Prefabricated house – Especially for young adults the dream of their own four walls is big. You want to invest your money as a capital investment and what is better than buying a property? If you are interested, a prefabricated house would be ideal, because with this type of construction the prices are usually lower. If you want to move in quickly and don’t want to put a lot of energy into building a house, you should look into prefabricated houses. Buy your house with land and have a bungalow, a villa or a terraced house built. The repertoire of providers is large. Compare the different types of houses, gather important experience and decide between materials such as wood or concrete. Move into your first and turnkey house soon! Click here to return to the overview: House types.
Prefabricated house: What does it mean? Features & Definition
A prefabricated house is an umbrella term for a wide range of house types. Most suppliers of prefabricated houses have a large and extensive range of show houses in their repertoire and you have the choice to pick your dream house. Do you prefer a detached house, a villa or a bungalow? With cellar, garage or carport? These are all important aspects that you should consider when choosing your property. Because a prefabricated house is one thing above all: versatile.
You want to buy or build a house, but don’t know which one is right for you? Then take a look at our guide to house types from A – Z! Here you will find all house types, from bungalow to terraced house!
Characteristics of a prefabricated house: Special type of construction
The special thing about a prefabricated house is the unusual construction method. Unlike a solid house, this construction method is not built on the property, but the individual parts / walls of your house are produced in a warehouse. Afterwards the elements are brought to the building site and only pulled up and fastened. The main material for prefabricated houses is usually wood. However, if you want to improve the weather resistance of the building, you have the option of mixing in concrete or lightweight concrete. Especially the fast construction time and the lower costs are an advantage of a prefabricated house and make this type of building so popular.
Building services: state-of-the-art technology integrated right from the start
As soon as you plan to build a new house, the house should be modern and technically up to date. In contrast to a solid house, you have a big advantage with a prefabricated house. The building services are already installed in the production halls and are planned into the shell elements. You have only one supplier, who takes care of all your wishes. This means that the electrics do not have to be agreed with a third person. The heating systems are also very advanced and energy-saving is built from the beginning.
Advantages & disadvantages of a prefabricated house: costs, construction time & quality
As with any type of building, you should consider the advantages and disadvantages beforehand. Think about how your priorities are distributed and what is important for you and perhaps also for your family. Decide before you start building for a solid house or for a prefabricated house. We have listed the most important plus and minus points of a prefabricated house for you, so that you can make the right decision.
Advantages: fast construction time, reasonable cost & co.
As you have already experienced, the biggest advantage of a prefabricated house is probably the fast construction time and the comparatively low construction costs. The ease of planning is also very pleasant. You will only have one contact person for all topics concerning your house and this will save you a lot of stress and time. The building services will also be state-of-the-art and integrated into the building elements from the outset. The high energy efficiency is also a big plus. Last but not least, the construction method is a decisive advantage. The construction on the property will only take a few days and is not dependent on the weather.
Fast construction time
Lower construction costs
Good plannability due to a single contact person
High energy efficiency
Integrated building services
Construction independent of weather conditions
Disadvantages: Loss of quality and hardly any design options
One of the disadvantages is the limited individuality. With a prefabricated house, you will not have the possibility to have the rooms built according to your wishes and will have to accept restrictions. In addition, the quality of the building materials is not equal to that of a solid house and especially the sound insulation will be worse. This results in a lower resale value.
Hardly any design options
Poor sound insulation
Low resale value
Are you interested in new construction projects? Here you can find more information about this topic!
Energy efficient construction of prefabricated houses
Energy saving and especially energy efficient building is an important topic. In this day and age, everyone should contribute to a good environment and this should not stop when building houses. New buildings are built modern and up to date and there must be a lot of guidelines to comply with. Energy efficient construction is also integrated in prefabricated houses. Here you will learn the most important facts about this topic.
Energy-saving building: modern construction with a savings effect
The modern construction method of a prefabricated house has a saving effect. The various elements are made in advance in production halls, which has the advantage that no materials are wasted. It is built in a modern way from the beginning and you also have the possibility to have your prefabricated house built as a plus energy house. We recommend that you check with your builder beforehand to see what they offer and if you are happy with it. If you want to learn more about energy-saving construction, you can read everything important in our guide.
Have a prefabricated house built: Construction time and sample city
If you decide to build a prefabricated house, you must now consider which type of house suits you best. Rather a bungalow, a villa or a terraced house? You can view all of these in advance in a model city. You also have to plan the construction period. Here you can find out everything you need to know about this topic.
Construction time: fast and uncomplicated
You will have already experienced that the construction of a prefabricated house is faster than that of a solid house. Despite this, you can not determine an exact duration or an exact move-in date in advance. Something can always come in between and the wishes of the customers vary. The decisive advantage of a prefabricated house is that the individual elements are manufactured in a production hall and the final construction takes only a few days and is not dependent on the weather. In order to be able to plan approximately, we have compiled a list with the approximate times per work step.
