

You should best involve a lawyer experienced in contract and construction law. You don’t want there to be a dispute later on about how to interpret "exactly or similarly."

For room layout, fittings, etc., you might have to orient yourself very slavishly to the "old" house.

Floor slab remains - reconstruction on existing floor slab

That should be no problem today for prefab house manufacturers to achieve in these dimensions.

I once read somewhere that houses are already delivered "finished"!

You probably mean room modules, which also come with complete bathrooms etc.? (from Dennert Massivhaus, for example). Whether that saves time, I doubt: prefabrication itself speeds up nothing, at least not with individual dimensions. It just means it’s prefabricated in a hall even if the weather on the construction site wouldn’t be suitable for it.

I don’t think it goes much faster. Building application, building permit, insurance clarification, building parts are ordered, house erected, interior finishing.

The "building permit" part should be unproblematic if it is a real reconstruction. And the mayor can nicely celebrate in the press that the administration is helping out there.

Any deviation from the old system (e.g., precast concrete parts instead of timber framing) you would have to discuss especially with the insurance, right?

That also plays a role in the permit. For things like the heating system (today considered together with insulation), legal certainty would be important, e.g., if and when the building would possibly be evaluated according to the old construction year (i.e., before the Energy Saving Ordinance 2014).

I would clearly prioritize making sure that the entire rebuilt house will definitely be covered. If they only reduce that by a few percent, it will cost you more than a few months of extended transitional accommodation.

P.S.: these lines

Roof structure: half-hipped roof 45 - as a purlin roof with insulation; knee wall height 1m (however, execution must not be carried out as a purlin roof)

(I suspect from the building description) I can't quite mentally follow: a purlin roof that should not be executed as a purlin roof (?) :-(

But just mentioned in passing, as it is probably "not decisive for the outcome".

Dear Susan, You are lucky in misfortune that the insurance guarantees to pay 100% for the reconstruction. However, I really don't understand why, for the savings of only a few months/weeks, you are now willing to consider an exotic builder instead of a reliable, established company, especially since you will be living in temporary accommodation anyway. Getting involved with something you don't know about now, in a panic, could lead to even worse luck where you have to live with half a house, which the exotic builder hands over unsatisfactorily or with other problems. I don't believe the insurance will agree to an exotic build, but I don't understand why you would even consider it if luck is not on your side. You always make your own luck – but also your own misfortune.

FingerHaus prefers you until you have signed.