A Prefabricated Home or Prefab Home or Prefab is built indoors in a factory-like setting. The finished products are covered and transported to their new locations, where a builder assembles them. These are still and fixed after being placed. Contrary to prevalent misinterpretation, all modular homes don’t look similar and have no design limitations. Prefab are an excellent choice for someone who wants to build their dream house without the botheration of traditional construction.
Benefits of Prefab Homes
- Affordability: Compared to conventional homes, prefab homes are affordable.
- Sustainability: Prefab houses lead to better energy efficiency due to tighter seams.
- Safety: Prefab houses are safer as they are strong-built and can withstand weather and other extremities.
Drawbacks of Prefab Homes
- Rules and Regulations: Prefab homes require building permits for construction, and homeowners should adhere to building codes and zoning laws.
- Utilities: There is difficulty in setting up utilities for various issues like uneven land and the distance from the nearest water source.
- Heavy Upfront Costs: The overall construction cost of prefab homes is cheap. The initial upfront cost would need a proper form of financing.
Materials used for construction
The Prefab homes use the same materials like steel, concrete, and wood as traditional homes. Each of the manufacturers uses different materials according to the client’s specifications.
How Long does it take to construct Prefab Homes
A prefab home, if on a small scale, it can take as little as six weeks. But, on a larger scale, it can take longer. Construction of these houses are three times faster than conventional construction techniques.
There are mainly three types of prefabricated homes:
- Modular Homes: The construction of homes from factory-manufactured pieces are known as modular homes and also the ones that can feature customizable floor plans. A foundation holds the modular home together, restricting the movement of the structure.
2. Manufactured Homes: Also known as mobile homes, built-in and transported in sections, manufactured homes, assembled on-site adhering to the strict building and zonal codes.
3. Kit Homes: Similar to modular homes, they are built with pre-cut factory-manufactured pieces. These pieces are easy to assemble by the homeowners.
Other types of prefabricated homes:
- Panelized Homes: Made out of prefab panels, stuck together to form the walls. Panelized homes require a permanent foundation. Restricted space due to urban development restrictions promote panelized homes. These homes are similar to modular homes.
- Pre-Cut Homes: A typology of the Kit Homes, a pre-cut home comes with a kit that assists the homeowners in constructing their residence. The kit consists either of a complete floor plan or essential elements like external cladding, roofing, siding, trim, and other features. This kit includes everything except plumbing and electrical fixtures.
- Shipping Container Homes: Similar to manufactured homes, Shipping Container Homes are entirely shipping containers. They are standardized intermodal cargo boxes of measurement 20 feet by 8 feet by 7 1/2 feet. Provision of adequate protection against moisture intrusion as water damage could occur.
- Structural Insulated Panels: A typology of prefab sandwich panel, SIP are building blocks placed side by side to form walls. Residential and Commercial buildings commonly see the usage of these panels. These panels are lighter than the traditional masonry or framed structures. The lightweights reduce the cost, and these panels are also fire-resistant and easy to install.
- Steel Frame Prefabs: This method uses steel beams instead of wooden beams. The diverse approaches currently include beam and post, trusses, girders, columns, and cantilevers.
- Insulated Concrete Prefab: A type of concrete block that includes insulation between each of its layers. This insulation allows the concrete block to adapt according to the surrounding climate keeping the interiors comfortable. The two main ways to insulate the concrete block are foam spray or fiberglass matting. Both options provide excellent thermal comfort in addition to extra labor and cost.
- Prehab Home Cabins: A smaller version of a log home, a prefab home cabin contains one or two bedrooms, a full bath, and a loft area. The home cabins consist of precast concrete slabs, roofing materials, windows, doors, siding, trim, appliances, cabinets, countertops, flooring, lighting, plumbing, and electrical fixtures.
- Box Prefab Homes: These prefab homes are manufactured by stacking multiple boxes side-by-side until it reaches the desired height. The height of these homes ranges from 8 feet to 10+ feet tall, depending on the weight that needs support. Mainly found in temporary structures like mobile offices, portable classrooms, and outdoor pavilions.
- A-frame Prefab Home: A trendy choice among homeowners due to its versatility, A-frame prefab homes arrive in different styles, including ranch style, contemporary, modern farmhouse, craftsman, and more. These homes are popular among families as they provide large spaces indoors and privacy outdoors. These homes are easy to assemble.
- Turnkey Prefab Home: A prefab home in an all-inclusive package including everything to construct a custom-designed structure. This package includes plans, construction supplies, tools, labor, and more. These homes range from small studios to massive mansions.
Works Cited
https://buildgreennh.com/types-of-prefab-homes/
https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/what-is-a-prefab-home
www.rocketmortgage.com, www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/what-is-a-prefab-home.
