A year-round modular home should be somewhere you can drink your January coffee in pyjamas. If breakfast needs a winter coat, something has gone wrong. Before buying, look beyond the lovely facade at how the house is actually put together.
Year-round comfort starts behind the finishes
A beautiful sofa can be bought later. Adding insulation to the walls of an already finished house will be much more complicated. Therefore, the thickness of the insulation is one of the first questions to ask the manufacturer, not the last before signing the contract.
Ask separately about insulation in the walls, floor and roof. Total wall thickness includes cladding, the frame and air gaps, so a '250 mm wall' does not necessarily contain 250 mm of insulation.
For stone wool, 200 mm in the walls and 250 mm in the floor and ceiling or roof is a starting point for the discussion. Some homes need more, especially in the roof. Ask for the U-values too: they show how readily heat passes through each element. Lower values mean less heat loss.
Quality is important for stone wool, not just thickness
Insulation is not where we would choose the cheapest product just to trim the quote. Check the stone wool's quality, intended use and thermal conductivity. You want it to conduct heat as poorly as possible. In this case, being bad at something is a good thing.
We recommend stone wool with a declared thermal conductivity, or lambda value, no higher than 0.035 W/(m·K). At the same thickness, a lower value means better insulation. Ask for the exact product name and data sheet. A higher price alone proves little, but 'it is all just wool' is not a useful answer either.
It is important that the stone wool is embedded without gaps and according to the manufacturer's instructions. Even good material cannot help where it simply does not exist.
Membranes - a small detail with a big responsibility
Ask which membranes and sealing tapes are used. Wind protection on the outside keeps draughts out of the insulation; the internal vapour control layer limits moisture entering the structure. Seams, corners and penetrations around cables and pipes need careful sealing.
We would choose SIGA membranes and sealing products and allow a little more in the budget for them. A properly selected and fitted system helps keep the structure dry and extends the home's life. Even a good brand still needs good installation.
Ask for product names, not vague promises
'We use good materials' sounds reassuring, but gives you nothing to compare. Ask for a specification naming the manufacturer, exact product and thickness of every layer.
Find the thermal conductivity, or lambda value, on the product's data sheet. At equal thickness, a lower value means better insulation. Ask how the insulation is fitted and protected from moisture too. Even a good product cannot do its job properly with gaps left between the slabs.
Compare the quotes yourself or start with our manufacturer shortlist. It helps narrow the search, but still ask for the specification of your chosen home in writing. A good manufacturer will understand why you want to know what you are paying for.
Take a look at our selected manufacturers of modular houses in Latvia
Keep heat from slipping through the gaps
Windows matter. For a year-round home, we recommend at least triple glazing and profiles with good thermal performance. REHAU profile systems are one option worth considering. Check the whole window's Uw value, seals and build quality, rather than relying on a brand or country of origin. The profile name alone does not tell you where or how the complete window was made.
The installation of windows is very important: joints with the wall must be hermetically taped with suitable tapes or sealed with an appropriate system. Heat does not have to escape through the gaps around the frame. A full-fledged and long-lasting connection is not always ensured with mounting foam alone.
Installation quality is hard to judge without technical knowledge. Arrange a factory visit while the joints are still visible, or bring an independent professional. Work-in-progress photos and an airtightness test also help. Once the finishes are in place, the joints are much harder to inspect.
To save starting from scratch, look at the manufacturers whose offers we have already compared. It helps you decide whom to contact, though you still need the installation of your own home checked.
Heat recovery ventilation - fresh air with less heat loss
Heat recovery ventilation removes stale air and uses some of its warmth to heat the fresh air coming in. You get ventilation with less heat loss. Yesterday's dinner does not need to move in permanently.
We believe heat recovery ventilation should be planned from the outset in a modern, airtight, year-round modular home. Put it on your must-have list. If the manufacturer does not offer it, ask how they will provide continuous fresh air while limiting ventilation heat loss.
A well-designed, balanced and maintained system improves air quality and comfort while reducing heating demand. Costs and savings depend on the house, equipment and use. Ask for a quote covering installation, filters, maintenance and electricity. It is much easier to plan the ducts before fitting the new kitchen.
An energy certificate puts numbers behind the claims
A manufacturer who can arrange an energy performance calculation and certificate for your home has something useful to offer. It shows a willingness to support claims with figures. The certificate must be prepared by a qualified independent expert; a company leaflet saying 'our homes are warm' is not the same thing.
During the design, a temporary energy certificate can be prepared with the planned indicators. Find out which document is intended for your project, who will prepare it and whether the costs are included in the offer. The certificate is not an automatic guarantee of assembly quality, but it helps to understand the expected energy consumption of the house.
The document should cover your chosen design, not a smaller home with half as many windows. Calculated consumption is not a promise of an exact bill either: weather, tariffs and whether you prefer 20°C or 25°C all make a difference.
Before you sign the contract, ask these questions
You don't have to be a civil engineer to buy a good house. It is enough to ask specific questions and expect equally specific answers.
- Which insulation brand and thickness will be used in the walls, floor and roof?
- What are the U-values for each building element and the home's predicted energy use?
- What kind of windows are put in?
- Will the home have heat recovery ventilation?
- Can you arrange an energy performance calculation and the relevant certificate?
If you would rather not assess the quality yourself, start with our comparison and choose one of OUR RECOMMENDED MANUFACTURERS.
For heating, ventilation and leaving a house empty in cold weather, read how to use a modular house in winter.
We compare Latvia's leading modular home manufacturers.
