Which house concept? Fundamental questions of house construction

Yes, there really doesn’t seem to be a right or wrong. We only want to reach the upper limit if there’s no other way. Without land, around 300-400k€.

If you trust the current public opinion, you should probably avoid gas or oil as the primary energy source. Passive house is probably too extreme again, and I wouldn’t want to build entirely without heating.

And yes, there are now many providers who build solid wood or all-wood houses without glue. From wood screws to beech wood dowels that swell due to the remaining moisture in the wood, there are various solutions. And there are certainly wooden studs without foil, including ecological wood fiber insulation/cellulose/wool, etc., and also houses made from straw bales!

And it’s certainly not about being as cheap as possible, but about choosing the best overall concept at the most reasonable price. I also have nothing against something slightly more expensive in tendency, but twice as expensive is out of the question. And yes, we also have electrical appliances with plastic casings and sometimes wear cotton with polyester. But this is about entirely different orders of magnitude, and by abstaining I’m simply playing it safe. Where nothing else is inside, nothing else can ever come out.

And even in an "eco-house" I don’t necessarily need only furniture made of moonwood from the carpenter, and I also don’t plan to walk around barefoot all day in linen garments. The world is not black and white.

@ may I ask which provider was selected, what other advantages you expect or were promised? So these are diffusion-open walls without controlled residential ventilation and with surface heating? Air-water heat pump? Basement? KFW what? How much more expensive than "normal" construction would you estimate?

How big should the little house be, since you have already revealed the price cap?

sure you can ask. We will build an Isowood house from the Sauerland region. Whether it actually holds up to all that was promised, I can’t say yet – construction only starts next year. The builders we have spoken to so far seemed satisfied. Diffusion-open, that’s what many advertise. Among others, Isowood and Holz & Raum. We actually found the indoor climate in the previous houses more pleasant. But if you then cover the walls with the wrong paint, the advantage probably disappears. Instead of a vapor barrier (foil), they use an OSB board as a vapor retarder. One can argue about how free of harmful substances that is. Better make up your own mind. Advantage: you don’t need anchors when hanging furniture.

More expensive: hard to say. We had a rather affordable solid builder here locally. The equipment there was also significantly lower. Because it didn’t fit, we didn’t enquire further or select samples. Another prefabricated house provider (also medium-sized, similar concept) was significantly more expensive. I estimate a solid builder with similar quality is also similarly priced.

PS: By the way, they are also in some model home parks.

OK, thanks! At Isowood we have a consultation appointment on the weekend, then I will try to get a clearer picture.
Are you allowed to share documents/offers? I would appreciate a private message (I am not allowed yet)!

Basically, I am also more in favor of building solidly, whether stone or wood. We have already been to some solid wood constructions, but somehow the overall concept often seemed to be missing. They do build a solid shell, but when specific questions about the KFW standard are asked, the air suddenly gets thin. In this regard, the prefab house providers definitely have the advantage.

Currently, we are looking at a 2.5-story house with about 160 sqm. But since the area is by far the biggest cost driver, we would probably make cuts here first. The focus is on the three children's rooms and an office; we don't value large bathrooms much, as we spend little time there. Some money should still be left for the outdoor facilities.

Since we build with wooden studs without foil, I disagree. By the way, we also build without ventilation systems, but that is a matter of belief. Our company mostly builds without ventilation systems, and that without problems. But I work from home anyway and can ventilate a lot if needed, so everyone has to decide that for themselves.

Basically: everyone has their own view on healthy living. Together with the aspect of climate protection, we decided on wood. The insulation material is also compressed wood. But the stone faction (at least monolithic) also has good arguments and you just have to go your own way.

You should be clear about this: if these points are important to you, it will tend to be a bit more expensive.

Then I take that back. I have never come across a wooden stud without foil.

A lot is marketing. One must not forget, every salesperson has the best and only wants your best (money).