So, What Exactly are Prefab Homes?

Today, a prefab home is a sustainable, affordable, and cost-efficient building option for most people. Even some designers introduce sorts of modern prefab houses design to the construction field. However, what is a prefab home? 

A prefab home (prefabricated home) is a house in which the components have already been constructed off-site before assembly/installation at their final location. Or it can be assembled by the homeowner after the different sections have been delivered.

The prefab house is commonly seen in construction sites, as a prefab container office. Some well-equipped prefab houses also can be used for prefabricated living houses. Here are the driving principles behind prefab houses.
 

The prefab home is introduced to the global market in recent years, thanks for the great development of industrialization. The prefab home is a product that can be put into mass production, as its components can be constructed relatively faster than on-site building.

It would be a significant shift in the infrastructure of building from producing raw material to producing modular components.
 

Unlike the traditional building method, the prefab home doesn’t need to take too much time to construct. The only thing you need to do is spend some time assembling it. This assembling time is shorter than the construction time.

Furthermore, as its relatively cheap modular component, the prefabricated house is cheaper than a regular home that is constructed from cement, sand, and others.
 

The prefab home is a broad definition of the modern, cost-effective construction method. When we talk about prefab homes, we inevitably associate with other types of houses, such as modular homes, volumetric homes, and kit homes.

As a matter of fact, they could be considered as the subcategories of prefabricated homes with their unique features: modular, volumetric, and kit homes.
 

A modular home is a type of prefabricated house with large sections, such as walls, roof panels. It is just like a big Lego set. Usually, prefab house manufacturers prefer to crane the entire sections into place on site.
 

“Volumetric” is defined as “the measurement of volume”. However, in the prefab field, it is used to describe the volume of air in a room or section of a home.

A volumetric home involves larger prefabrication and fully finished elements. Considering that, the constructor needs to join the prefabricated units together on-site to make the complete buildings.

These volumetric homes can be pre-set in the factory with door, window, electrics, and internal finish.
 

A kit home is a type of prefabricated home packaged and delivered to owners, then the owners assemble this home on their own. This kit home provides individuals freedom in prefabricated house design and assembly to some degree.

When you read the above parts, a question may rise up your brain. Are prefabricated homes worth it? My answer is it depends on your evaluation.

Pros	Cons
Fast & affordable construction	Need permit, construct in accordance with related laws
Tighter Seams, More energy-efficient	Need to be paid for upfront
Modular homes is safer than site-built homes	Has difficulty on financing
Withstand severe weather	Utilities have difficulity on seting up for any reason (e.g. uneven land, distance from well water, etc )

 

 

Furthermore, you also need to take all the construction cost into the consideration, including the decoration cost, land cost, and so on, when you decide to loan.

Once you make a contract with prefabricated house manufacturers, the actual financing of a prefabricated house is like a stick-built house. However, because you use a home construction loan, that means you are required to pay a greater down payment than pre-built homes.

You have to pay at least 20 percent down. Once your prefabricated home is completed, most banks tend to approve a construction loan that transfers to a permanent mortgage.
 

A prefab home is a great and relatively affordable option for those who have a limited budget to purchase regular buildings. A prefab house not only can be used as a home but also could be used to prefabricate offices.

However, you need to seriously consider whether you really need a prefab house and can you afford the cost or not, regardless of your limited budget, in case you regret your decision, a suggestion from China prefabricated house manufacturers.