apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I like pre-fab, but the more modern prefab homes that you an build in pods. I think they are extremely clean and stylish homes.

As for the modular homes that you see as advertisements along the highway- not a real big fan of those.

only the gorgeous modern ones. no McMansions.

i grew up in a community of prefabbed homes built in the 40s and 50s. while i dont see anything wrong with them, it gets a little boring visually. and i think that people have different needs - some need more space in certain areas than others. i dont know i just want to design my own home.

Prefabs like Michelle Kaufman's or Marmol Radziner's are fabulous...
...even those from Timberland Homes in Seattle are pretty darned cool.

But the ones that emulate trailerpark phony-colonials give prefab a bad name.

I like the concept of prefab, but the reality is that it imposes a great deal of limitations on the design. In a sense, it can be anything you want... as long as it is a 13' x 17' box.

I think about 90% are terrible.

Not the ones you are showing---one that is built by itself in a field or a city lot or the woods is fine. Most of the time they cost just as much as a regular home it seems---the really nice modern ones we have seen in the past on AT.

It's my first time here. I find this topic quite interesting, as prefab are now everywhere. I think that a house should reflect your personality; if you can do it with a prefab, great! However, I agree with Oneformybaby... visually, prefab can gets a little boring. Thanks!

www.ratebuilding.com

"In a sense, it can be anything you want... as long as it is a 13' x 17' box."

Not quite - closer to 16'w x 11'h x 60'L modules (maximum), depending on accessability from the factory to the lot...
...of course multiple modules can be stacked and combined in nearly endless configurations.

Then there's also panelized prefab - where the walls are pre-assembled and stacked flat on a truck like t-shirts in a GAP store.

Modulars that are just dressed double-wide mobile homes I hate. I've see a few modular component homes I kind of like but if I like it, it's generally WAY TOO EXPENSIVE for my budget.

Sorry, but prefabs are no more unique than track houses.

There's a company right behind my mom's that builds prefab homes. And they don't look anywhere near a doublewide - I've seen them loading up craftsman style, farmhouse style - ANYTHING. It's pretty neat, especially for mountainous areas where it's especially difficult to get materials to/from, whereas pouring a slab and bolting down a house is a bit easier. (you tend to see a lot of them in the appalachians, for example, and may never know what they "really" are. In order to improve the look, the outer finishes tend to be put on afterwards.

I personally can't wait for the ikea ones to make it stateside.

i like the ones that are pods, and can be combined in many different configurations. i just wish that the price was lower

I think the green homes that LivingHomes is building are divine. Ditto on Michelle Kaufman and Marmol Radziner (though his $1M 2 bedroom in Desert Hot Springs is beautiful, it just ain't in the right place.)

I am considering one of the LivingHomes models for a narrow lot in the Half Moon Bay area. Exceeds the counties "green" requirements and the build/install time sure beats the stick builts. And I love a home that is designed to be redesigned. =0D

I love them only if they are designed well. I was so filled with excitement when I heard a new "prefab" was being placed on an empty lot near my home in the Oakland Hills. I became so disappointed when they finally finished it, and it looked like any cheap, stucco nothing you would find out in the valley. No character, no presence, nothing. It ended up costing them as much as a new home of same lackluster design would have cost. It is out of place in the neighborhood, but to be nice, they did landscape it nicely.

I love the ones designed by an architect near St. Louis. website is www.rocioromero.com. More choices in the interior layout and at a decent price. Check it out!!

my husband and i love the rocio romero website also. probably one of the best options we've seen to date