Prefab Houses Go Outside the Box
These customized, traditional-looking homes are a far cry from cookie-cutter structures most folks associate with modular homes
Having trouble finding the stately house of your dreams? Tempted to have one built but discouraged by sky-high prices? Maybe you should consider a prefabricated home. The pieces -- either modules or panels -- are built in a factory and delivered 85% complete to the property and placed on a foundation.
Among the advantages: Costs are generally 10% to 20% cheaper than for stick-built structures (those built rather than assembled on site), and modular requires only about a third of the construction time. The actual factory phase can be as short as five days. Why so fast? For one thing, building in a factory isn't affected by the vagaries of the weather. Another advantage: Such structures have to be sturdy enough to withstand being transported by truck -- sometimes as much as 1,500 miles -- and substantial enough to be dropped onto a foundation.
But sturdy doesn't have to mean sterile. Prefab homes can be built in just about any style and outfitted to an individual's taste. Architect Douglas Cutler, who specializes in designing homes formatted to modular building systems, says the future of modular housing is mass customization: offering a wide range of options using the same basic blueprints. If you want a traditional exterior but a modern, heat-efficient interior, a prefab home might be a cost-effective way to get the best of both worlds.
Here's a look at some of the traditional-style models offered by various manufacturers. To find manufacturers in your area or get more details on the industry, check out prefab industry group Modular Building Systems Association at www.modularhousing.com. The prices shown are final, turnkey costs unless they say otherwise.