Which house concept? Fundamental questions of house construction

Münsterland, no basement due to flat plot, KfW 55 - but wall construction also meets KfW 40 requirements. Heating: air-water heat pump Living area is about 145 sqm, floor area correspondingly more (no idea - around 160?). Floor plan is as large as necessary, as small as possible (have many rooms). Our contact person immediately took the right direction, but we also knew quite well what we wanted. But I don't want to make too much advertising here. Solid wood also appealed to us a lot! But we didn’t come across any company that really convinced us. But we only searched in the immediate vicinity and quickly fixed on our provider. I'm curious what comes out for you! And don’t let yourself be too strongly convinced in either direction - everything has its pros and cons and ultimately your gut has to decide.

Ha ha, if my gut had to decide, I wouldn’t take out a loan and wouldn’t build at all.
I don’t have a good feeling about the global economy, and even in the eurozone, things look, to put it mildly, shitty. What are banks supposed to live off in the future if there are no more interest rates? And if interest rates rise, not only home builders will be affected, but entire industries. But let’s see what else comes...

I am a head person and so far I am convinced of solid wood, but it doesn’t have to be exotic wood. Even though I really like the glue-free construction at Thoma. But other providers, including regional ones, offer something similar and will be considered in our selection.
Currently, my head tells me that a Streif house would be a good choice. They have such a good website that hardly any questions remain unanswered. If the price fits and we get a good seller/advisor, I am even ready to forego eco-friendly insulation materials and use good old mineral wool. Even though the wall construction seems a bit too complex to me, this building method has obviously proven itself. However, it is not diffusion-open. I would, however, replace an air-to-air heat pump for heating and ventilation like theirs in the standard version with separate controlled residential ventilation and an air-to-water heat pump with underfloor heating. Above all, having everything from a single source seems very appealing to me.

Building service description is the building service description. That is what is included in the house price without any upgrades. There are significant differences and everything that says "builder provided" the client has the pleasure of paying for.

We are satisfied with our house. Would build the same way again with the same provider. I cannot say much about heating costs yet. We have a field trial system and it had its teething problems in the first heating period. Nevertheless, we had an annual performance factor of 2.9. I think in spring after the second heating period with fewer teething problems it will be more accurate.

We have a passive house because I always wanted one. I find it fascinating. Back then, 3-liter houses were still exotic eco-nonsense and a house that now just meets the energy saving ordinance – the high-end insulation craze. Economically today it is probably neither more nor less than the energy saving ordinance. How it will look in 30 or 50 years is questionable.

I do not see wood as unconditionally ecological. Where does the log come from? Not exactly a small amount of wood is imported.

We want to build a pollutant-free house

Everyone wants that... everyone here and out there. No pollutants.

Our company builds mostly without a ventilation system, and without any problems.

Hehe, all the cheap or budget builders leave the choice to the client: he just lets the client decide.

We only want to go to the upper limit if there’s no other way. Without land around 300-400k€.

That is, to be honest, not enough if the incidental building costs and the outdoor facilities are also to be paid from it.
Single-family house KfW 70, 160 sqm solid 320,000
Prefab construction 350,000
Incidental building costs 30,000
Painter and flooring in DIY 10,000
Double carport 15,000
Outdoor facilities 20,000

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

We don’t need to discuss that with this budget.

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

Exactly, but most of the time the clients end up choosing practical laminate at the final stage.

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

You can’t save on area there.

There are also nice examples of buildings without controlled residential ventilation and without heating that are still warm enough in winter. Superb insulation, large window areas and the right location make it possible with perfect planning.

Then electric heating is used.

I just don’t want to bet on the wrong horse, like the people who bet on night storage heaters back then

That’s back again, isn’t it?

If I need a wellness temple, I go to a thermal bath and not to the bathroom

Wrong, see above: there is no black or white. You want it nice at home as well, and since you can’t constantly hang out in a hammam with a family of 5, you build yourself a nice shower, a nice bathroom.
It would be a drag to build a passive house for Greta with a simple cheap bath lacking any feel-good atmosphere...

Yesterday a conversation with a prefab house builder... Me: There are also passive houses... He: Yes, but we don’t offer them. There are also self-builders who moved out of their passive house after a few years and built "normal" again. Me: Thanks for the conversation...

???

Ha ha, if my gut had to decide, I wouldn’t take out a loan and wouldn’t build at all
I don’t have a good feeling about the world economy

Throw the money out. It will be worth nothing someday.

It would be a pickle to build a passive house for Greta

Currently, it was about "healthy living". What is ecologically sensible is another matter altogether. You then have to ask where the wood comes from. Including the realization that "just around the corner" is no guarantee of sustainability. A Wiesenhof chicken remains a Wiesenhof chicken. Even if it comes from the neighborhood.

About 250,000-300,000 kWh of energy go into building a house. Is that ecologically sensible?

There are many house concepts. Those who cannot identify with "healthy living" simply build cheaper. To find a good concept, it is worth spending some time in different houses and sensing how comfortable you feel in them. Almost all prefabricated houses failed for us, and we also did not feel comfortable in houses operated with [Controlled residential ventilation] – just the thought of all the gunk in the filters... – but that does not mean that [Controlled residential ventilation] is bad. As said: it's a matter of preference. The Isowood house, both in Frechen and in Cologne, made a very pleasant impression on us. That would have been a viable path for us, but in the end, we realized our house a bit more elaborately with more detailed influence with local craft companies – timber construction, clay plaster, masonry heater, photovoltaics. We also liked Stommel Haus and Baufritz.
Orientation to [KFW] is more of a commercial matter. These ratings say nothing about the quality of a house and certainly not how comfortable you will feel in it.
I am not a fan of technically highly equipped forcibly ventilated Tupperware boxes with [KFW] and airtightness record values, which are built in many places; I often quickly feel a stuffy, oppressive sensation in these houses. Different people are different.
Experienced is my advice. That will also succeed well for you as a "head person."