Solid prefab house or developer - experiences?

Hello,

we are still at the very beginning of our construction project, but since such an investment needs to be well considered, we want to inform ourselves early and exchange ideas with experts. For this purpose, we have already browsed a lot on the internet, especially here in the forum, and ordered some of the literature recommended here and elsewhere.

A fundamental question we are currently asking ourselves regarding [Massiv-Fertighaus]:
a) Prefabricated house
b) Prefabricated house in solid construction
c) Solid construction (through a developer)

We don’t want to build cheaply, but well.
Sustainability is important to us; what we build should last long and still stand in 100 years (in my opinion a point against an old-fashioned prefabricated house).
Living comfort is equally important; that means a good room climate, good sound insulation, etc. (in my opinion also a point against a prefab house). Energy efficiency is also important to us.
Healthy living as well.
Above all, however, low risks and efforts.

What scares us on the other hand about solid construction through a developer:
The effort; we have little desire and especially no time to constantly argue with the developer and the craftsmen.
We want to outsource a project and hope that everything then simply runs – of course, it probably won’t run that smoothly, certain efforts will inevitably arise, but we want to keep these at least low. A manageable construction period without major risks would be very welcome to us.
The fact that prefabricated houses have been "proven" by being built multiple times, in our opinion, reduces the risks of something fundamentally going wrong.

Based on the previous statements, we ask ourselves whether a solid prefabricated house might be the right choice for us because it combines the best of both worlds?

- Fast construction time
- Low risks due to proven construction (with coordination of building services such as heating system, etc.)
- Still sustainable if the right materials and construction methods are chosen
- Good insulation
- House can be viewed beforehand as a show house
- Often available with insurance/warranties for maximum security
- etc.

How do you see this?

If this should represent a viable path, the question arises as to what the right materials and construction methods would be and which provider might be suitable...

Materials:

- Clay (expanded clay)
- Brick (Unipor/Poroton)
- Aerated concrete (Ytong)
- Clay bricks
- Sand-lime brick
- "Special stuff" like Duotherm (reinforced concrete?), Klimapor, Ökodomo, etc.

Clay bricks and sand-lime bricks seem to have rather poor thermal insulation.
Also, clay bricks seem to absorb moisture easily.
Therefore, I would rather sort out these options.

Construction method:
Here we favor a stone-on-stone construction on site, which apparently also exists for prefab houses (Hartl?) or at least a construction method based on it that promises sustainability.

Experiences/tips?

Thank you.

Based on the previous statements, we are wondering whether a prefabricated house built in solid construction might be the right choice for us since it combines the best of both worlds?

- Fast construction time
- Low risks due to proven construction (with coordination of building services such as heating system, etc.)
- Still sustainable if the right materials and construction methods are chosen
- Good insulation
- House viewable beforehand as a show home
- Often available with insurance/warranties for maximum protection
- etc.

What do you think?

.

You have read too many promotional brochures and are piecing something together. What exactly is sustainable building? Everyone understands something different by that. Personally, I would always build only with an architect because then I have full cost and decision control and get something tailored personally to my needs. Hence, these insurances/warranties are often worth little.

What deters us on the other hand from a solid construction through a [Bauträger]:
The effort; we have little desire and especially no time to constantly argue with the [Bauträger] and the craftsmen.

You mean not a [Bauträger] (who sells the house and land) but a general contractor. A prefabricated house company also works with individual craftsmen companies, and with them you might have to hassle on the construction site just as much as with the craftsmen companies of your general contractor.

Best regards
Sabine

you don't mean a property developer (who sells the house and land) but a general contractor. A prefab house company also works with individual tradesmen companies and with them you might have to struggle just as much on the construction site as with the tradesmen of your general contractor.

Learned something new, but I can't imagine having the same effort with a prefab house for two reasons: The house is not a unique piece and has already been built several times; that means many aspects have already been tested. Therefore, in my opinion, it must be mandatory that a custom build has a higher risk of problems—which of course does not mean that problems have to occur...

And with a prefab house, I would assume that the prefab builder handles most things and I get the key when the thing is properly built and I accept it if I see it that way... am I mistaken?

You are mistaken. A prefabricated house is not an off-the-shelf product like a car. You cannot just sign and get the house handed over defect-free in 10 months.

I also do not understand what you mean by testing. Furthermore, your house has to fit the plot; just because of the soil conditions, [Haus Erika von der Stange] can cause problems, as the statics and foundation are designed for 0815. If you want to build, you have to be aware that you become a house builder with the corresponding responsibility for your project. You cannot delegate everything.

In the case of the prefab house, the floor plan is usually designed just as individually as with the solid house (for which there are often standard variants). The difference with the prefab house is that it consists of prefabricated walls and is assembled in one day. The interior finishing is then carried out just like with the solid house by individual craft businesses. With both variants, you often have to be on site and check everything.

LG
Sabine