The Rise Of PreFab Homes

The Rise Of PreFab Homes

. 2 min read

Although prefab homes have been around for many years, the increasing demand for affordable and sustainable housing has been steadily rising. The imagination and scope of newer designs are focused on usable living space and environmentally friendly designs. The trend is most popular in the U.S. but is quickly taking over the globe and the market in Australia is starting to pick up.

Prefabricated home design is not only attractive because of the cost savings, but also because of their environmental friendly construction. The desire to lower your carbon footprint has made prefab construction a great option for anyone that wants to be cautious of their impact.

Let's Take a look at some of the benefits and disadvantages there are to building a modular home.

Benefits of Modular Design

Quality

Prefab home builders take pride in using only the best and strongest in recycled materials. For many years, modular homes were considered lower value real estate but in the past years manufacturers have made many improvements in the process resulting in a solid product.

Speed Of Construction

Because of the nature of modular construction. Most of the home assembly is built in smaller pieces indoors. This keeps the weather and its effects on building materials out of the equation. There is no risk of mold or mildew forming during construction and no unneeded spoiling of materials.
The smaller modular sections are pieced together like a puzzle. With the more manageable size there is no need to hire in large diesel construction cranes and machines for the build. The labour is more efficient and therefore takes much less time saving you money on your labour costs.

Cost

The costs for a modular home build can be significantly lower than a traditional build. With the manufacturers producing more than one home at a time, they have less overhead and construction costs. This is then funnelled down into the price. The quick construction will also keep the labour costs down quite a bit.

Disadvantages Of Modular Design

Resale Value

Although the reputation of modular home systems has been improving and popularised over the past decade, there is still some hesitation in the public about getting your money’s worth out of a sale. While real estate agents have found that although they are often dealing with a quality property that happens to be of modular design, the potential buyers take more convincing to see action while on the market.

Customisation

Each builder has many basic designs to choose from. While you will certainly find designs that are more energy efficient and built for warmer weather like many Australian modular designs, there will of course be limitations. With a classic built home, your contractor can likely design any features that you request. With a modular home the basic design is set and there is not a lot of room for customisation.

Buying Your Land

With a modular home, you will need to purchase your home and land separately. For some this can be a surprising expense. Finding suitable land can be a challenge. You should also check to make sure that there are no building restrictions on your land.



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Mark Thompson

Mark is an Australian Agronomist and a father of two beautiful girls. He enjoys writing about garden design, landscape architecture, DIY, tools, and related topics.

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