We all love convenience and modern living is characterised by finding innovative ways to make life more convenient. Consider for a moment, instant oats or even a bowl of instant noodles, they are ever so handy. Food for thought. Prefab homes are just another nifty solution – these are housing structures that are built off-site in a factory setting and then transported to the final location where they are assembled and installed.
Technological advancements have made the manufacture of these much more efficient and there is an ever-growing market for them. Cost efficiency, speed of construction and potentially higher quality control have been cited as some of the reasons for this growing trend.
There are many benefits of preparing materials and components offsite, in a factory setting. For example, adverse weather conditions can really rain on your parade – having to start and stop construction is a liability and it does cause delays, factory assembly eliminates this risk. In a factory setting, the prefab home components such as walls, floors and roofs are mass-produced using sophisticated machinery and it allows for multiple components to be made simultaneously and again, this saves on time. When the components are finally assembled on-site like a jigsaw puzzle it is a much speedier process compared to conventional construction methods.
Prefabricated buildings are especially advantageous because they offer an excellent solution for additional spaces in the home, such as creating home studios or offices right in your yard, separate from your main residence. These structures can be assembled quickly, are modular, and are cost-effective, providing an efficient way to expand your living space. They can even be the starting point of your development project. Imagine you just bought a vacant stand, like in Pomona City; building will take a long time before your dream home is complete. That is where prefabs come in. You can set up prefab structures as temporary housing, offices, or even a guard house while the main structure is under construction. You do not have to get rid of this prefab after construction is complete. When you have constructed your stellar dream home on your Pomona City stand, you can repurpose the prefab building for your hobbies, home studio, or office. This approach allows you to enjoy additional functionality without overcrowding your main house.
Prefab housing earns its reputation as prefabulous because it is easy on the pocket. With a highly automated system with large volumes being produced the manufacturers can enjoy economies of scale. This is when the unit price of the components drops as the fixed costs are spread over larger volumes. The manufacturers then pass on these lower costs to the buyers of the components. Prefabs are also much more affordable because the labour costs are lower because of mechanisation. At the end of the day, these housing units can be bought at a competitive price.
Quality control in prefabricated housing is outstanding because in factories they tend to closely monitor and regulate every step of the manufacturing process. This environment where accuracy and scrutiny are the order of the day, there is reduced risk of human error. Another thing that can put your mind at ease when it comes to the workmanship of the components is that manufacturers have the liberty of performing extensive testing protocols and quality assurance measures on the components before they are dispatched to construction sites. No stone is left unturned when testing the quality and structural integrity of your prefab home components and you can rest assured that your home is sturdy and solid.
For most people the term “mass-produced” has negative connotations. For some, it implies that all houses will end up looking and being the same and this can be jarring because we all have different preferences and needs. Fear not because the manufacturing process has evolved to become more flexible and customisation allows for you to get the home of your dreams at an affordable price. We can blame technology for a number of problems in society today but hats off to manufacturers who are investing in computer-aided design (CAD) and building information modelling technologies (BID) that allow for customisation at every stage of the manufacturing process.
All of us ought to be stewards of the planet in one way or the other, “Is this sustainable?” is the question we need to be asking now more than ever. Prefab homes are more sustainable because of the efficient use of resources during the manufacturing process. The machinery can make precise cuts and measurements and this reduces the amount of wasted resources. Prefabricated homes tend to boast of better insulation and there is potential for the application of energy-saving technologies and materials which ultimately reduces the carbon footprint of your home.
However, all that glitters is not gold, and the same can be said about prefabricated homes. There are a lot of misconceptions and stigma surrounding prefab homes with regards to their quality and durability and this can affect the resale value of the home. If you have to sell your prefabricated home the likelihood of fetching a large sum of money for it is quite low compared to the sale of a traditionally constructed home.
There is limited architectural freedom with prefab housing, technology can only help so much and the unique touches you may like to add to your home may be too complex and out of reach for these to be incorporated into the manufacturing process. It has been observed that the more complex a design is, the less durable it is, that implies that one may have to sacrifice aesthetics for functionality. Another factor to consider is the distance and transportation factor: if the factory and the final site where the houses are to be assembled are very far from each other, it can prove to be very costly.
In conclusion, it is important to weigh the pros and cons, affordability, speed of construction and the great strides that have been taken to allow for customisation are quite compelling. On the flip side, can you come to terms with not being able to customise your home to the T? Will you be able to weather the storms of your city’s regulations, by-laws, policies when they question the integrity of your home?
