Why prefab homes are better than stick-built houses? Well, there are plenty of reasons one might choose a prefab house over traditional building methods some personal while other reasons put the prefab houses a level of their own. This post will explore the pros and cons of building a prefab house.
Building a new house involves many junctions of hard decisions, which can easily lead to an unwanted outcome. Those decisions big or small as they may be, are all part of building a new house process and must be addressed to its fullest. While you may find yourself puzzled trying to figure out which way you should pick just bare in mind that many have already been through the same process and shared their lessons so you could have a better experience.
When it comes to picking your new house building method there is plenty of information available online, however, information is nothing like real experience which prefab house manufacturers have in abundance these days.
Prefab house manufacturers have the advantage their predecessors the stick building house contractors did not have, which is knowing exactly where traditional house building has failed and how they can improve on it while adding value to their clients.
So why prefab homes are better? It is simply because they are built faster, most often cheaper, comprehensive to green building regulations producing fewer waste materials, and with greater energy efficiency during its lifecycle. But above all that prefabs are adding values to their customers – a simpler process from start to finish, and environmentally conscious throughout the house’s life cycle.
And now, without farther ado lets dive into the pros and cons of building a prefab home.
Pros:
1. Prefab Homes Are Environmental Friendly And Energy Efficient
In prefab houses, the energy savings are firstly related to the building process itself, as most of the work is done in a factory. In some cases, it might even look like a “Ford” production line (only a bit smaller), but the chain-like production method saves time and makes the process much more energy efficient.
Materials are distributed to their designated station after being cut to the right dimensions with fewer waste materials.
Moreover, prefab houses offered by most manufacturers are pre-planned which makes the factory’s materials orders much more efficient. This both makes the process easier but more importantly it makes it environmental friendly as orders are on point.
Secondly, prefab houses manufacturers utilize higher quality materials in several places along its building process that make the house better suited for the environment it will be placed in.
One section, in particular, that being dealt with is the thermal insulation of the prefab house. Proper thermal insulation can dramatically change the living experience, and as prefab manufacturers wish to give a higher-quality house it will be a big part of what makes their homes way better, while many stick-built house owners will probably work much harder to get the information regarding this topic and in most cases will make a poor choice.
As a result of prefab home companies aspiring to produce a higher quality product the insulation used will most definitely be of higher quality materials with proportional thickness to the climate of the designated area. As the prefab houses manufacturers wish to stay on top of the competition, they must find new and improved materials that will give us the buyers the best product.
The higher quality of insulation materials being put into the house the better its energy efficiency results over time. In a well-insulated house, the electricity bill will be lower as less energy can escape from the envelope of the house.
As most of the work of prefab houses is done in the factory the time on site is much shorter, this leads to a lower environmental impact of the job site. This is usually overlooked but think about your next-door neighbors that suffer from dust, noise, and general inconvenience for a long period when it comes to stick house building.
Another issue regarding the quality of materials is the fact that weather changes don’t affect them during the building process like in stick home building. For example, rain can seep into untreated wood on-site and cause problems later that will require replacement of materials or in worst cases will slowly rot and weaken the house over time.
In a factory, prefab home building is sheltered from natural hazards and will less likely to be harmed during that time, additionally, the materials will be exposed to the elements for a much shorter period.
All those factors make the prefab house a green building, meaning it will supply a higher quality of living with reduced environmental impact.
2. Less Expensive
Prefab houses are in most cases less expensive than stick building houses thanks to smart use and management of resources alongside faster building processes.
As mentioned in the previous prefab house advantage, having a pre-planned and defined house plan helps to control materials usage with greater accuracy.
In addition, there are no unexpected changes to the structure which usually happen with stick-built houses that increase the overall price with new materials and labor.
When it comes to the overall building period the time spent on site is what makes the costs of stick built houses to be more expensive. For prefab houses, most of the time spent is in the factory where the costs of labor are already included and the customers know what they are getting in return. As for that reason, prefab houses are in most cases cost less overall.
Moreover, the actual time on site is far shorter with a prefab house and could even be as short as 2 days for a fully closed structure. Once the structure is ready the interior work can start if needed.
As for the sub-structure, both techniques use the same systems, for that reason those expenses should be close to one another.
Overall, in most cases building a prefab house of the same size and properties will be cheaper than the traditional option thanks to new technologies and efficient project management.
3. Speed of construction
For many people the speed in which they can move into their new home is crucial. Prefab houses are being built at half the time of stick built houses, at around three to four month if all goes according to plan (which it usually do).
If there are any delays it can take up to six months, however, as stick building home take anywhere from 10 to 16 month if the lot is clear and ready for work it is clearly much faster.
Having a house ready for installing in a matter of days is awesome, not to mention that the quality of the house is very high. Prefab home manufacturers have found several ways to shorten production time while increasing quality by repetition (just like Ford did with cars).
4. Prefab homes have a higher quality
As mentioned above, the production of prefab houses is a repetitive methodical process that has been refined to create a high-quality product.
