Baufritz - How I learned to love timber
Today I headed 150kms west of Munich to the small town of Erkheim, home to 40,000 people and Baufritz.
Having started out building log cabins in 1932, today they design and build high quality timber homes that are environemntally friendly and offer an unrivalled level of comfort and a unique healthy living climate.
The company itself is made up of 300 staff which includes: Architects, Project Managers, Interior Designers, Sales & Marketing, Carpenters, Joiners, Electricians... pretty much anyone that could be involved in designing, building and selling a home - they even have a childcare centre for staff!
I was greeted by a welcome sign then coffee & chocolate while I waited for Ira Singer who was my host for the day.
We started by walking through their display homes on site. Here are some of the facts:
- Each year approximately 200 homes are built
- The waiting period is approximately 18 months following signing a contract - their facility is not big enough for their current demand which they will address shortly by adding an additional construction facility
- One home is built in 1 - 2 days (essentially the whole facility is building the different components at the same time)
- The completed wall, floor and roof sections are wrapped in plastic and then transported by 15 or so trucks to site for completion
- Most homes are bewteen 150 to 200m2 total and cost between 500K - 750K Euro (A$750K - A$1.13million)
- They have recently introduced an 'affordable' range which is a much smaller 120m2 at a cost of 350K Euro (A$530K)
Aside from the impressive detailing and styling they achieve with predominantly timber componentry, Baufritz have a strong commercial element that compliments their homes.
They have a wide range of customisation available as well as a specification centre set up at their facility where buyers will spend days working with a interiors consultant selecting all interior finishes, sanitaryware and applicances.
It is a well oiled machine. At the end of the tour, they even prepared a lunch for me... where do i sign up!
Whilst the pricing is relatively high for what Australians might be used to, there is no disbuting that each Baufritz home is a beautifully crafted, environmentally and socially responsible product.
