Curbed was out Monday with a good primer on prefab construction.
Prefab construction isn’t new. From Sears Catalog Homes to the Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian Automatic concrete homes, prefab homes have a rich history in the U.S. Amid today’s mounting housing costs and environmental concerns, however, prefab—or assembling a structure from components produced off-site—continues to offer alluring possibilities.
Prefab home manufacturers bill their houses as cheaper, more sustainable, and quicker to build than traditional homes. But what exactly is a prefab home, and do they live up to these claims? We’ve hashed out the details below.
What makes a home prefab?In traditional residential construction, homes are built on-site and piece by piece—or stick by stick. Custom-designed homes or spec homes in large developments are often called stick builds, earning the moniker thanks to the wood frames that make up the structures.
Prefab homes, in contrast, are made from components that are constructed in a factory and then transported to a home lot to be assembled.