In most prefab house factories, work is repeatable and separated into stations and stages. As the process is the same for the most part due to several pre-planned floor plans the stages at each station are hardly missed and the workers are highly knowledgeable about their job.
Having a methodical system that operates on a daily basis with a high degree of production control leads to the improvement of the production and the overall quality of the house.
The secret of high building quality is the ability to learn from mistakes. The prefab house companies are always in a state of reflection, learning, and adjusting, which helps them to achieve a better product than stick building houses.
In addition as the production process of prefab houses is indoors most of the time the materials are kept in a controlled environment with fewer chances to be harmed by nature.
Overall, quality is measured differently by each individual and their needs, but the concept that prefab houses are in lower quality than stick built houses is just not true. Prefab houses are as good as other types of buildings and can be even higher quality in some cases, just make sure to check what you order and make the necessary changes if needed.
5. What you order is what you’ll get
Prefab houses are offered with fixed floor plans that will accommodate most if not all customers.
Those floor plans are produced in a factory and delivered to the designated site without any surprises along the way. Meaning that the plan you and your family chose is what you will have at the end of the process.
It does not matter which type of prefab house you ordered, it’s just like a car, what you find on the spec is how your home would look like.
This can help many people get started with the interior design well before the house is complete. Ordering new furniture and other decorative elements that will give the house it’s warm and homey feeling.
In addition, the element of surprise is almost entirely gone, as there are no materials related problems, no work-related problems, and fewer quality-related issues. All of those are solved thanks to the production system of prefab houses.
This production method creates transparency between the customer and the supplier where every side knows what they agreed upon. The manufacturers know what house they must build and the customer knows what house they are to expect to. An easy, clear, and convenient deal that directly leads to a good experience.
6. Short planning time
Prefab houses, as mentioned above, are offered as pre-planned floor plans that are chosen at the beginning of the project.
The plans are being considered by the customers in accordance with their needs, their land limitations, and aspirations. The suppliers advise if needed and can offer some changes to the offered plans.
As most changes that offered are mostly cosmetic such as different exterior finishes or higher quality windows the essence and structure of the house generally kept the same.
With that said, it is easy to understand why the planning phase of prefabricated houses is by far faster than the normal stick building house planning process.
It is true that many stick built houses are very similar but this is due to certain fashion trends that are led by architects in certain regions. Those architects lead their customers towards what they believe looks good with each unique customer in mind.
However, planning each house to be unique takes more time than choosing the size of a house one needs with small cosmetic changes.
Overall, the prefab house planning process is by far faster and clearer than planning a home from scratch.
Cons:
1. Choosing a supplier might be longer
Prefab housing has been growing since it has started at the beginning of the 20th century, which led to massive growth in suppliers and house types. With this huge supply one can get lost, however, not for that long.
The first thing to choose from is what type will best suit you, from DIY house kits, house kits that require builders, to the prefab modular house. This can change with personal preference or by certain limitations. However, this will eliminate some suppliers from your table and leave you to more practical decisions.
The second issue is the supplier’s location as the cost of shipment might be high and different between suppliers. This should be checked before “falling in love” with a house concept and supplier as this can make or break the deal.
The third thing to consider now is what supplier can give you the house you are dreaming of. It might be the shape, materials, floor plan, delivery terms, or the color of the floor. Every supplier has its own unique selling features and now it is up to your personal taste to choose the one that speaks to you most.
This can be a longer process than just picking an architect and a builder but with the right considerations in mind and time, the end result will be the right supplier for your needs. However, let us not forget that the overall time of building a prefab house is far shorter.
So choose wisely, do your research and ask for references from past customers, this will give you the full picture and will help you make up your mind.
2. What you order is what you’ll get
As prefab houses are mainly offered with fixed floor plans most manufacturers will not offer lots of changes. Most of the offered options are regarding cosmetics and less about the structure of the house.
As a result, some people would find this system restricting with no place for a unique personal input. However, some suppliers might offer several levels of houses and consider some changes for higher-level prefab options.
But, for those of you that look for a self-designed highly personalized house, prefab house might not be the best option.
Another problem that may occur is changes during production or work on site. Say you understood during the production of your prefab house that something needs to be moved or changed. In most cases, it will be very hard if not impossible to change it as the floor plan you order is what you’ll get.
This can be both a positive and negative point for prefabs, but if the planning process was thorough and smart there is a very low chance that changes will be needed.
If you do find yourself in a pickle, contact your supplier and ask for a solution. The options that will stand before you are highly related to the stage that the house is in, and the supplier’s production flexibility.
In conclusion, do your homework to avoid later complications.
3. If your budget is limited don’t expect much flexibility
Though prefab houses are less expensive than the competition there is a large range of prices.
From prefab houses that cost 25,000$ to over 100,000$, it all depends on the house you are looking to get. It can vary by size, materials, and what the package includes.
The pre-planned and offered houses are priced so that they will be more appealing cost-wise, however, if changes are made that are not part of the original package than the costs start to rise.
