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Prefab Housing Makes it Easy to Own a Modern Home

Think about everything you ever thought you knew about prefab housing. Now forget it all. Things have changed drastically from the days of the standard trailer or modular home. Prefabrication no longer means drab, boxlike housing being sold on sketchy street-side lots. In fact, some of the world's most interesting and energy-efficient homes are examples of prefab modern housing.

The first known instances of prefabricated houses were sold in London in 1833, when portable cottages were sold to emigrants moving to Australia. The selling point of these cottages, besides being able to take them with you when you moved, was that they were able to be assembled in one day.

After the world wars, it was assumed that the mass production of prefab dwellings would help with the shortage of housing. These homes, however, ended up looking like sad rows of boxlike structures. Because prefab can mean modular, manufactured, or site-built, the term may bring to mind your everyday trailer park. It's true that there may have poor quality designs in the past, but this stigma is fading due to the quality of modern prefab homes.

These days mass production has turned to mass customization, producing beautiful and original modern homes. The term modern has come to mean simple and clean, which can also equate to lower costs in some cases. As a matter of fact, modern design is very fitting for the prefab industry. Simple means easy to build, and prefabricated materials make construction even easier.

Many of these prefab elements are built so that there is no need for load-bearing walls, which means homeowners have complete control over their floor plan, able to make it as open or formal as they would like.

Besides being quicker and simpler to build, it is very easy to make these homes energy-efficient and self-sustaining. There are some cases where prefab houses have been built so that they actually produce excess energy. In a society that has turned to greener options, this is a really great facet of the prefab industry. Eco-materials like bamboo can be used, along with long-lasting materials like steel, which make the homes low-maintenance. Recycled or reclaimed materials may also be used.

Not only can the prefab home be green and look modern, but they can also be built to specification of a location and climate. For example, a mountain home might include different materials than a house on the coast. Whatever your location, there is an option for prefab housing that will save you time and money while also living up to your modern expectations.

About the Author

Larry Diamond is a noted construction industry expert, having over 30 years experience in residential building. Larry is the President of Green R Panel, a company that sells and distributes prefab housing kits to customers all across North America. To learn more about Green R Panel's revolutionary building system, visit their website at GreenRPanel.com

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