Planning: up to several weeks
Building permit: 0.5-3 months
Production: 2-5 weeks
Shell: 1-3 days
Interior work: 8-12 weeks
Show houses: Pre-inspection before construction
One of the biggest advantages of prefabricated houses is the possibility to visit a show house in advance. You have the chance to see your future home beforehand and decide whether everything meets your expectations. Many suppliers have a small town with show houses which you can visit. Get an idea of their repertoire and take the opportunity to see your future home before it is built. Think about possible interiors and get inspired.
Turnkey house: From planning to moving in
In contrast to a solid house, you as a customer have the possibility to get your prefabricated house in different stages. This results in a high price difference between the houses. One variant would be to have only the individual parts of the house manufactured by the provider, so that you carry out the final construction yourself. This would save you a lot of money, but you would have to have the experience to build such a house. In the following you will learn more about the different stages of prefabricated houses.
Different stages of prefabricated houses: Kit house or extension house
Kit houses: At this stage of a prefabricated house, the supplier does not undertake any construction work on site. He is solely responsible for the procurement of materials. In this case, the customer himself is responsible for the construction and the building site. For example, one could have hollow wall panels ordered to be filled with concrete on site. The handling would be relatively simple and the shell construction would resemble that of a solid house. In general, however, it is advisable that only trained customers should (build) a kit house, otherwise it can lead to severe qualitative defects.
Finished houses: When a prefabricated house is handed over by the provider in a weatherproof condition, it is called a finished house. At this stage, the house is standing, but basic work inside is missing. For example, pipes or floors still need to be laid or non-load-bearing walls are still missing. Should the house be handed over in this condition, the customer saves some money but must still invest a lot of energy and time. Here, too, the builder should bring craftsmanship experience and support.
What does turnkey mean? Advised for the move in!
Once a house is titled turnkey, it is completely built. It is weatherproofed, all plumbing and flooring is in place. The only thing the customer has to do now is to put in his furniture, decorate it and paint the walls if necessary. There are no more personal contributions necessary, but you should still have everything specified in the contract, so that nothing is missing at the end.
Advantages and disadvantages of a turnkey house
A turnkey house is in any case more time-saving. Normally, the construction of a prefabricated house takes between five and nine months and with this option you do not have to deal with the planning and can invest your time in something else. All costs are fixed in advance and nothing unexpected can happen. Another advantage is that all the work is supervised by the provider.
Probably the biggest disadvantage is the cost. If you don’t have the experience, you won’t have the chance to buy the house at an earlier stage and build it yourself. However, if you do have the experience, you will have to invest some time in the construction work and can, for example, go to work less. You will also have little room for manoeuvre when it comes to the layout of the rooms.
Comparison: Prefabricated house or solid house – who wins?
As soon as you plan to build a house, you have to ask yourself one question: Prefabricated house or solid house? You have now learned about the prefabricated house and dealt with the advantages and disadvantages. Now you have to decide for yourself how you would like to build. Building a house is a big investment and we would like to support you in your decision. Here you will find a compact summary of the plus and minus points of the two building options.
Prefabricated house: Preliminary inspection and fixed costs
The advantages of a prefabricated house you will now have learned. In summary, it is faster and the costs are fixed from the beginning. You also have the possibility to visit your house before the construction by visiting a model park. Everything is very well planned and you do not have to invest much of your own time.
Short construction time
Fixed costs
Preliminary visit
On the downside, you won’t have many options to change anything about the house or room design, and even small changes will only be done by a few providers. Also the quality will be worse. Thermal insulation and soundproofing are not comparable with those of a solid house.
No individual design
Poorer quality
Solid house: Robust, individual, effort and more
With a solid house you have the decisive advantage that you can plan the house and room design right from the start and adapt everything individually. As long as there are no load-bearing walls, you have the possibility to construct your rooms according to your wishes. Another advantage is the better quality of the materials. This results in a more balanced indoor climate, better sound insulation and a higher resale value.
Individual room design
Better quality
Higher resale value
The higher price and the longer construction time is in any case a disadvantage of a solid house. You personally have to put more time and energy into building the house and therefore have less time for other things. In contrast to a prefabricated house, you also do not have the opportunity to inspect your house in advance and to view it from the inside and outside. You will also not have one provider for all areas, but must clarify with several companies different.
High price
Long construction time
More effort
No prior visit
Financing with equity: risk premium and alternatives?
Building a house is always a big investment and you should be aware that it involves a lot of money. Nevertheless, you should not forget that real estate is the best investment and therefore usually worth investing in. If you are planning to build a prefabricated house, you will have to talk to your bank about a loan, as you cannot pay for the construction out of your own capital.
You need more information on the topic of home financing? Then you will find here an interesting article with many tips on the subject!
How much equity is required? More favourable conditions and no risk premium
Theoretically, you could build your home with no equity, but this leads to extra expenses and more risk. These risk premiums could be higher interest rates. Nevertheless, financing without equity is discouraged because it makes the loan more expensive over the life of the loan. It is recommended to have an equity ratio of 20 to 30% of the total cost. This leads to more favorable conditions of the credit institutions. From your own capital, the additional costs of the construction are usually paid, such as the land transfer tax or broker’s commission. If these ancillary costs are to be settled between you and the credit institution before the contract is concluded, a risk surcharge is no longer necessary.