But make no mistake, the houses that prefabricated manufacturers offer are definitely worth their cost and more. The homes are high quality with top of the line materials and meticulous built.
As mentioned above, planning a new and personal house is a different process than the prefab houses suppliers offer. Most suppliers can give a well-built house that stands in line with all government requirements, safety, health, energy, etc., but have only limited ability to perform changes so that their production line will run smoothly and stay cost-effective.
When changes are required from the supplier it means that some stages on the production line will need to be altered just for the sack of one house. This can cause delays and problems during and after the production of this part. Leading for higher production costs that will increase the overall house price.
If you are on budget and wish to stay inside of its boundaries try and stick to the offered plan with as little as possible changes. This will give a very good house to live in and enjoy at a reasonable price.
Prefab houses are better than stick built houses
As we have elaborated above there are many advantages for prefab houses over the traditional stick building houses. All those together make the prefab house a worth building method to trust on, and with recent years numbers, there can be seen an increase in the demand for them.
Prefab home is better as it gives a cheaper alternative for owning and building a house anywhere around the world. There is almost no limit to where one can order and ship a prefab house. Moreover, in some places, this could be the only solution for building a house as traditional methods are just impossible to be used.
Prefab homes are better as they are built much faster than most other methods that are in use these days, and we all know that “time is money”.
Prefab homes are better as they tend to be built using advanced materials and building methods, which leads to fewer material waste. All those together produce a greener, energy-efficient house, that is far more sustainable and livable.
Holistically, prefab house manufacturing is the combination of all the good lessons humans have gathered through trial and error to create a smart efficient way of building a house. In other words, prefab houses are the future of the building industry and should be considered by all landowners.
Why prefab house might not be suitable for your needs
The main reason people tend to go with a stick-built house is the fact that they find prefab houses to be limited for their needs.
In some cases, people that built a new home try to get their personal ideas into the design in order to give themselves a feeling of personalization.
However, in reality, many of those people have never built a house before and as a result make questionable decisions while planning the house, when in fact they could have had a pretty similar result with a kit or modular house that has been pre-planned.
So If you are looking to build your house with a new and unique look and you aren’t on a limited budget then by all means go with a new design and stick built house. This way will enable a wider range of possibilities during the planning phase.
Additionally, making changes during the assembly of a prefab house is almost impossible, but with a stick built house one will have the possibility to make changes to the house while building it. This is of course if the prefab factory has already started working and the delivery date is close, or if the contract won’t allow for any changes.
Other than these I can’t see why prefab house will not be a great option for everyone. Prefab companies are working day and night to improve their houses, including new materials and production techniques.
Does prefab houses last?
Prefab houses last just as the stick built houses last, in a nutshell, both are made with similar methods only prefabs are produced in a higher level of quality due to its production stage.
Prefabs are being made in a factory while stick built houses are being built on-site. Generally speaking, this difference gives the prefabs an advantage in regards to its quality as factory production in many cases is of a higher quality.
At the end, when comparing both building techniques there are 2 factors that must be evaluated, materials quality (which for both might be the same), construction quality.
The achievable quality for prefab houses is by far better than the quality of the normal building techniques. As such, if one feels that a stick built house will last into the future then prefab houses will undoubtedly last for at least the same time period and even longer.
If in doubt speak to several prefab houses suppliers to get the information needed.
Where can you build a prefab house
A prefab house can be built anywhere, the only limitation is local building laws. As most prefab manufacturers are situated in North America some places in the EU might need to find certain suppliers that can produce a house fitting for the local building code.
In regards Asia and Australia make sure that the house you order will be in compliance with local building codes as well, only thing is that there are some suppliers in Australia so this might be easier to achieve.
As for the location of a prefab house, there is no limit to where those houses can be used. In Russia there is a wide use of prefab houses in a very cold climate, while prefabs can also be found in the Australian desert. In both very hot and very cold weather having to work on-site for a short duration is a massive advantage.
Prefab houses are built from very good materials with high quality which in turn makes them suitable for any climate around the world.
This comes to show that there is no limit to where prefab houses could be used and to understand that this type of building method is suitable for all places on earth. All that required from the customers is a clear idea of their needs and the suppliers will be able to suggest their best solutions.
Last few wards to conclude our journey into the prefab homes realm
If you are starting a new house project don’t hesitate and check the available prefab house suppliers in your region. Choosing to go with a prefab house can save you money, time, and other future problems.
Make sure to do your homework in regards to the suppliers you find and put aside the notion that prefabs are worse than stick built houses, it is just not true, and as we explained it above they are better in many important aspects.
Prefab houses are getting more mainstream with a growing demand for smarter and environmental solutions for house building, as well as smart use of space and the growth of tiny homes, demand both in high-density urban areas and countryside.
With all that said I hope this leaves you with a good idea of why prefab houses are better and why you should consider using this type of building method to build your new home.
Until we meet again
My Alternative House