Prefabricated House Pros and Cons

Hello!

We have been looking for our dream house for quite some time! Since we have not yet found the right property for us, we discussed the topic of house construction over the past few days. While searching for real estate in our region, we repeatedly came across offers from construction companies (such as Town & Country, Allkauf Haus, etc.) that offer prefabricated houses WITH land. This is not uninteresting for us, as we do not yet own any land.

Of course, we have also mentioned to our family and friends that we are interested in a prefabricated house that we can finish on the inside with our own effort. Unfortunately, we immediately heard from the older generation among them that prefabricated houses are only JUNK, worthless, and that you hear so many bad things about them. Is that really the case? What is against a prefabricated house? What advantages does a prefabricated house have? What disadvantages does a prefabricated house bring?

We would be very happy to receive answers!

Best regards from the house (construction) beginners

Hello KPS,

thank you very much for the reply!

We have already browsed through the advice pages a bit, but as you can tell, unfortunately not completely yet.

The company Town & Country advertises prefab houses on their own website, right? And of course also (turnkey) solid houses, which we are also interested in. Or are we misunderstanding something now?

Yes, we mean houses in timber frame or timber panel construction. But as already mentioned above, we are also interested in solid houses.

The disadvantages that WikiPeter points out do not seem bad to us personally.
Our older folks told us more about how quickly the houses break down, water comes in everywhere, you’re just heating all the time, ... we could go on for hours now.
Maybe that’s true if you choose the wrong company, but with such well-known manufacturers as for example Massa Haus I can’t imagine that. Of course, things can and will sometimes go wrong with them too, I don’t want to rule that out. But personally, I just find it bad to talk everything down so severely right from the start.

Hello,

[…]In search of real estate in our region, we repeatedly came across offers from construction companies (like Town & Country, Allkauf Haus, etc.) that offer prefabricated houses WITH land. Not uninteresting for us, as we do not yet own any land.

You’re mixing things up a bit here: You can read quite a bit about Town & Country (solid construction) in this forum, and Google also helps. Allkauf Haus + Massa Haus belong, just like Okal Haus, to the group Deutsche Fertighaus Holding. Okal Haus serves turnkey high-end clientele, Allkauf Haus offers the shell house – you purchase shell packages which are delivered to the construction site, and with Massa Haus you need a trailer hitch , since the builder must pick up the shell packages themselves from the hardware store, in my opinion Praktiker. With both Allkauf Haus and Massa Haus, you should seriously consider whether you actually can devote the necessary time to the finishing work. AND – currently the blue part of the corporate group is advertising an – apparently – unbeatable low price for a basement. Here you should pay close attention to the equipment details, as this bargain price often turns into a normal price upon closer inspection.

What is against a prefabricated house? What advantages does a prefabricated house have? What disadvantages does a prefabricated house bring?

If it is executed with high quality, there is essentially no disadvantage; as always, personal taste decides. A popular argument of the prefab house industry (timber frame construction) is that some of the oldest houses were ultimately built similarly; this comparison is flawed, as half-timbered houses are only roughly comparable.

Decisions by potential builders usually come down to prefabricated house vs. solid house after consulting the financier; only every fifth house is currently built as a prefab house. Furthermore, there is no price advantage that would speak for a prefab house. The well-known, reputable companies in this segment are priced on par with conventional builders, or even above.

Also, the often-cited construction time is not really an argument in favor of prefab houses. A conventional solid house builder coordinates their craftsmen after receiving the order, and construction can begin within 2-3 weeks after obtaining the building permit. A prefab house supplier starts the actual production of the prefab house only after presenting the building permit. In this timeframe, the “bricklayer” usually already has the shell built; for interior trades, both providers then need another 3 months. If it should go faster, a lot of chemicals are involved.

The disadvantages WikiPeter points out we personally do not find troubling.

Wiki is a reference work created by dedicated helpers without any kind of verification of the content. It is nice for the first step; if you want reliable statements, you should look for other references.

Kind regards

Hello,

...By now we no longer have even the slightest idea what might be right for us.

That is the nature of things. Support from an objective expert who does not sell or build houses would be advisable.

Best regards

The frequently cited construction time is not really an argument in favor of prefabricated houses.

But only if one forgets that, due to the drywall construction method, significantly less water is introduced into the building and that, as a rule, it takes up to 4 years in solid houses for the construction moisture to reduce to an equilibrium moisture level ...

Hello KPS,

But only if one forgets that due to the drywall construction method significantly less water is introduced into the building and that it usually takes up to 4 years for massive houses for the construction moisture to reduce to an equilibrium moisture level ...

Most providers nowadays work with adhesive, then there is still the screed which requires drying times for both variants. The equilibrium moisture level you mentioned is therefore reached much faster, especially if the building envelope is supported with a breathable facade/coating. The 4 years you mentioned may well have been a valid statement in earlier times, but today this number has been significantly reduced.

The prefabricated house industry uses synthetic resin renders (ETICS), which causes the house body to take longer to get rid of the excess moisture => to put it bluntly, it is like living in a foil. It is no coincidence that the installation of a controlled ventilation system is recommended to avoid not only mold but also this "sauna feeling".

As I already said, ultimately the gut decides between the different options. There is no such thing as a silver bullet.

Best regards